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River Ridge Products

AcryliWood™ stabilized wood is dried and resin stabilized (plastic impregnated) to provide uniform turning characteristics. Spalted woods often have soft spots; burls by their nature are tend to be unstable and prone to cracking and warping from changes in humidity. Stabilization virtually eliminates these problems.

We use Stabil-Thru™ resin stabilization process. This process uses controlled fluctuating pressure and heat to force polymer resin into cells of the wood. The softer areas will take up more resin than the harder areas. This variable absorption creates beautiful contrasting patterns in the wood.

Primary features and benefits of AcryliWood stabilized wood:

Dimensionally stable

Very low water absorption-resists weathering

Climate changes won't cause swelling and shrinking

Wet sands easily without raising grain

Much easier to finish than most regular wood.

Enhanced grain definition

Note that Stabilized wood will not accept stain or additional dye.

Once cured AcryliWood™ is virtually unaffected by changes in humidity. The stabilization process increases the density and hardness of the wood. Turning properties are much more uniform than untreated wood, without the normal variations between cross grain and end grain.

Please note that stabilized wood is considerably harder than most regular wood. Extra care should be taken during drilling to keep the blank cool and not crack the material. The amount resin absorbed is dependent on the species and amount of spalting.

AcryliWood™ Stabilized Wood Working Tips:

Sawing
For pen blanks, leave the section to be drilled about a 1/4" too long. Small chips on the exit side of the hole can be trimmed away when the section is cut to the exact length.

When sawing AcryliWood, use fine tooth blades. I find 10 tpi band saw blades work well for this application.

Drilling AcryliWood
Place a backup board underneath the blank before drilling. It will reduce the chance of "blowouts" and cracking when drilling through the end of the blank.

Use a drilling jig that supports the entire length of the blank. If you don't have a jig that fully supports the blank trying wrapping the blank in tape before drilling. Electrical tape works well. This technique will provide some support to the blank. If the blank does crack, the tape will hold chips in place, giving you the opportunity to repair with CA glue.

Brad Point, Pilot Point, or Parabolic drill bits are often recommended for drilling Dymondwood. Standard "jobber" bits have a tendency to wander and may not produce a straight hole. This is particularly true for smaller diameters.

Every bit has its advantages and disadvantages. Brad Point bits are available in carbide; the big advantage is that you will spend less time sharpening drill bits. Pilot point bits work very well, but to my knowledge aren't available in carbide. I have seen parabolic recommended for Dymondwood, but I haven't tried them. I use a Carbide Brad Point. Miniature diamond files can be used for dressing carbide brad point bits.

Always use very sharp tools. Don't try to get too deep with your cuts. Due to its hardness AcryliWood can chip or crack.

Whatever drill bit you use, run your drill at medium to slow speed, keep your drill bit sharp and use light downward force while drilling.

Back out the drill bit frequently to clear chips. If chips are not cleared excessive side pressures may crack the blank.

If you hear or feel a small "pop" during drilling, you've probably cracked the blank. This is usually a result of excessive drilling force or compacted chips in the drill flutes. See Gluing below.

Overheating is generally not as big of a problem with AcryliWood as it is with Dymondwood. If you think you are having a overheating problem see the Dymondwood info page for notes on water cooling.

Sanding

Wet sanding is the preferred method for sanding AcryliWood, and provides very good results.

Wet sand with 120, 220, 320, 600, 1200 grit wet/dry sandpaper.

For a finish that will pass the "Magnifying Glass Test" also wet sand with 4000, 8000, 12,000 grit Micromesh®.

Occasionally there may be small imperfections that do not completely fill with resin. These can be filled by any of the methods used with regular wood.

Polishing and Finishing

AcryliWood does not always require a finish, particularly in species with a high resin absorption rate. However, a higher, more even gloss level can be achieved with the use of an additional finish.

Application of a plastic polish, such as Novus #2, will give you a high-gloss, luster finish. When properly sanded, the polish does its job in a few passes. For best results, clean and protect with Novus #1 as a final step.

Friction polishes and turning waxes designed for regular wood generally work fine on AcryliWood.

Gluing

AcryliWood may be glued with Cyanoacrylate (CA) glue and some epoxies. Standard wood glue usually won't soak in and will have poor adhesion.

Special considerations for Stabilized Corn Cobs

From the center out, corn cobs consist of a pith, woody ring, and chaff. Only the woody ring is useable. Corn cobs are quite variable in dye absorption.

Pen tubes must be centered in the drilled out pith for the cob to turn properly.

The technique I use to drill corn cobs is to drill each half blank half way from each end. Take care to drill on the center of the pith. I then use a twist drill about .005" oversized to ream the slightly misaligned hole.

I have found a polyurethane glue (such as Gorilla glue) works well for bonding the tubes. The foaming adhesive helps fill imperfections in the drilled out pith.

Dyed cobs often show considerable color variation within the blank. I have been very successful with a special technique to even out and deepen the color.

After sanding and polishing I apply water based dye like a friction polish. I use Liberon metallized water based dye. The dye doesn't soak in. So if you don't like the color simply sand off with a very fine grit.

After buffing the dye dry, I apply a lacquer based friction polish. The lacquer base won't dissolve the water based dye. I apply two coats to seal down the dye.

I have found this process to be fast and produce a durable finish.

Don't forget to use rubber gloves!

AcryliWood Material properties:

Specific Gravity: 0.9 to 1.3
Density: 0.52 to 0.75 oz per cubic inch
Suggested drill types: Carbide Brad point or Pilot Point
Suggested glues: Cyanoacrylate (CA)

Caution: Various governmental agencies have identified wood dust as a health hazard. We always use appropriate safety equipment; we want to remind you to do the same. If you want to find information on wood dust a good place to start is the US government OSHA website.

osha.gov.wood dust