Transparent wood

I'm fairly new to you. Only discovered your YouTube about 2 months ago. This was the first one I saw though and I thought the length was fine. I loved how much detail you put into it. I feel like I could reproduce your experiment just by watching your videos.

It was even one of my shorter ones! lol

Nile Red

Yeah I recommended this video to my Chemistry professor and he fell asleep whilst watching the video because of the length...

I made a similar comment to this on the AVE video: For the epoxy cure step you would want to run it through 2 or 3 vacuum cycles, then put it into a beefy tank and put about 100PSI on it. This would put a lot of pressure between the epoxy and any place that has a compressible fluid. This is what we do where I used to work, and the epoxy will come out looking like glass. Something like this would work: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/TCP-Global-2-1-Gallon-Regulator/dp/B00IK3TTMY/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/TCP-Global-2-1-Gallon-Regulator/dp/B00IK3TTMY/</a> You could also wrap that with a heat band and put a temperature controller on it to turn it into an autoclave. I can provide more info if you are interested.

Casey Kikendall

I think that this was done at my university, I can go ask the P.I. for some more information if you would like.

I wonder if the burn marks on the cut wood are problematic.

Yeah CS2 is very toxic similar to H2S so it would be hard to find. Cannot find it on ebay or Prolab my main suppliers for chemicals.

Daniel Blake Shoemaker

That would be exceedingly difficult given that lignin is not a well defined chemical compound but a mix of polymers, plus its composition varies with the species of wood, season, method used for its extraction etc.

Silviu T

I wonder if using a lighter resin material like the Cactus Juice woodworkers use to stabilize wood blanks would help. You'd likely get less deformation and more penetration.

That would be interesting. I never tried it because I don't have a source of CS2. But cellulose will not dissolve in it unless it's treated with alkali first i.e. converted to alkoxide. And the regeneration process is based on diluting the complex with water which decreases the concentration of sodium ions and makes the cellulose fall out of solution.

Silviu T

Actually, though, I think I would be even more interested in a lignin synthesis (or re-synthesis?) video with the aim of making or casting some kind of solid lignin block. Make something like wood minus grain.

jason black

Pretty cool! How about doing an "extract sugar from wood" video where you break down the cellulose and hemicellulose into sugars? Oh! You could even start with a chunk of maple wood and make "maple syrup!" Clickbaity, I know...

jason black

Yeah, thats kind of the issue. The videos tend to be way longer than i expect, because theres always something new to try.

Nile Red

Thanks~!

Nile Red

thanks, im glad you liked it!

Nile Red

Yeah that could work. I just dont really have the setup to do that very efficiently.

Nile Red

Thanks!

Nile Red

Interesting, i had no idea! also, i plan to do some viscose processing with CS2 in the future, so thats a cool idea. I was originally going to use paper, but starting with wood is so much cooler.

Nile Red

I think a good way to handle that is to use a buchner funnel as mentioned above, and once the procedure is complete rinse the funnel and flask with MEK to dissolve any resin that gets through.

Michael Aichlmayr

Pulling a vacuum under the wood is a great idea. I've had that on my list of things to try on porous rocks for a while. Unfortunately, most of my recent rocks have been more in the void, fissure, vug, than the porous throughout category, so I haven't had a ready opportunity. I did buy several very fine mesh stainless screens in anticipation. The idea being to spread the pressure more evenly than I could get with holes in something like a buchner funnel for particularly fragile rocks like some low grade turquoise.

Michael Aichlmayr

One supplementary problem that getting rid of lignin via an alkaline bath introduces, is that the remaining cellulose is not in its native state anymore. The sodium hydroxide will convert the cellulose to essentially an alkoxide which is bulkier than the original cellulose, is much more hydrophillic and has a different crystal structure. Later exposure to a weak acid such as H2O2 regenerates the cellulose but the molecules are already distorted and don't fall back to their original crystal structure. This combined to the lack of lignin "glue" leads to the very poor mechanical properties of the processed wood. (if you were to add carbon disulfide to the wood after lignin dissolution but before the H2O2 treatment, it would dissolve and form the feedstock for the Viskose process)

Silviu T

I know that people making knife handle use the technic with epoxy and vaccum, to make the wood stronger, not transparent. I really like your videos!

Emil Almberg

i would suggest the technique of casting it in some resin, and pouring more on top. and then sanding/polishing it thin/flat

Adric Menning

Very "sciency" which I like. Length was fine since it was so interesting.

Tom G

I thought the video was great - no complaints, and I appreciate that you tried different variations on each step to attempt to resolve issues. With regard to the vacuum issue, is there a way to connect the vacuum to a widened connection that is just slightly smaller than the areas of the pieces used - add epoxy to the top of each with vacuum hose inlet at the bottom of the wood piece directly beneath - to more effectively draw in the epoxy? Obviously, you wouldn't want to draw epoxy through the piece and into the vacuum pump...but maybe a filter can catch anything of the sort.

Neuroskynet

The long format is fine with me. It allows to go into the details.

