Customer Comments

  So I held off on this review until I completed a few batches to get an average. I numbered weighed in grams each piece of wood. Then I dried my wood in a toaster oven at 230 degrees for 24hrs, removed and re-weighed, placed them back in the toaster oven for four hours. Removed and re-weighed. Satisfied that the two last measurements were the same I went to the Vacuum chamber. I did Turkish Walnut, Cedar and Rosewood as a test sample. I have a 5 gal Bacoeng with 4.5 cfm pump. Easily pulled max vacuum and ran it until the air bubbles stopped. Next was the soaking phase then back to the toaster to cure. I will say that I wrapped the first batch too early and that made it harder to get the aluminum off. After removing the aluminum and sanding the remaking cactus juice off there was a significant weight gain. Overall I found the stabilizing process simple but timely. I have tried the colored liquid cactus die as well, still experimenting. The final verdict will be when my Brother turns these blanks into knife handles. 

The customer service is always quick and accurate when it comes to answering questions. They’ve always been timely with processing/shipping orders, which I genuinely appreciate. I’ll always buy my stabilizing supplies from Curtis and his business. 

Awesome product, I had no problems setting up or using. 

I placed my order with Turntex. I knew I would have to wait 7 to 10 days for the vacuum chamber to be made. It was made and shipped in a timely fashion and arrived with all the extras I had ordered except one. I emailed Curtis and he responded back to me the same day about the missing item. It was shipped and arrived in a timely fashion much to my satisfaction. I would recommend Turntex to anyone who is looking for a quality product and cares about good customer service!

If you are looking for a resin to do a proper dip and bake on a transformer or coil, and don't want to buy it by the 5 gallon pail, Cactus Juice is your answer!  As far as I can tell, that's actually what this stuff is for in the industrial world...  You will need to set things up where you can either pull vacuum on your coil or let it soak in the resin for many hours (I went overnight).  Be aware that this will NOT turn it into a brick; it  IS going to glue everything that is close together into one piece, but large cavities will drain out.  It will take a LONG time to get your whole transformer or coil hot enough to set the resin; you MUST measure the temperature of the iron!  It took more than an hour to get to temperature on mine.  The adhesive used on Kapton tape softens when exposed to Cactus Juice and ends up slippery rather than solid or grippy.  This isn't an issue for things taped internally, but you may notice it on the end turns.  Fiberglass tape shouldn't have this issue, as the Cactus Juice can penetrate the tape itself.  I didn't test this, so YMMV!

I used it on my Magnabend build; self bonding wire is VERY difficult to get.  Regular magnet wire is easy to get...  With this resin, you can do a proper job with plain magnet wire.  The biggest drawback is that you must use the actual steel components when you bake it to ensure that the coil is where you need it to be; you won't end up with a free standing coil.  TEC Bond 7718 Polyamide Glue Stick (gluegun.com) is a good choice for attaching the insulation for the end turns after baking; it melts well above boiling water temperatures, unlike every other "hot only" hot glue I tried.  Epoxy works too, but you end up having to do it in many batches with lots of waiting on glue to set.  I think it was 9 batches over two days vs about 20 minutes (I did one end each way).

Many thanks to Alan for sharing his design and know-how!  http://www.aaybee.com.au/Magnabend/How_to_Build_a_Magnabend.html 

My order was processed quickly and accurately. It was well packaged and arrived in great condition. 

 

Do yourself a huge favor and use the products offered here. I use nothing but cactus juice vaccum chambers and cactus juice resin. Primarily I stabilize wood, antler, and bone with and without dye's for our custom knife business. It has taken the knives to a whole new level. The uses are endless and you will be surprised what it can do for you. Don't second guess yourself, you wont be let down!

