Overview
Use to stabilize green wood to keep it from cracking, splitting and shrinking. Wood treated with Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) is ready for carving, shaping or machining.
Polyethylene Glycol is dissolved in water. Wood is treated by submersing into the PEG/ water mix. 10 lb. container (10 lbs. will make 15.4 quarts of a 30 percent solution or 8.48 quarts of a 50 percent solution).
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Questions and Answers
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Browse 16 questions
Browse 16 questions
and 60 answers
Why did you choose this?
Rockler Store
To seal wood cookie/disks for centerpieces.
MICHELLE V
on May 24, 2017
I picked this PEG product over Pentacryl because of the cost factor.
Gary V
on Mar 21, 2017
To seal wood cookie/disks for centerpieces.
MICHELLE V
on May 24, 2017
because it is badass
joshua m r
on Apr 14, 2017
because it is badass
joshua m r
on Apr 14, 2017
need it
les r
on Feb 27, 2017
Can PEG be used on chainsaw wood sculptures?
BEST ANSWER: It can but there are limitations. If you want to stabilize found or freshly felled wood that is not exactly "green", PEG works well. If you want to stabilize chainsaw sculptures that are dry or are drying, immersing the piece in a 25% solution of PEG for several months will keep the wood from developing cracks after it dries.
The limitation, from my experience, is that the PEG solution will only penetrate a few inches. The wood inside the PEG absorbed layer is wet but not stabilized. It could develop cracks. I treat large blanks for turning by placing the rough turned pieces in a 20-25% PEG 1000 solution for 10 - 14 months. When I remove the piece from the solution, it is very easy to work. It takes a few weeks to dry. Since I remove the interior wood, the limited penetration is not a problem.
The limitation, from my experience, is that the PEG solution will only penetrate a few inches. The wood inside the PEG absorbed layer is wet but not stabilized. It could develop cracks. I treat large blanks for turning by placing the rough turned pieces in a 20-25% PEG 1000 solution for 10 - 14 months. When I remove the piece from the solution, it is very easy to work. It takes a few weeks to dry. Since I remove the interior wood, the limited penetration is not a problem.
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- JOHN W on May 31, 2015
- Purchased on Jan 1, 2015
how long do you leave green wood in the solution before it is ready to be used for turning etc?
BEST ANSWER: The time a piece requires for treatment is determined by four factors. The density of the wood, the depth of diffusion you require, the strength of the PEG solution and the temperature of the solution. Patrick Spielman has a book, "Working Green Wood with PEG" ( ISBN 0-8069-8924-6) that includes tables compiled by the Forest Products Laboratory for typical values with one and two inch slabs of end grain walnut.
Personally, I found the tables to not be very relevant. The PEG solution is expensive to mix in any volume so I rough turn the pieces to 2-3" wall thickness and place the piece in a poly bag with a 25% to 30% solution. Silver maple, mimosa, red oak and hackberry have taken several weeks. Plan on at least a couple of months. the treated wood is great to turn but it is messy. I wear goggles and rain gear.
Personally, I found the tables to not be very relevant. The PEG solution is expensive to mix in any volume so I rough turn the pieces to 2-3" wall thickness and place the piece in a poly bag with a 25% to 30% solution. Silver maple, mimosa, red oak and hackberry have taken several weeks. Plan on at least a couple of months. the treated wood is great to turn but it is messy. I wear goggles and rain gear.
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- JOHN W on Aug 15, 2015
- Purchased on Jan 1, 2015
I would like to make coasters from cedar rounds 4 inches across and 3/8 of an inch thick. How long would I have to soak them in PEG to keep them from splitting?
BEST ANSWER: If cedar is fairly dry take a piece and start cutting from the center cut your pieces use some med.supper glue then sand and finish. Jim
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- JimBo on Jul 15, 2016
- Purchased on Aug 10, 2014
I work at a museum and we will be getting a large cross section from the trunk of an American elm. The trunk was over five feet in diameter and the section will probably end up being about 4-5 inches thick. I want to use the method that will provide the best stabilization possible. I used PEG on a bitternut hickory cross section about 3 feet across and 3 inches thick in the past and had good results. More recently I used wood juice in an attempt to stabilize a white oak cross section about 40 inches across by about 3 inches thick. After much work and a couple of years of waiting the piece checked very badly. Is this because white oak has very dense wood or is PEG a better wood stabilizer?
