Customer Comments

I am new to casting.  I have been turning wood and acrylic blanks for over a year.  I hit the over 100 turned pens mark earlier last year and started researching how to make worthless wood, hybrid, unique blanks and what that process would entail.   Alumilite resin was the overall ease of use and consistent product that I kept seeing on YouTube and through discussions with other turners who cast their own blanks.  Those conversations led me to TurnTex.  I have used the designs on the website to make my own molds, mold holder, etc.  Curtis has been very quick to respond to any question or inquiry that I've had for him.  I am very happy with the alumilite resin that I purchased through the site.  He offers a different size than the alumilite website and it was exactly what I was looking for.   Shipping was prompt and he also sends out a follow-up to see how everything worked out.  I appreciate that as much as anything else.  They are looking working towards gaining repeat customers and that is exactly what I will be.  I am very happy with the whole experience.  Good job Curtis!

Curtis,  As usual my order was shipped and delivered in just a few days.  Great service!  One problem though was some leakage from the "part A" gallon jug of Alumilite.  Upon examination I found that there was no foil seal under the cap.  Not much was lost and it never escaped the good sturdy box it was shipped in.  This was an order that I had to wait for because you were out of the 16 lb Alumilite kits.  I guess that there was some oversight with the foil in the rush to prepare them for shipping.  No foul though.

Thanks,

Rob

I ordered two sets of the Vacuum Quick Connect one for each end of my vacuum hose.  They arrived quickly, well packed and simple to use.  Quality was very good and they worked like a charm.

I was very pleased with my first order from Turntex. I placed my order in the morning and I had notification within an hour or so that a shipping label was made for my order. I received my product very quickly.

Curtis goes out of his way to help any way he can and to make sure that his customers are completely satisfied. Thank you for providing great products and excellent service!

Great service as usual and fast shipping.

Lin.

Curtis;

Big thanks for the Cactus Juice.  On time and packaged nicely!  Getting ready to use it soon.

 

Good evening, Cactus Juice and Dyes arrived yesterday. Excellent service USA to NZ. Thank you.

Will trade again.

These guys are great -- they are my go-to source for Cactus Juice, and for the blanks I WISH I could make. Thanks guys!

Curtis and his team are top notch. Nothing but high praise from a returning customer. 

Always great service and advice.

Customer for life.

Thanks Mike

Highly encourage ordering from Curtis- he truly cares about the service that his company provides.

I don't typically provide feedback for things but when you have a person like Curtis and those at Turntex try so hard to make things right for your order you just have to give props where it is due. My last order was perfect I was a little slow getting an order in so by the time I did Curtis was out of the product he had (no fault of his) he made some compromises to get me what I needed and I greatly appreciate it. you have my business for sure.

 

Thanks

Tracy Williams

My order was shipped the same day and arrived fast using UPS.  I will definitely be ordering again.

Hi Curtis, just a short note to let you know I recieved my first gallon of Cactus Juice. Have already finished two batches of buckeye burl knife scales. They turned out wonderfuly well. Shipping was fast and followup from you was top notch. I appeciate them both. Planning on another order soon so you'll be hereing from me. Thank you very much, Rocky. http://www.rockbswesternwoods.com/

I have been experimenting with Cactus Juice stabilizing resin for knife scales and pen blanks.  The product seems to be working great, and the documentation provided on the website is thorough and straightforward.  But what really stands out is that Curtis seems to really want to help you succeed.  All questions are responded to quickly and thoughtfully.  This is the type of service you expect from a small business, and why I will continue doing business with TurnTex.   

a top class product with great service

Perfect in every way. Will do business again.

Hi Curtis,   just wanted to let you know that we have been very satisfied with everything we have ordered from you and for all your help . Don't worry you will always have our business. Just one question do you do a bulk discount for the cases of four if ordered like 10 cases of 4 gallons? Lol we just go through it so quickly lol

Curtis and TurnTex are top notch! Quick shipping, excellent products and even better customer service. You know your always getting a quality product! Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the quick shipping and a resourceful website.

After a rough start with a pre-owned vacuum pump, I solicited advice from Curtis a couple of times. Curtis, and Cactus Juice came through for me.

I now have some very nice Stabilized, and dyed Spalted Maple blanks to share.

 

Thank you Curtis!

I bought the 8" vacuum chamber and a gallon of Cactus Juice last year and I'm thrilled with the results. Punky wood is now easy to work on my lathe. I appreciate the quick response when I order my next gallon. I am looking forward to using dye with my next batch. Thank you, TurnTex.

Man, easy, fast and was delivered super fast!  Great experience and if not for a 4-5 yr break from turning would have bought from years ago.  I still wish I had gotten some of those bluebonnet pen blanks back years ago while I had the chance.  

 

Thanks!

