> Starting with my grandfather my family has been building a kayak
> like boat for many years. It's design is taken in part from another
> boat the (pardon the spelling) ooiyak that was used for carrying heavier
> loads than the kayak. My idea is an extension of an idea that I have
> been working on for something else. My idea. A piece of capped 6 or
> 8 inch diameter pipe with a recycled refrigerator or freezor compressor
> adapted to be a vacuum pump. The wood strips would then be put into
> the pipe the autoclave like door wood be closed and the "vacuum"
> pump would be started. Excess moisture would be drawn out of the wood
> and sealants or preservatives would be drawn into the wood. A few
> considerations would have to be observed. Volitile solvents also boil
> at the lower pressures in the chamber. Some of the newer water based
> varnishes would likely not be harmed by the water vapor boiling out
> of the wood. I haven't tried this so experimentation would be required
> to test these theories.

Matt;

I have been working with freeze drying, vacume systems, ect. for some time and I can see a couple of problems.

I suggest that you use the pump to move dry air through the chamber.

I would be happy to discuss this in detail via e-mail if you would like to pursue the subject.

RNS