Stabilized wood: manufacturing methods and features

Many people have a question about what a "stabilized tree" means. It is a material that has undergone special processing and has received additional decorative characteristics and strength, while the natural pattern remains unchanged.

Description

This type of treatment is also often called conservation, which is justifiable, since the main task is to preserve and improve the quality of wood. Obtaining such a result is possible by using a special substance that fills the pores and hardens. The greatest distribution was purchased by resins, polymer and varnish-and-paint compositions, various oils.

The stabilized tree completely absorbs the coloring composition and acquires a new shade not only on the surface, but also throughout the structure. There are various varieties of staining: from natural to bright tones.

Features

For a proper result, thorough preparation and careful compliance with all established rules are required. Independently it is not so easy to create the necessary level of pressure, vacuum and a certain temperature regime, but without these conditions, conservation becomes impossible.

To begin with, you need to pick the right stock. Most often it is a material with beautiful overflows and structure, it can be various hardwoods: chestnut, elm, maple, birch.

The stabilized tree acquires the following properties:

• hardness;
• density;
• Resistance to the effects of various oils and organic solvents;
• Excellent decorative characteristics;
• The stabilized tree retains the properties obtained even when heated with an open flame.

Impregnation

This stage can be performed by various methods:

• Stabilization under high pressure. To do this, the selected capacity is filled with the composition into which the blank is immersed. Then the container is placed in a special chamber, in which an increased pressure is formed. The principle of action is that air is pushed out of the workpiece, and the space that has been freed up is filled with a solution.
• Vacuum method. The material is placed in a chamber, from which air is subsequently evacuated, and it also leaves the blanks. So the solution easily paints capillaries and empty pores.
• Hot impregnation. Wood is cooked or soaked in special formulations. The used means are characterized by a dilution with heating, due to which the fluidity and quality of filling substantially increases.
• Cold impregnation is the best option for thin workpieces.

Polymerization

This process completes the treatment and is made by drying the products at the required temperature regime. The stabilized wood for the handles acquires new characteristics that give a similarity to the polymeric materials, and it also changes its hue and mass. At the same time, the quality of the fibers remains at the same level, they additionally fix the solution used during processing, due to which a noble and elegant appearance of the entire workpiece is formed. It is worth noting that some of the tools used at this stage differ in the property of self-hardening.

How to stabilize a tree for a knife handle

The processed material is suitable for the creation of various products and hand-made articles. Most often it is used in the manufacture of exclusive knife arms.

One of the popular compositions for preservation is "Anacrol-90", the pour point of which is within 90 degrees. A vacuum installation is required for the work, it can be made from the following parts: manometer, compressor, vacuum pump, several tubes, large plastic containers. Subsequently, the stabilized tree is dried in a special oven, in its absence, you can use an aerogrill or oven.

The thickness of the used material should not exceed 3-4 cm, this is necessary for high-quality impregnation of the workpiece.

A wooden plate is placed in a container with a solution, while it must be completely covered with anacrol. Vacuum is created until the air bubbles cease to exit.

Further, a high pressure is created, the composition must be settled for half an hour. The pressure level should reach 2-4 atm, for this it is necessary to use the pump and the compressor. The process must be repeated after 40 minutes. Actions are carried out until the product drowns in the water. In this case, you can not doubt the quality impregnation of the billet.

Then a stabilized tree with your own hands Is subjected to thorough drying at a temperature of about 100 degrees. After it must be absent Raw spots. This processing gives a high density to the material and improves the polishing quality. Non-standard shade patterns can be obtained by adding various pigments to the composition. Also today, you can find ready-made solutions in the market, having a variety of shades.

Application of epoxy resin

This method is similar to preservation with anacrol, the main difference is its replacement with epoxy resin mixed with alcohol. The latter is used to improve the quality of impregnation. Working with resin requires patience, since it will polymerize to the required state for a long time. There are many different solutions based on epoxy resin. The stabilized wood for the handles, obtained as a result of the use of such a composition with a high degree of fluidity, is characterized by better characteristics.