Okay, I had a response to this query in a recent post of mine, and the reply was the use of thin CYA, which has also been mentioned in other posts on this board. Cyanoacrylate or super glue has lots of uses, but tends to be a bit spendy, I think - at least in the itty-bitty tubes I've used in the past. I've used it for closing cuts and protecting blisters and fixing busted figurines. Works good. Many swear by the thin stuff for working spalted wood - with the caveat that the soaking be done in a well ventilated area account of the fumes.
Okay, I did a little strolling around the web and came up with a few other methods of home processes for soft or punky wood. Soaking in thinned lacquer Soaking in thinned shellac Use of thin CYA Soaking in thinned Polycryl Soaking or slathering with Pentacryl
I looked at a few MSDS (material safety data sheets) for the -cryl items and got varying results, regarding toxicities and nastiness. One thiing the various products had in common was that they were various forms of acrylate polymers. Okay, that and a cup of coffee will get me a cup of coffee.
For my preferences, I'm tempted to give serious consideration to the polycryl and pentacryl products. They seem to have a great shelf life and are a bit more user friendly, compared to the CYA.
The questions then, are - Have any of you used any of these various products? Which ones, and how did you like them?
Interesting side notes on CYA or superglue... when mixed with baking soda, it is used as a filler in some model making projects, but it releases a lot of heat, and some caution is called for. Even more interesting, when superglue is accidentally mixed with cotton fabric (like wiping rags or cotton gloves), a LOT of heat is released, and even more caution is called for. Various superglue compounds have been used for repairs to bone and skin and turtle shells and of course is recognized as loctite in its various colors for securing threaded items.
Thanks for your time. Eagerly awaiting input, now.
tom koehler