Sticker Stain :(

[twoclones]

I always seem to get bad sticker-stain when drying sycamore slabs
What's the cure for this? I've been using sycamore stickers which stains a lot less than pine stickers did but the stains are still pretty bad.

Does anyone use plastic stickers?

 

[BlueRider]

The only way I know of to completely eliminate sticker stain in sycamore is to dry it standing on end. You stand the slabs a close to vertical as you can and space them a inch or two apart at the base and use blocks of poly styrene at the top. I trim the ends after they are dry so I use "L" shaped pieces of pine at the top, the L shape makes it easier to place them and have them stay while you place the next one against it.

Drying slabs standing on end generally results in less warping than horizontal stickering. Industry doesn't do it because of the ease of moving and shipping horizontal stacked piles. But take a look at the storage sheds of the Nakashima foundation and you will see mostly vertical storage.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

The staining is beyond the material removed though the planer?

 

[twoclones]

The staining is beyond the material removed though the planer?

If you used pine for stickers, yes, the stain goes 1/8" deep.
If sycamore for stickers, probably not. I got most of the stain out with a floor sander.
Most of these slabs are 20 or more inches wide and I don't have a planer that large

 

[twoclones]

Drying slabs standing on end generally results in less warping than horizontal stickering. Industry doesn't do it because of the ease of moving and shipping horizontal stacked piles. But take a look at the storage sheds of the Nakashima foundation and you will see mostly vertical storage.

I read "The Soul of a Tree" by Geroge Nakashima book and what I got from that was he dried the slabs in a boule (horizontally) then stored them vertically. I've setup my kiln and storage the same way.

 

[twoclones]

In my solar kiln (finally added a fan) these 22"x2"x96" sycamore slabs dried from 40% down to 8% in 2 1/2 weeks during our 100+ degree summer. (very little humidity here) This photos (click the link) shows the sticker stain after using an orbital floor sander to remove most of it.

https://goo.gl/photos/UxqCoCBpTSZyW3kb9

 

[twoclones]

Most of my slabs are used for benches and signs so the stain isn't catastrophic BUT I would like to sell slabs to other craftsmen and stains would hurt my pricing.

 

[kimosawboy]

I had always thought SS was caused by moisture being trapped between the slab and sticker.....
Interesting reading..
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Causes_and_cures_for_sticker_stain.html

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I read "The Soul of a Tree" by Geroge Nakashima book and what I got from that was he dried the slabs in a boule (horizontally) then stored them vertically. I've setup my kiln and storage the same way.

Boule is french for ball. It's a setup that rolls?

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

In my solar kiln (finally added a fan) these 22"x2"x96" sycamore slabs dried from 40% down to 8% in 2 1/2 weeks during our 100+ degree summer. (very little humidity here) This photos (click the link) shows the sticker stain after using an orbital floor sander to remove most of it.

https://goo.gl/photos/UxqCoCBpTSZyW3kb9

Doesn't look bad at all, looks you still have to sand out the sawmill marks anyhow. We get marks like that if a tooth or two are bent a bit or weren't set right.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Are you using DRY stickers?

The stickers have to be dry...

SR

 

[twoclones]

Are you using DRY stickers?

The stickers have to be dry...

SR

I'm using very dry stickers.

 

[twoclones]

For anyone not familiar with "boule".