Thanks,
Mark
Thanks,
Mark
I have a ash log 12' long 46in. across would like to make table tops 4in thick. Is it better to treat or kiln dry.Whats the best way to prevent cracks? Marv
BEST ANSWER: This stuff should work great! Make your cuts first though, soak the slabs for at least a month or more before you set them out to dry. Then let it dry for a year even if you can
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- martin m on Oct 3, 2016
- Purchased on Feb 10, 2015
Does the PEG add Any color to the wood?
BEST ANSWER: I carved a 6 foot wizard from a butternut log, then soaked it in this for 30 days in a special tank I made from fiberglass to minimize the amount of PEG I would need. Turned the wood virtually black. Had to carve off about another 1/16" over the entire piece to get the butternut color back, but that DID work.
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- Joseph L on Aug 11, 2017
Can end grain wood cut for clocks and treated with PEG be finished with pour-on clear epoxy?
BEST ANSWER: I believe that is what we used to finish our clock. after sanding.
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- Malcom S on Jan 5, 2016
- Purchased on Feb 27, 2015
Can wood treated with PEG 1000 be kiln dried?
BEST ANSWER: Yes. PEG treated wood can be dried quicker than normal wood, but make sure you get full PEG saturation before kiln drying.
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- Thomas M on Aug 10, 2016
- Purchased on Mar 8, 2015
I have a log 3 feet in diameter and 8 feet long how would I treat it's also White Oak also is going to face off one side to make a sign out of it?
BEST ANSWER: Seal the end grain with AnchorSeal. The log will forever be wet inside until you cut it. Then you might consider PET or air or kiln drying.
I don't believe there is much you can /should do to a log other than treat the end grains
I don't believe there is much you can /should do to a log other than treat the end grains
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- Tim M on May 2, 2017
- Purchased on Jan 5, 2016
All reviews are saying to SOAK the wood. But I have 3 8' long, 2" thick, 18" wide pieces of magnolia. How do I use PEG?
BEST ANSWER: You build an eight foot long, 20 inch wide and 6 inch deep trough out of 3/4" marine plywood. Reinforce all seams with 2x4 framing since full of water it will be very heavy. Either fiberglass the interior of the trough or lay in a layer of 6 mil plastic sheeting at a big box building supply. It will take a lot of PEG. A recommended 30% solution will take maybe 50 pounds of PEG. The result will be check or crack free, the wood will be gorgeous but a little darker from the PEG solution. You will need to soak the wood, as in submerge it in the PEG solution for maybe 2-3 weeks at temperatures above 80 degrees F. which is the melting point of PEG. In other words build your trough outside in the Summer in a sunny place. The process is a diffusion process in which the molecules of PEG slowly move through the wood cell walls and replace the sap water inside each cell. It really works. For table tops, I use a children's wading pool with a plywood lid.
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- Charles L on Jul 10, 2017
- Purchased on Aug 22, 2015
Do I have to use PEG immediately after cutting ends of Ponderosa Pine for side tables? (2-3 inches thickness.)
BEST ANSWER: The greener the wood the better I think. This product is replacing water molecules with a kind of plastic almost that won't evaporate, therefore keeping the wood from shrinking and cracking. Adding peg to a dried and cracked piece of wood won't do anything
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- martin m on Apr 8, 2016
- Purchased on Feb 10, 2015
Can you use this for fresh cut live edge pieces?
BEST ANSWER: Yes, this, in time replaces the water in the wood with PEG. Do not put dark colored wood in same tank with light colored wood. The dark will stain the light colored wood. This allows a wood turner to work the wood as it were green, without the splits, checks, or shakes. Personally, I like using the PEG. For what it is worth, this is pure PEG, not the same as antifreeze which is poison.
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- BillS on May 1, 2017
- Purchased on Jul 5, 2015
Can you use the PEG in a vacuum chamber to stabilize the greenwood?
I want to know how much PEG1000 is penetrated into the wood. (ex. exposed end grain 2 inches)
Is there a way to test this? Maybe use some kind of chemical substance for testing or some kind of machine.
Thank you
Is there a way to test this? Maybe use some kind of chemical substance for testing or some kind of machine.
Thank you
BEST ANSWER: Need to try and cut pieces longer. Soak for 30 days
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- JimBo on Apr 10, 2016
- Purchased on Aug 10, 2014
Is it PEG 1450 or 1000?
Reviews
5.0 / 5.0
2 Reviews
Walnut Round
I used PEG to treat a 2 ft walnut round that was 3" thick. I just let it sit submerged (weighted down) on painting blocks in a large container for 6 months, then I dried it and planed it flat. Best looking round table now.
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Great stuff....
Great product. Just mix it with hot water and stir to dissolve. Then insert wood to soak. Use an old waste basket. It takes some patience, but it works well.
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