Same here... I didn't think it was too long. It was engaging and thought provoking. Some of those thoughts: What would happen if one were to use a different polymer. Polyurethane resin is used to seal wood (rough primer coat), then cover it with a shiny layer. It might be less viscous and is definitely transparent. I like sound of the Opticon idea above, too. Another idea: Place the piece of wood treated up to the resin infusion on a kind of stencil with a rectangular cutout, just small enough to expose most of the wood. Place this on some kind of porous plate (can one get porous ceramic or glass pieces like those used in Buchner funnels?) Cover with resin and pull a vacuum on the underside of the plate. Perhaps that would force the resin into the grain more directly than your method of pulling a vacuum on the wood + resin in a container? One more thing: I know you're interested in a career in biochemistry, so I'll let you in on a little tip. Sometimes scientists are deliberately vague in describing their methods. Ideally, everyone describes their work completely so that it can be repeated. However, in the real world, we open ourselves up to competitors using our work as a basis of their own work, work that can compete with our own future plans. So we leave out a key detail or two. Depending on circumstances, it's sometimes a good idea, when you can't repeat an author's work, to call them up, tell them what you want to do and negotiate an agreement; i.e. you won't 'scoop' them if they tell you the details and/or provide access to key materials that may be somewhat 'proprietary'. Sometimes the outcome is that you both realize that you are going to be more successful if you collaborate: By having access to your contributions, they gain expertise and preparations they wouldn't have otherwise, and vice-versa. It's one of those cases where cooperating is much to the benefit of both parties, when competing would waste a tremendous amount of time, would duplicate work needlessly and cause grief to whoever loses the race for priority of publication. Thanks for this video.

mrkhrdr@gmail.com

I like it! I don't mind the length, nothing was really redundant. I didn't find myself looking at the time remaining so it kept me engaged the whole time. I say content and length wise it's great as always!

I don't think this was very long at all. It didn't feel drawn out, nor did any part feel superfluous either. If anything, the ending felt like it came too soon, without resolving many of the questions raised along the way, but then again, at some point you also really just have to put the video out, even though there will always be further avenues of exploration to consider. Ultimately, it felt like you struck a really good balance with this length, but I would still definitely vote for making it longer, rather than shorter.

How do you propose splitting it in two? I was having a hard time thinking of a decent way. I didnt think it was worth it if it ended up being almost the same thing, just split in two.

Nile Red

interesting, maybe that might be worth trying.

Nile Red

Great video, but I would split this into two parts, that way you can have more detail, but it doesn't seem overbearingly long.

Very interesting concept clear wood plastic type.

Daniel Blake Shoemaker

Cool video. The products remind me of selenite.

A really good video! I actually use the vacuum and epoxy part of this technique to "stabilize" porous rocks. The epoxy I use is called Opticon. Its claim to fame is "low viscosity" and "water clear". Not having any of the stuff you used to compare, I can't say for certain, but it seems like Opticon has a lower viscosity. Something I haven't had a chance to try, is epoxy from companies that supply materials for installing granite countertops. They are supposed to have a super low viscosity epoxy as well.

Michael Aichlmayr

That was a fascinating read, thank you!

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_xjE7jSr0E" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_xjE7jSr0E</a> This is a video from youtube where this amazing guy crafts wierd stuff. He did a similar process like you did in this video using a specific stabilizing resin but without making wood transparent. Maybe this will help you in a future run :D

I like that you like that! Its mostly because I just edit on a whim and do what i feel like doing. I feel like i should be a bit more consistent with my project editing though.

Nile Red

Hmm it did not work well you know why right?

Daniel Blake Shoemaker

I like, that you sometimes post a video that has nothing to do with the series, that you´re currently working on (like the ones with the rocket fuel or the artificial colors in jeans), that I would expect. Your randomness and these "surprises" makes the channel even more interesting!

First of all, this video was really nice! I guess that my taste is very skewed compared to the general population. But I like it very much, when you show the attempts, your problems and how you did it. Actually I'd have no problems with twice of this length, I guess even more. :) So, back to your project. This reminds me very much about the plastination technique of Günter von Hagens. Wich he uses to prepare his specimens from deceased persones. He is the using acetone with some type of polymer. Where the acetone dries out the body or, body part or organ. And the polymer seeps into the cells. Maybe he will give you information about polymer and hardener, if you contact him? So about the removing of lignin: When you look at fungus, that live of wood. Then u can split them in two groups: -Those that leaves brown rests (eats cellulose, and lignine is left). -Those that leaved white rests (almost complete wood, eats lignine first, and cellulose afterwards). If you take the wood form the latest group, then you maybe don't have to use any of the bleaching processes, that you have having so much trouble with here. At least that wood will save you from much work. But I'm not so familiar with such fungus, that lives in Canada. But in Norway and Europe generally, you have fungus like Fomes fomentarius, that eats lignine from Betula sp. And there are many other fungus also. Maybe a professor or a another type of expert in biology at the university you went could help you with some names. Maybe there also are some fungus, that attach conifer trees, and leaves whit wood a also (your wood looks like pine for a Norwegian). When I directly translate the words of different types of residue from the wood and fungus. It's called "white rot" and "brown rot", maybe something similar in Canada too? Otherwise keep up the good work! Your channel are among the best I know. Regards Alf-Marius Dahl Bysveen

Alf-Marius Dahl Bysveen

I dont get what you mean

Nile Red

Uh...huh-huh..you said "transparent".

lohphat

cool.

Daniel Blake Shoemaker

really nice

Mr. Ott