Drying wood

**Hummer** · 03-06-2006, 09:13 AM

I can't seem to find any information about a chemical drying agent. I have quite a few pieces of Walnut about 8 inches in dia. and 5-6 inches thick. Someone told me about a product called PEG, but can't find anything aboutit. Can anyone help? Thanks!!

**rhull** · 03-06-2006, 10:48 AM

I don't know about "PEG". Perhaps you're looking for this Pentacryl stuff?

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=1793

**TDHofstetter** · 03-06-2006, 02:19 PM

That would be PolyEthylene Glycol, which is a little hard to come by these days. It's not precisely a drying agent, it's more of a wood preservative if I understand correctly.

It's very, very, very closely related to (1) automotive antifreeze, and (2) the softener they put in off-the-shelf soft cookies... which is exactly the same chemical as a lot of automotive antifreeze, too. Which give me the shudders. :(

PEG used to be really very popular but has nearly completely fallen out of common use.

-- Tim --

Work in the
SHOP
till you
DROP

**Jeffk** · 03-06-2006, 07:52 PM

I disagree with you Tim... Polyethylene Glycol is not related to car antifreeze, (which is ethylene glycol) but is not poisonous even in large quantities. Chemicals that sound similar but have even slightly different chemical structures make a HUGE difference in the human body. (Look up the chemical structures of testosterone and estrogen as an example of what a single carbon atom and 3 hydrogen atoms can make!) Polyethylene glycol is approved by the FDA for human use and is in several medications. So is propylene glycol (which coincidentally differs from ethylene glycol by one carbon atom and 3 hydrogen atoms as stated above.) PEG comes in several forms including liquid and solid depending on it's molecular weight. The liquid would be most appropriate for slowing the drying rate of wood thus preventing checking. Personally I think the pentacryl would be a better choice because I'm not sure how the PEG would react with certain finishes. If you were to finish over the PEG a water based product would probably be most appropriate. Jeff

**Hummer** · 03-07-2006, 03:21 PM

Thanks for the reply...any idea where I can find pentacryl?

**rhull** · 03-07-2006, 03:24 PM

How about at Woodcraft per the link I posted above?

**TDHofstetter** · 03-07-2006, 08:45 PM

:)

Nicely spake. Without further ado, and without researching the matter further, I'll trust that you have pretty good info & I'll concede the point to you.

Still, ya'll always see me just a tad uncomfortable about eating anything that's been in contact with any of the -ene glycols. Them's funny alcohols, they is. :)

-- Tim --

Work in the
SHOP
till you
DROP