Some companies have great products and feel like they don’t need customer service. Kind of a you need me attitude. 
Curtis and everyone on his team go over the top with the absolute best customer service.   Industry leaders in quality 

attention to details

quick turnaround on orders

support, support, support 

Thank you sir

I've always been pleased with my Turn-Tex transactions. Shipping is always prompt, questions are answered in a timely and concise manner, and their product are very good! Keith Nix Knives Black Mountain, NC

I have been purchasing Cactus Juice and Alumilite from Curtis's Turntex for over two years. The order fulfillment has always been prompt and accurate. Lately the shipments have been delivered at an even faster pace. These guys believe in taking care of their customers. 

Great product...Great Service !

Reggie Everett

Always great customer service from owner and team.

Had some cedar pieces from another project and wanted to turn them but they would just chip apart... Used this awesome cactus juice (entire family is curious why it's called cactus juice btw... Anyone know the reason?) and made the blanks nice and solid!!! Now they turn easily and don't chip! Easy to use, very straightforward, would highly recommend!! I have some walnut i want to use it on next!!

My husband and I have been making knives since he lost his job at the beginning of 2020 and I stay home with our special needs daughter. It was very hard to bring an income into the house,while keeping our daughter safe,and buying materials. But y'all make it affordable enough to be able to feed my family and keep the lights on. For that I am grateful. Because we know with the materials you sell, you could easily raise the price and people like us would have no choice but to buy it to complete our own orders. Y'all even gave us a Covid discount at the beginning of the pandemic. You seriously don't understand how much of an impact that had on us in the best way. It is still a struggle to pay bills, but y'all make it a little easier for families like ours. Thank yall. 

I want to thank Curtis and staff for great service on my recent order. I'll be returning to Turntex the next time I need Cactus juice.

I have ordered several times and the results are always awesome! Fast shipping and great price! The only place I will buy Cactus Juice on the web.

Orders always arrive quickly and hassle-free!

I have been buying Cactus Juice from Curtis for several years now.  Her has been an amazing source of info and support and always ships quickly.  Thanks Curtis!

I have never stabilized anything but while turning a piece of spalted maple discovered that's what it needed. I read the TurnTex site, bought a vacuum chamber and pump, then followed the directions and not much longer later finished a spalted maple bowl. It finished wonderfully and gets lots of compliments. I can't recommend Cactus Juice highly enough.

 

I have ordered several hundreds of dollars worth of Cactus Juice from TurnTex this past year and my experience has been the same every time; great product, great price, and great service. I am particularly impressed with management's desire to be of real service to their customers which is all too rare in today's world. To sum up my experience, "I Couldn't Be Happier".

Thank you TurnTex

I have purchased several items from Curtis - vacuum chamber and lots of cactus juice and am totally satisfied.

The vacuum chambers he builds are really great!  High quality, very user friendly and easy to clean.

He has great instructions with his products and is happy to answer any other questions you may have.

My products have always shipped quickly and arrived in great condition.

Quick shipping, and a top notch product!

Received the product within a couple of days.  Everything about the purchasing process was easy and the order acknowledgment and shipping details were prompt and accurate.  Simply put, outstanding!  

Right on time, packaged with care, and great communication on tracking. Turntex obviously takes pride in their product and values customer service

Thank you for the quick delivery and excellent products

Came across a good deal on some good knife blank wood that would benefit from stabilizing.  Gathered up the necessary items and ordered a gallon of Cactus Juice and some dye.  Followed the instructions and ended up with some super awesome stabilized wood! Ordering more for sure. 

There are only a few companies I purchase from when it comes to turning supplies. This is one of the few. The reason is customer service. I do this as a side hustle and read and research and do not always remember what I need to do to make what I am trying to do turn out. I have always and I mean always had someone return my questions in a very reasonable amount of time with real and accurate information. I know I can trust their comments and really on their expertise. 

What more could someone ask for but a customer oriented company that sells great products at great prices. Have purchases $100s of dollars worth of products over the past year and have never been disappointed. Prompt service with a willingness to accommodate special requests when possible. 

Thank you TurnTex 

I love how quickly the cactus juice is shipped and how well it’s packed.  It arrived Friday and by Saturday I had 72 pen blanks in the large chamber.  