TurnTex has the best products and customer service.  Have ordered 3 chambers, 2 oven tamers, and a lot of juice and dyes.  The cactus juice works the best for stabilizing wood of all the different products that I have tried.  When using the dyes, I get a good clean color with them.  I always receive fast shipping and a lot of help if I have a problem.  I will continue to purchase all my stabilizing supplies from TurnTex.

Quick shipping on the Cactus Juice and it looks like I will be ordering another lot of 2-4 gallons from Curtis here this spring so I can start stabilizing my rough turned bowl blanks when they need it and some pen blanks.

Wow, I received the Cactus Juice the next day, and it arrived just as advertised, thanks.

Had to replenish pretty much all of my supplies after a 3 year hiatus due to a back injury.  Curtis and I talked back and forth extensively on the products I needed and the new mica colors he was carrying.  Curtis answered all my questions and set me on the right path for the products I needed.  I went and picked everything up as it was less expensive for me to drive down than shipping. Got to meet Curtis and talked about the product and what I needed.  He even let me see his buffalo bone pen, which is a work of art, that he stabilized and turned.  Gaige, who was busy filling orders, got everything loaded for me and I packed it home.  In the process now of building additional workbench space that will actually be built around my TurnTex products.  Will most definitely be doing business with Curtis for as long as I am in need of product.  Good people.

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Great customer service and the Cactus juice works great on most soft woods, I think some woods like briar it does not seem to be able to penetrate

not a product problem, I think it is the grain structure of the wood. Works super on maple burl and box elder.

Also, I appreciate the fact you can get 2 gallons in the USPS large flat rate priority box for under 18 bucks.

 

 

I use Turntex Cactus juice exclusively for stabilizing. It is easy to use, it works great, and it allows me to use wood that I would normally have to throw away.

The shipping was very fast, packaging was excellent, and the product arrived in perfect condition.

I have watched you several times on YouTube, and am so impressed with you as a person, and your ability to communicate through this media.  I am happy with my purchase, and I appreciate you concern for excellence enough to follow up.  I now have your web page shortcut on my home page.  Thank you very much!

Rich

Product does exactly as advertised. second time I have ordered and both times delivery was fast .

Good company to do business with.

 

Me and a friend are getting into resins and stabilizing wood for use as knife handles. I purchased the cactus juice for a friend of mine who is a knife maker of 30+ years and he is impressed with the effectiveness of the stabilizer. When it runs out, we'll be sure to purchase more.

I am so happy that I have found this product!! I had been trying to use all kinds of epoxies and wood hardeners to reach the results this product provides. I am also very happy that you are located in Texas, close to where i am, and that I am able to give patronage to a small company! I would like to see if there is a way to get some type of "tester" pack of the dyes that you sell.

It is always a pleasure to do business with someone who has fast and knowledgeable service. I will always buy my supplies( I.e. cactus juice and aluminite) for now on from Curtis. Thank you for an enjoyable shopping experience!!

 

Dan Sims

I ordered a range of the Casters Choice mica powders and very pleased with the overall process from ordering, the time it took to ship, and the quality product provided.

I ordered some items for Stabilizing the wood for making pen blanks. The items were processes very quick under 24 hours and shipped out. It arrived very fast and in perfect shape. This is the go to company for all your stabilizing needs. I recommend this company to everyone of my casting friends. Once again thank your Sir for what you bring to the pen making world.  Very Respectfully Michael Mumford 

Curtis and his team process orders very quickly!  I was amazed at just how fast they were able to get my orders shipped out for being such a small business.  Excellent customer service and concern for satisfaction.  I will definitely do business again and you should too!

Thanks for the order Curtis.  The shipping was very fast, packaging was excellent, and the product arrived in perfect condition.  I was amazed at the amount of communication and tracking information that I received.  I knew where my package was at all times.  I do not order Alumilite often but when I need to re-order I will certainly go with Turntex.  Thanks again!

 

 

TurnTex and Cactus Juice are fantastic.  Have been using Cactus Juice to stabilize and dye burl for Guitar rosettes.  I put in an order for just a pint.  Curtis responded and had it shipped within an hour with a nice not thanking me for my business.  The package arrived within a few days.  Shopping on-line or off doesn't get better than than that!    

Always quick friendly service, and Curtis is happy to answer any questions I may have !! 

thanks for the order of cj arrived on time nicely packaged alls good but we need to address the freight content $260.00 new zealand dollars to ship 3 gallons of cj and a set of tints ,

 

My Comments:

I am sorry for the high shipping.  Unfortunately, international shipping is expensive.  I only charge my cost too!

I have been buying from TurnTex for about 3 years, they are great, the products are great and the support is the best!!!

