How to stabilize burl headplate?

[Dave Bagwill]

I've got some nice redwood burl for a headplate, but I'd like to stabilize it before cutting and shaping.

Has anyone here used resin and a vacuum bag for the process? Any pointers?

[Kevin in California]

Dave,
As a knife maker I used stabilzed woods all the time. The best bet is to have the wood stabilzed professionally.
I have used a couple of resources, but the best is K & G Finishing Supplies in Arizona. They have been doing stabilzing for about 20 years or more. Check out their website, I think it will run you about $10.00 a pound these days, but if you have some other burls or spalted woods you'd like to use, its a good time to have some done all together. I've considered using some stabilzed burlwood for a bridge, and certainly for pick guards, but what I have on hand is not big enough for either. I have dozens of blocks of redwood burl and maple burl, and spalted done but they are in the 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" by 5" range.

You can try flooding with superglue, but the penetration probably won't be great, however once you have the finish on it, if you're doing a coating like lacquer, you should be okay.

Kevin

[ken cierp]

I would not be too concern about what is essentially a piece of veneer. Super Soft it per directions on the bottle to get it flat, do the final pressing with an iron (also on the bottle) -- then "gluer on" -- this is a "pretty" not structure. Thin CA after its flat would be similar to the resin injection process of real deal stabalization. But I am thinking that's an over kill.

[Robert Hosmer]

I've tried a couple different "home methods" for stabilizing; certainly mixed results.
For the past several years I've usually sent it off to be done by the pros.

In your search for home methods, you may come across the "Minwax hardener" method of stabilizing. This is to be avoided like the plague. You've got better than a 50% chance of the wood clouding up and going "milky".

Whatever method you use, it's best to make sure the wood is as dry as possible before treatment.

[Dave Bagwill]

Well what I have is, 6 pieces of 4" x 6" burl about 1/4" thick. I cannot see spending money for a professional job though I'm sure it would be best.

If I thin it to veneer dimensions, I'm hoping now that the glue will be sufficient to fix the headplate in its position. It's not 'punky' wood at all.

Maybe?

[TonyinNYC]

I have used some seriously spalted maple for a head plate twice and I just glued it on a bit thick, coated it with thin CA and then sanded until I hit bare wood. Then I soaked it with thin CA again, and sanded to bare wood again, repeat until at the desired thickness, then a final flooding to keep it all solid. The stuff I used was pretty crumbly. It worked well for the headplates and the tail wedges I have done as well as for rosette tiles. It's easy and once the finish is on, it is solid as a rock. I would not bother going through the time and expense of having it stabilized.