# Question About Stabilizing



## Turnedaround (Apr 25, 2022)

hi curtis, i just joined here and its great to see that your already here. i have been amazed with the stabilizing of the so called pinky wood that my friend likes to throw in the burn pile.that being said I hope its ok to share on this site the question i just sent you with the photos...
I left this blank soaking for about two months with a weight on top to keep the wood under the level of the cactus juice, the metal weight was encased in a hard plastic and i really honestly forgot about the blank in the bucket of juice. when i pulled the weight out of the cactus juice the plastic looked like it was melted, and i think melted is the wrong word but.. it reminded me of glue that has been left uncapped for to long and it looks like a big snot ball, i cleaned the wood off and cooked it when i took the tinfoil off the blank the pic shows what i found, i had never seen this happen before or sense, just wondering what happened and why it looks so weird. I will be the first to say it was my fault I'm sure i messed something up but just for my own personal knowledge of what not to do in the future


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## Tony (Apr 26, 2022)

Robert, Curtis hasn't been on here in years. He still owns TurnTex and is an active woodworker but he's been extremely busy selling Cactus Juice. Just wanted to let you know.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Turnedaround (Apr 26, 2022)

Tony said:


> Robert, Curtis hasn't been on here in years. He still owns TurnTex and is an active woodworker but he's been extremely busy selling Cactus Juice. Just wanted to let you know.


Thx for heads up , so can this post be made into a new thread so someone might have an idea as to what happened?


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## Tony (Apr 26, 2022)

Turnedaround said:


> Thx for heads up , so can this post be made into a new thread so someone might have an idea as to what happened?


Done


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## vegas urban lumber (Apr 26, 2022)

possible that there was high moisture content in the wood when first submerged?


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## Greenacres2 (Apr 27, 2022)

vegas urban lumber said:


> possible that there was high moisture content in the wood when first submerged?


Agreed, plus it helps to stay under 200 F (but above 185 F) to help limit "push-out". 

And...that cured push-out will cut the heck out of your hands while try to chip it off if you're not wearing gloves. At least that's what i heard on a street corner. And apparently the guy who did it has done it many times. Just sayin' that's all.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Turnedaround (Apr 29, 2022)

Greenacres2 said:


> Agreed, plus it helps to stay under 200 F (but above 185 F) to help limit "push-out".
> 
> And...that cured push-out will cut the heck out of your hands while try to chip it off if you're not wearing gloves. At least that's what i heard on a street corner. And apparently the guy who did it has done it many times. Just sayin' that's all.


I think it would slice and dice for sure , that being said I just did a fast trim with the band saw worked out well


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## Greenacres2 (Apr 29, 2022)

Turnedaround said:


> I think it would slice and dice for sure , that being said I just did a fast trim with the band saw worked out well


Right tool. In the evenings I’m smart enough to use mine. But, when I buzz home from the office to take a batch out of the oven…then peel back the foil…and it’s 200 deg in my bare hands…and i just want a lil peek…I’m not smart enough to work a power tool!!

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Turnedaround (Apr 29, 2022)

Greenacres2 said:


> Right tool. In the evenings I’m smart enough to use mine. But, when I buzz home from the office to take a batch out of the oven…then peel back the foil…and it’s 200 deg in my bare hands…and i just want a lil peek…I’m not smart enough to work a power tool!!


Oh that’s to funny I do that all the time


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## Lumptastic (May 18, 2022)

What exactly are you asking about? If the cactus juice hardened in the container the chemical reaction gives off heat. If it was in pet plastic that could have set it off but will definitely produce enough heat to melt the plastic. If it didn’t harden in the container the extreme bleeding would be from moisture in the wood. Basically you’ve got moisture trying to escape and cactus juice in its path so as it turns to steam it pushes all of your resin out so it can escape


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## Turnedaround (May 18, 2022)

Lumptastic said:


> What exactly are you asking about? If the cactus juice hardened in the container the chemical reaction gives off heat. If it was in pet plastic that could have set it off but will definitely produce enough heat to melt the plastic. If it didn’t harden in the container the extreme bleeding would be from moisture in the wood. Basically you’ve got moisture trying to escape and cactus juice in its path so as it turns to steam it pushes all of your resin out so it can escape


Can moisture enter the wood after it’s been cooked in the oven and placed in a zip lock baggy until it’s cooled to room temp and then placed in vacuum chamber with cactus juice? After running the vacuum for several hours it was left to soak for an extended amount of time because my oven had just burned up. Also the stabilized blank was cooked between 190 and 195 degrees I cannot be certain that the temp did not go up or down between the hourly checks that I did but it appeared to be sitting in the right temperature range. 
And that answer sounds like a good response to me about the steam pushing the cactus juice out of the wood. 
so this question pops up because the blank was left to soak for 2 months while in the cooking process could it have just leaked due to excess juice in the wood? 
the blank is very solid after being cooked and definitely gained weight. Anyway thanks for reply and hope I’m not bugging to much with my desire to avoid this kind of leakage in the future


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## vegas urban lumber (May 18, 2022)

seams more likely that temp was to high, ovens are notorious for being out of calibration and secondary redundant thermometer controls sometimes need to be used

Reactions: Like 1


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## FLQuacker (May 23, 2022)

Had it activate under vacuum once..just barely caught it in time to get it out of the chamber! That was a hot nasty mess.


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