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Stabilizing red oak with PEG 300

2/19/15       
Heinrich Spillmann Member

Website: http://www.heinrichspillmann.com

The bench I carved from a red oak log is 40 inches wide and 10 to 15 inches or more thick at places and 9 feet long. I am still looking for a way to stabilize this or similar pieces so that it could be brought in to a controlled indoor environment, such as a large lobby spaces or similar (AC in summer and heating in winter). Contributions in the Knowledge Base talk about PEG 300 treatments. Even though it is still a lengthy and expensive treatment I am hoping it might help my cause. I wonder if anybody can address the questions below.
1. How deep can one expect PEG 300 to penetrate in to red oak over time ? I have seen a contribution by Gene Wengert in the Knowledge Base, where he talks about different curing times for different thicknesses, solutions and temperatures, but in this listing he doesn’t go beyond three inches thick wood. Is that three inches from both sides i.e. the wood is 6 inches thick. How deep will PEG penetrate?
2. Is my 40 wide and 15 inch plus thick piece still prone to checking if the PEG penetrated only about 3 to 4 inches? And what about cracking with the same penetration?
3. Apparently the PEG 300 solution tends to ooze out after the treatment process. Does oiling prevent that oozing or does the piece need to be sealed with a varnish type coat. I’d much prefer an oil finish for esthetic and “ethical” reasons.
4. Does the PEG 300 treatment make the wood more combustible? I treat some of my pieces by charring the surface for esthetic reasons.
5. How does PEG 300 impact the weight of the final piece? The final weight can be an issue for some of my pieces, due to approved floor loads. I understand that the weight of PEC is higher than the water which it replaces, will the treated piece get heavier vs lighter of a kiln dried wood?


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2/20/15       #2: Stabilizing red oak with PEG 300 ...
Keith Newton

Heinrich, Are you sure about the 300 weight? I seem to remember that 1000 is the correct weight to use for this. I bought some probably 20 years ago, but then didn't care for the hassle of using it.

I thought I would offer a suggestion though, since you will need to come up with a vat large enough to immerse your work in while it is heated and soaking, that you might also try to find a tank that could withstand some vacuum pressure. I would think that you could speed up the penetration by intermittently pulling and releasing a vacuum to get the air out, which should in turn draw the solution in more quickly, even if it was no more than a shop-vac.

2/20/15       #3: Stabilizing red oak with PEG 300 ...
Gene Wengert-Wood Doc

Nothing wrong with PEG 300

Question 1. Much over 3" thick means 3" thick total thickness. For 6", soaking time would be several months...about 2.5 times longer than for 3". The instructions for use of PEG tells you how to go about soaking. So that you do not need a vat with lots of extra solution, plastic bags inside a container with lots of padding between the container and bag to avoid a lot of excess.

Question 2. Yes, total treatment is required.

Question 3. The PEG is like a soft wax, so for a seat you would want a coating, such as polyurethane varnish.

Question 5. The weight will increase. My guess is that the weight will go up about 30% compared to untreated.

2/20/15       #4: Stabilizing red oak with PEG 300 ...
heinrich

Thank you Gene, it doesn’t sound like PEG is the solution to my issues yet. With the potential curing time (if PEC ever will penetrate the full depth), the expected continuous oozing after the treatment and the additional weight added by the PEG, PEG doesn’t sound like a good solution for my issues and so the search continous.


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