I ordered Cactus Juice 1qt and the bottle didn't come with any activating agent like the gallon size did. Even the instructions and the website didn't say anything about having to add it. If the quart size bottle is "ready to use" that would have been nice to know. The majority of the information I was able to gather for the product was online via forums and YouTube.
The product seems okay, but during the vacuum process I pulled it to -30psi (yes I know more is always better but my pump wasn't able to handle that) at a 70deg ambient temperature in my shop and the bubbles only came out for about 5 minutes before they were gone. I continued for an hour as recommended and then left to soak for another 3 hours. This happened on both koa and maple woods I had (separate batches). I don't know if the resin is too thick or not, but it didn't show like I had seen online. After baking at 200deg for an hour it had the extra resin hardened on the outside. I question whether or not I got full penetration.
I will do a few more tests on various woods and continue to process with the Cactus Juice I do have. I'm hoping the final results are as hoped as I do not want to have to purchase pre-stabilized wood when I have the tools to make my own.
My Comments:
My website is full of all kinds of information on using Cactus Juice. The Help Center has a number of articles including full directions for use. Also, at the bottom of the page where you added the Cactus Juice to your cart, there is a tab titled directions that include the full directions. I also provide a link to the Help Center in the order confirmation e-mail that I sent out the moment your order is placed. Lastly, we include a sheet of Tips for Best Results in every order that is basically the directions in brief. The description for the quart you purchased says "One Quart (946 mL) Cactus Juice Stabilizing Resin-Ready to use, no activating or mixing required" We normally also put a sticker on the bottle cap stating ready to use. If that was not there, I apologize
Couple of points just FYI. Vacuum is measured in inches of mercury, not -psi. Your gauge was showing InHg (abbreviation). Perfect vacuum at sea level is 29.92" Hg. You can not exceed that, no matter what pump you are running. If you were pulling 30 InHg, you were at full vacuum and must be close to sea level. That is all you can do and was perfect! As for bubbles only lasting 5 minutes...not possible. the foaming may have only lasted 5 minutes but I guarantee there were still bubbles coming way after that. What are you using for a vacuum chamber? How well can you see into it? If you were using a cooking pot style chamber, they are difficult to see the bubbles just looking down from the surface. In 12 years of stabilizing, I have never seen any wood that stops bubbling in 5 minutes. Most take at least 5-6 hours, many taking 12 or more. If you only went 1 hour, you did not get all the air out and as a result, did not get optimal results. My directions state to pull vacuum until the bubbles stop. It does not say for only 1 hour. There is no amount of time that anyone can give for how long that will take as every wood is different. The Cactus Juice is certainly not too thick. It has nothing in it to evaporate and is quality control tested for every batch to rigorous standards. All of the Cactus Juice I sell is between 6-8 CPS in viscosity. If you are not familiar with CPS, water is 1 and most epoxies are 400-500
In case you missed it, here is the link to the full Directions for Use: https://www.turntex.com/help-center/cactus-juice-stabilizing-resources/60-using-cactus-juice
Here is a link to the Help Center regarding Cactus Juice. This area includes info on selecting a vacuum pump, vacuum and how it relates to stabilizing max vacuum calculator, as well as other useful information on stabilizing. https://www.turntex.com/help-center/cactus-juice-stabilizing-resources