How Pentacryl Green Wood Stabilizer Prevents Cracking

  By Jim Hingst

                             Pentacryl Wood Stabilizer

● Displaces moisture  in green wood as it dries to prevent cracking.

● Does not stain the wood or affect wood finishes.

● Accelerates drying time.

As I mentioned in my story, Air Drying Green Wood,   working green wood is much easier than after the wood is bone dry. The problem is that as the wood loses moisture, the wood cell walls collapse, the piece shrinks and all of a sudden cracks form.

To prevent green wood from cracking, some woodcarvers apply a wood stabilizer, such as Pentacryl, to the wood. Manufacturers claim that these products are environmentally friendly, non-toxic and relatively safe to work with. The only caution, when working with wood stabilizers, is that it can cause some skin irritation in some people.

The product is easily to work with, but you should follow the instructions provided by the manufacturers. You can spray or brush on the wood stabilizer. This process is repeated as your project piece dries. Brushing on the wood stabilizer works great for very large blocks of wood.  

Another method of application occasionally used by some woodworkers is immersion. This is easily accomplished if the piece of wood is small. Some woodcarvers and wood turners have developed modified versions of this immersion method for larger projects.

Whichever method that you try, there is no guarantee of success. But use of a wood stabilizer can improve your chances. The key to success is how well the wood absorbs the wood stabilizer, which is a mixture of acrylic polymers, paraffins and paraffin distilates. In large part, that depends on the type of wood that you are treating. Some green wood will not accept the wood stabilizers, such as Pentacryl, as readily as others. Burled wood and fruit woods can be problematic.  

The way a wood stabilizer works is that it coats the walls of the cells of the wood. This prevents the cell walls from collapsing as the wood dries. Even after the green wood is treated with the wood stabilizer, you must dry the wood slowly as I described in my earlier blog post. The good news is that in addition to reducing the chances of cracking, the use of a wood stabilizer, such as Pentacryl, can also accelerate drying times.

                                     

In working with the Pentacryl product, it is critical that the surface of the green wood stays wet.  For this reason, several hours prior to using this wood stabilizer, you should wrap the block of wood with a wet towel. The moisture will help the Pentacryl to permeate the wood.

After moistening the wood, liberally coat the surface of the wood with Pentacryl using a brush. If you are carving green wood, you should repeat the process each day after carving. Saturate the surface of the carving with the wood stabilizer until the wood will no longer absorb the mixture.  Since the Pentacryl is water based, you can clean your brushes with soap and water.

If you are curing a large block of wood, you can also stand the piece in a container of Pentacryl so that the wicks up through the end grain. This is a variation of the immersion method. During this procedure, you should cover the block of wood in plastic. How long it takes for the wood to absorb the Pentacryl depends on the thickness of the wood. A large piece could take one to two weeks.

As the green wood continues to lose moisture, you should keep the wood in a cool, damp place. A basement is perfect for storage. The ideal storage temperature range is 50° to 70° F at 50% humidity.

To ensure that the wood remains in a humid environment, you should keep the carved piece or green block of wood in a brown paper bag or in a corrugated container. Storing the treated wood in a plastic bag is discouraged, because it could promote mold growth. Continue to store the treated wood until it is completely dry. This could take several months to more than a year, depending on the size and type of the wood.

The wood stabilizer should not discolor the wood treated. After the wood is dry, wipe your project down with mineral spirits (white spirits) to remove any residue. After prepping the surface, you can finish the wood, using either oil-based or water based finishes. Finishing is important because it prevents any of the wood stabilizer from blooming to the surface.

If you are looking to minimize cracking of green wood as it dries, you may want to invest in a wood stabilizer, such as Pentacryl. It won’t be cheap. A gallon can cost between $60 and $70. Will it work 100% of the time? I can’t promise that.  But wood stabilizers can greatly improve your batting average, which can save you some anxiety and heartache. 

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About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.

Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer.  Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.

Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for  publications, such as  Signs Canada, SignCraft,  Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and  Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 400 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.  Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon. 

Slides of Jim's Artwork

2016 Hingst Garden

© 2016 Jim Hingst