Bill Steven's post reminded me of something I experienced today. A couple days ago, I posted a query about balsawood & firming it up using Min Wax High Performance Wood Hardener. The idea was to build a very light fly rod handle. Balsa rings were cut with a hole saw & drill press.

I used the technique sited in the original post for firming up the rings and am sure they were thoroughly dried out (air dried, toaster oven on low & microwave oven were used to assure they and the "control" rings were dry).

Glued up the rings on a well-waxed 3/8" mandrel using TiteBond III and left it in the clamp for over an hour. My wife had recently baked some cornbread muffins and the oven was still warm (150 degrees F) so the glued-up grip was placed into the oven for about 30 minutes. Today, I turned the material down into nice full wells handle and was feeling good, until I tried to get the grip off the mandrel. It wouldn't come off. I even tried to press it off - wouldn't bulge. Ended up having to cut it off the mandrel and found it extremely bonded to the steel despite a decent application of paraffin.

I think the time in the oven might have had something to do with the failure, but am not sure. Think I just got in a hurry! Stan

Addendum: For what it's worth for comparing weights , the balsawood weights were taken of 10 untreated balsawood rings and 10 rings treated with the techinque indicated in the 1st post. The rings were weighed (dry weight for both groups) on an analytical balance scale. Balsawood rings treated by the metnod outlined were observed to have undergone a 64.3% weight increase (averaged untreated ring weighed 0.84 grains & averaged treated ring weighted 1.38 grains). Sample size was 10 rings in each of the two groups. Stan



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2005 12:09AM by Stan Gregory.

I always use a threaded rod and wing nuts to tighten the rings. I wonder if it would have come off with one loosened and the other tightened up ??
maybe to much glue ??

I would say that the oven temp. melted off the wax and allowed the glue to bond to the mandrel.

Bill in WV

William, that's what I think . The oven temp was the most likely curprit since the mandrel was well waxed multiple times. Think I just got in a hurry to get results & ended up wasting time & material. Stan

Well Stan, momma always said: Haste makes waste!! But I understand wanting to get a rod done.

Bill in WV

I think the oven melted the wax and the glue enough for it to bond to the mandrel .
once the wax was soft. the chemicals in the glue probably dissolved the wax enough to bond to the mandrel