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Cactus Juice Considering

J

Jim McLain

Artist
Joined
Apr 7, 2011
Messages
273
Likes
2,011
Location
Socorro, New Mexico
Website
www.lucadecor.com
I am considering getting into stabilizing but want to do as cheap as possible. I can find a vacuum chamber for about $80. A used toaster oven for $20-30. Cactus Juice is not cheap but that is a fixed cost. As far as vacuum pumps can I use my Gast vacuum pump that is part of my Oneway vacuum chucking system without damaging it? It is very heavy duty so I’m sure it can handle the casting demands but do not want to damage it.
 
I’ve used a Gast for stabilizing, works great. You just need to avoid ingesting any cactus juice or you could damage the vanes. An oilless pump like the Gast is actually better as you wont need to worry about contaminated oil from the juice fumes or moisture. Plus if theres any problems the pump is easy to disassemble to clean or rebuild.
 
Regarding the oven--toaster oven--new or used, expensive or cheap--most stabilizers use them, but i found the few i tried to be difficult to control temperature in a narrow range. Found that temps would continue to increase (by 100f to 125f) AFTER the burner shut off. Closest i got to maintaining 225f for drying was with a digital PID set to on at 154f and off at 156f.
Found an old lab oven locally for $50, heavy with lots of thermal mass--and draws like 4 amps instead of 15+ for the toaster ovens. Very stable temp, very efficient, and cool to the touch outside. Only downside is that it takes an hour or so to get to 225f, but on a 24 hour cook i'm okay with that.
Really, the toaster ovens are made for short uses (making toast or Eggo's), not for the 12-24 hour run that it takes to bring moisture in wood close to super-dry state needed to keep steam from forcing Cactus Juice back out. After both my nephew and i had fires in toaster ovens about a month apart--i trashed the one i had. Lab ovens are used in many medical & dental processes--and older ones are available almost anywhere there's dentists, hospitals or whatever. (mine still has a St. Jude's inventory sticker on it and is probably 20 years old.)
Stabilizing is amazing and opens vistas--i'm just glad i didn't burn my garage down using a toaster.
 
Earl McLain said:
Regarding the oven--toaster oven--new or used, expensive or cheap--most stabilizers use them, but i found the few i tried to be difficult to control temperature in a narrow range. Found that temps would continue to increase (by 100f to 125f) AFTER the burner shut off. Closest i got to maintaining 225f for drying was with a digital PID set to on at 154f and off at 156f.
Found an old lab oven locally for $50, heavy with lots of thermal mass--and draws like 4 amps instead of 15+ for the toaster ovens. Very stable temp, very efficient, and cool to the touch outside. Only downside is that it takes an hour or so to get to 225f, but on a 24 hour cook i'm okay with that.
Really, the toaster ovens are made for short uses (making toast or Eggo's), not for the 12-24 hour run that it takes to bring moisture in wood close to super-dry state needed to keep steam from forcing Cactus Juice back out. After both my nephew and i had fires in toaster ovens about a month apart--i trashed the one i had. Lab ovens are used in many medical & dental processes--and older ones are available almost anywhere there's dentists, hospitals or whatever. (mine still has a St. Jude's inventory sticker on it and is probably 20 years old.)
Stabilizing is amazing and opens vistas--i'm just glad i didn't burn my garage down using a toaster.
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Thanks Earl would hate to have a fire for a few high quality pen blanks. I’ll keep an eye out for a lab oven.
 
John Walls said:
Wow, thanks for that idea! I have a medium size smoker I was fixin to drop at the dump. Works, just getting rusty. I better pull it off the trailer.
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That is awesome!! I thought picking other people's scrap was "being frugal", but when i started picking my own i knew i had a problem!!
 
Earl McLain said:
That is awesome!! I thought picking other people's scrap was "being frugal", but when i started picking my own i knew i had a problem!!
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Our dump is for a small town and local rural folks. The township dumps everything there, including lots and lots of trees after storms. They welcome anyone to dump/remove what-ever they want, just like dumping, no charge to drop off or remove *treasures found.* When I feel decent/nothing else to do, I can cut up all the wood I want, lots of trees for firewood. Among that firewood is usually some very nice turning pieces, lots of figured wood. That reminds me.... I need some more turning wood.... LOL
 
The only problem with cactus juice is the short shelf life. You have to use it within 1 year, at least that is what is says. If you are just doing pen blanks, get the smallest bottle you can. The gallon will make many many pen blanks. I had some CJ that had to be used as it was about 15 months old. I used it on some 3" spalted maple. Resultant blanks were definitely nicer to turn with less tear-out of the punky areas.

Yeah, I had a small fire in my toaster oven. Realized I could never leave it unattended. At least with a smoker you can keep it outside.
 
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