We love using your products, we mostly use Cactus Juice & Alumilite resin and dyes. We've always had a great transaction when ordering and using the product and your knowledge when and if we need it is the most valuable, Keep up the great work.

Best products and service. Always 5 Star Service!

 

I received the Cactus Juice a few days ago but it was not easy to get. I received an email from UPS that the package was delivered to my front door. It was not. I spent half the day with UPS tracking it down before it was finally delivered. This is not the first time I’ve had this problem with UPS. I know this is not your fault but you might want to consider using FedEx or another more reliable carrier. Mike Gaskell

This was my first purchase of Cactus Juice and I am extremely pleased with it.  Not only that, but it shipped immediately and was delivered very quickly.  About to put in my next order!

I had a chamber that was just too big to use so Curtis cut it in half for me. It was 8” x 32” but now I have two that I can use. Thanks so much Curtis. 

Order was shipped shortly after I ordered, but delivered ten days after shipment - so much for winter weather and Christmas rush.  Shipment arrived in great shape and now I need to get back into my shop (garage) and stabilize some wood.

I put in an order on a Sunday and didn’t expect my order for at least a week and a half to two weeks, to my surprise it came that Wednesday DURING Christmas shopping madness! Plus they threw in a super sweet decal. I’ll be getting my resin here from now on. George Watkins @fromthetree pointed me to turn Tex. Great product and amazing service, thank you! God bless.

This is a great addition for my 4" chamber

Great product. Quick shipping and will definitely order again. Brett

Always responds to questions and freely gives information. Really good service.

I am new to pen turning and am really enjoying the dive in and discovering new things about the craft. I was interested in learning more and members on the Pen Turning FB page told me to get in touch with Curtis. I spoke to Curtis on the phone for about an hour (thankfully he was stuck in a road closure). Curtis gave me a lot of time and explained the vacuum and Cactus Juice process for stabilizing wood blanks. This kind of customer service just isn’t easy to find anymore and I truly appreciate the advice he gave me. Curtis asked me what I wanted to achieve and suggested the best products for me. I will turn to Curtis again for supplies and advice. 
You don’t need to look further that Curtis at TurnTex for your turning needs. 

First-time purchasing from you. I was pleases with the shipping time and web site was easy to navigate. I will continue to purchase from you.

If you are looking for anything to do with stabilizing or casting, do not hesitate to buy from this company. Customer service is second to none. I highly recommend this company and will come back again and again.  5 stars to them!!

I’ve now been a Turntex customer for just less than a year and couldn’t be happier with the level of service and support provided by Curtis and his guys. Curtis took the time to walk me through everything I needed to know before getting started and continues to do so. His products are really well made and best of all made by him here is the USA. Thanks for letting me be a part of your family!

I was really impressed with my Turntex purchase.  The order was filled extremely quickly.  Curtis and team were very responsive and helpful.  I would definitely order with them again.

Great quality products, advice and customer service.  Website and printed instructions are simple-to-follow and thorough. First time stabilizing and already produced some great products.

Thank-you!

Bruce

 

i recently used a different resin and was very disappointed with the result.  I watched a Casey Martin video and he recommended Cactus Juice.  I have now used a couple gallons of it and i couldnt be more pleased with how it turned out.  thank you Casey and thank you Turntex.

I needed to stabilize some wood for a Christmas project that I put off a bit too long, I started, but my cactus juice that was about 2 years old didn’t work.  I order some from Curtis and without asking, just hoping, it was shipped within hours, and I got it just in time to get the project done.  Thanks Curtis!

Do any and all business I can through turntex. Customer service is top notch.

Purchased product for Christmas gift. Requested discreet packaging. Request was fulfilled. Shipping was timely. 

I have had a couple of the other styles and the one i got from turntex is the best I have used. There is no comparisons to the quality and professionalism this company puts out. Thank you for making stablizing much easier.