I ordered Cactus Juice 1qt and the bottle didn't come with any activating agent like the gallon size did. Even the instructions and the website didn't say anything about having to add it. If the quart size bottle is "ready to use" that would have been nice to know. The majority of the information I was able to gather for the product was online via forums and YouTube.

 

The product seems okay, but during the vacuum process I pulled it to -30psi (yes I know more is always better but my pump wasn't able to handle that) at a 70deg ambient temperature in my shop and the bubbles only came out for about 5 minutes before they were gone.  I continued for an hour as recommended and then left to soak for another 3 hours.  This happened on both koa and maple woods I had (separate batches).  I don't know if the resin is too thick or not, but it didn't show like I had seen online.  After baking at 200deg for an hour it had the extra resin hardened on the outside.  I question whether or not I got full penetration. 

 

I will do a few more tests on various woods and continue to process with the Cactus Juice I do have. I'm hoping the final results are as hoped as I do not want to have to purchase pre-stabilized wood when I have the tools to make my own.

 

My Comments:

My website is full of all kinds of information on using Cactus Juice.  The Help Center has a number of articles including full directions for use.  Also, at the bottom of the page where you added the Cactus Juice to your cart, there is a tab titled directions that include the full directions.  I also provide a link to the Help Center in the order confirmation e-mail that I sent out the moment your order is placed.  Lastly, we include a sheet of Tips for Best Results in every order that is basically the directions in brief.  The description for the quart you purchased says "One Quart (946 mL) Cactus Juice Stabilizing Resin-Ready to use, no activating or mixing required"  We normally also put a sticker on the bottle cap stating ready to use.  If that was not there, I apologize

 

Couple of points just FYI.  Vacuum is measured in inches of mercury, not -psi.  Your gauge was showing InHg (abbreviation).  Perfect vacuum at sea level is 29.92" Hg.  You can not exceed that, no matter what pump you are running.  If you were pulling 30 InHg, you were at full vacuum and must be close to sea level.  That is all you can do and was perfect!  As for bubbles only lasting 5 minutes...not possible.  the foaming may have only lasted 5 minutes but I guarantee there were still bubbles coming way after that.  What are you using for a vacuum chamber?  How well can you see into it?  If you were using a cooking pot style chamber, they are difficult to see the bubbles just looking down from the surface.  In 12 years of stabilizing, I have never seen any wood that stops bubbling in 5 minutes.  Most take at least 5-6 hours, many taking 12 or more.  If you only went 1 hour, you did not get all the air out and as a result, did not get optimal results.  My directions state to pull vacuum until the bubbles stop.  It does not say for only 1 hour.   There is no amount of time that anyone can give for how long that will take as every wood is different.  The Cactus Juice is certainly not too thick.  It has nothing in it to evaporate and is quality control tested for every batch to rigorous standards.  All of the Cactus Juice I sell is between 6-8 CPS in viscosity. If you are not familiar with CPS, water is 1 and most epoxies are 400-500

 

In case you missed it, here is the link to the full Directions for Use:  https://www.turntex.com/help-center/cactus-juice-stabilizing-resources/60-using-cactus-juice
Here is a link to the Help Center regarding Cactus Juice.  This area includes info on selecting a vacuum pump, vacuum and how it relates to stabilizing max vacuum calculator, as well as other useful information on stabilizing.  https://www.turntex.com/help-center/cactus-juice-stabilizing-resources

 

First things first: the product I ordered is great.  I have now ordered the "Cactus Juice" wood stabilizer -which I use for making knife handles and bespoke jewelry and such- three times.  It is a great product, very easy to use as long as you're able to follow some simple instructions.  I would recommend (and have, on many an occasion) recommend this product to fellow woodworkers. 

On top of the quality of the product, I'd like to mention that the quick turnaround on orders is remarkable.  It is worthy of note that the shipping was swift and cheaper than other vendors of the same product.  At no point did I find myself wondering where my order was, or if it had by mistake been left to languish for a day or more until "the next guy" got around to it.  100%, I would buy the product from TurnTex again!!

Great product, unmatched personal service at tunntex

Received my order sooner than expected. Well packaged. Curtis was very quick in responding to a question. Not sure he actually sleeps because he is so good at customer service.

My items were packaged and a shipping notification was sent within an hour of me placing my order. I ordered Alumilite dyes and they work like a champ. 

Great product. Great service, even despite a snafu on my part. My hat is off to Curtis and Gaige!

I really don't know what to add that has not been left in previous feedback. If you want to learn to stabilize and need mentoring, you have reached the correct place. I tip my hat to Curtis and his team, always same day shipments, packed correctly and securely. That is except for the time I got two boxes of cats. That is a joke and guess you had to be there. Plethora of knowledge is available and called Customer Service. You are not buying a product, and you simply can't just buy knowledge. You are buying a guiding hand, mentor, or tutor. I can't say enough good things about TurnTex or Curtis personally!!