Experimenting with stabilizing cork to make unique handle material. The process is just the same as any other wood stabilization but I call it an experiment because I am not using proper cork wood but one of those mixture of small particles of cork and sawdust that is used, like this one I got, for many application around the house: under pot, wine stopper and so on. As it turns out this material can be stabilized but the end result is not as hard as other wood I tried to stabilize. I guess the particle composition plays a big role! I love the look of it anyway, it's probably not as durable as other handle I made but it's surely one of the most unique. Vacuum chamber built in this video: https://youtu.be/BeiW_37rS-U Detailed video about wood stabilizing: https://youtu.be/E-P3KWctkk0 Index of operation and materials: 0:15 Marking two pieces 0:27 Cutting with bandsaw 0:54 Checking moisture content, needs to be as close to 0% as possible 1:05 Locking down pieces l so they don't float in the stabilizing resin 1:15 Completely covering in stabilizing resin 1:28 Slowly raising vacuum to prevent excessive bubbling 1:55 Taking to maximum vaccum and holding it for 4 hours 2:06 Slowly releasing vacuum. 2:24 Parts needs to be left soaking inside the stabilizing resin after releasing vacuum. (overnight 12 hours) 2:33 Packing each piece individually in aluminum foil 2:57 Lefover resin can be collected and used over and over 3:08 Curing resin (stabilizing resin activates with heat) 2 hours at 95Ā°C (203Ā°F) 3:45 Grinding to shape 4:40 Harder and stiffer than regular cork for sure 4:53 Drilling some holes 5:09 Cutting off excess material 5:37 Glueing with epoxy resin 6:20 More grinding on the 2x72 belt grinder, this material is so easy to grind btw 7:25 Mandatory hand sanding up to 1200 grit 8:10 Boiled linseed oil as finish, cork really absorb a lot of oil. Thanks a lot for watching, I hope you liked the video! Suggestions and comments are welcome. Leave a like and share to anyone who might be interested! And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell if you are new here so you don't miss upcoming projects! ā Patreonā https://www.patreon.com/blackbeardprojects ā Websiteā http://blackbeardproject.com/ ā Follow meā Facebook āŗ https://www.facebook.com/BlackBeardProjects/ Twitter āŗ https://twitter.com/BlackBeardProje Instagram āŗ https://www.instagram.com/black_beard_projects/