Wax Coated Blanks

[RPM]

I've gotten some "bonus" blanks in some orders lately that have been completely coated in wax. I must confess ignorance with regard to what to do with them other than make a pen. I am assuming that these were green or wet when sealed in wax and this was done to prevent checking and warping. Should I assume they are ready to turn? One blank that has me drooling is what appears to be some deeply figured narra and I would hate to ruin it. What is the protocol?
Thanks,
Richard

 

[DCBluesman]

Contact the provider, Richard. I, too, have gotten some bonus blanks like that only to find out (the hard way and much to my chagrin) that they were very wet. I don't have a moisture meter, and to tell the truth I didn't even think about it untill I blew a beautiful blank into an ugly mess. [xx(]

 

[JimGo]

Richard and Lou, I got a moisture meter from HF for like $20 if you're interested.

 

[rtgleck]

Jimgo.... Are you serious... A link to that moisture meter would be great. How long have you used it? Is it very accurate/Dependable... I know HF is hit or miss most times.

 

[swm6500]

Here is a link to the moisture meter. http://order.harborfreight.com/EasyAsk/harborfreight/results.jsp

 

[ryannmphs]

Sam,
Your link did not work for me, hopefully this link will work
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=2757

 

[elody21]

I paid $149.00 for my moisture meter so if you can get one for $20.00 that's great. To test pen blanks I usually stack one on top of the other. My meter says the wood needs to be at least 1". This way works great for me. I am sure each meter has it's own procedure.

I agree with Lou. You need to contact the seller to see if the wood is dry.

 

[JimGo]

I haven't tested it against a known-accurate meter. The closest I came was to test it on a blank that had been kiln dried, and it read <7%, and on another blank that was still "green" when I got it (bowl blank), and it read someline like 12-15%. I figure, for my purposes, I just want to know whether it's wet or dry, not necessarily PRECISELY how much moisture is in it, so this should do the trick.

 

[rtgleck]

Thanks guys... I agree with Jimgo, don't need to get Perfectly accurate, something close would be nice.


Richard, By the word's your using, I'm guessing you bought from Clint out of CA. Yea, most of his blanks are wet when you get them (experience). and I usually let them dry out for a while before turning them. I know it's hard cause they are amazing looking blanks, but it'll be worth it to have them turn out dry, instead of drying and cracking later.

 

[RPM]

No, actually this one was from BB in AZ who consistently amazes me with his wood. To dry, do you just leave it in the wax? How long? This piece is screaming turn me, but I don't want to pay later for turning a minor from across state lines[}].
Richard

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by RPM
<br />No, actually this one was from BB in AZ who consistently amazes me with his wood. To dry, do you just leave it in the wax? How long? This piece is screaming turn me, but I don't want to pay later for turning a minor from across state lines[}].
Richard

You would probably be better off removing the wax from the sides and leaving the ends sealed. You can use a propane torch or gas stove to vaporize the wax. It will be gone in seconds, long before the wood gets hot. If you do this, reseal the ends.

 

[Dario]

I usually microwave my blanks when I cannot wait [:I]...I nuke usually by batch of 12 at 2 mins/session (cooling at least 20 mins bet sessions), depending on how wet the blanks, 5 sessions is usually plenty to dry them completely. Always worked for me.

 

[rlh]

Originally posted by rtgleck
<br />Thanks guys... I agree with Jimgo, don't need to get Perfectly accurate, something close would be nice.


Richard, By the word's your using, I'm guessing you bought from Clint out of CA. Yea, most of his blanks are wet when you get them (experience). and I usually let them dry out for a while before turning them. I know it's hard cause they are amazing looking blanks, but it'll be worth it to have them turn out dry, instead of drying and cracking later.

Clint tells me that he uses a mixture of CA, linseed oil, and caranuba wax on all of his blanks. I have purchased some of his blanks... they are beautiful. I have only made one pen using one of his Plumwood blanks so far as I don't know what if anything I should do about the oil mixture he has put on them. What do you do about this before you turn one?

 

[Ryan]

You do need to remove the wax for the blank to dry. I just bought a turning blank they said has been sealed in wax for 5 years and it is still dead wet. The wax keeps the water from escaping.

Ryan

 

[lkorn]

Jim,
IF you use the meter correctly, don't you wind up with two pin holes drifting through your blank? As I was told about this style of meter at Woodcraft, you need to push the pins ALL THE WAY into the Wood in order to get an accurate reading.

Originally posted by JimGo
<br />Richard and Lou, I got a moisture meter from HF for like $20 if you're interested.

 

[JimGo]

Yes Larry, you're right. I do get pin holes with this meter. I'm trying to figure out a good way to limit the damage they will do.

 

[ecgriffin]

Instead of using a moisture meter, I am doing it the old fashioned way. I am weighing some blanks I cut and waiting until the wood quits losing weight.

I have some osage orange from my uncle's place, and I want to get at least a pen out of it, for my cousin's graduation from Medical School.

It does help that I have a scale that weighs to the tenth of a gram (most kitchen scales weigh in 2 gram increments) but you can always group the blanks together to get enough mass to be able to tell that the wood is losing moisture.

 

[alamocdc]

I weigh mine as well. My postal scale will weigh in lbs, ozs, or grams. Seems to work well enough.

 

[jenamison]

Just curious...if you have to put the pins all the way into the pen blanks, what if you put them into an end, measuring like two blanks side by side with a pin in each blank, will this give an accurate measurement? Or do both pins need to be in the same piece of wood? If this works, you'll be cutting off some waste anyway, so cut off the ends with the pin holes. Let me know if this works, have a moisture meter on the way from HF.

 

[RussFairfield]

If in doubt about the wood, I put the whole blank between centers, and turn it round. Then I put it in the microwave on high setting for no longer than a minute, while looking through the door to see if there is any steam or water bubbling out of the wood. If there isn't and it is too hot to touch, it is dry enough to turn after it has cooled. If there are bubbles, it is too wet and I take it out and let it sit for another couple weeks.

 

[RussFairfield]

No, the moisture meter is measuring either the resistance or capacitance between the 2 pins. They have to be in the same piece of wood. Otherwise, it will see the interface between 2 pieces of wood as a broken circuit.

 

[mikes pens]

I drill my blanks. If the wood "shavings" being drilled out comes out wet, I then put the drilled blanks in a 15% solution of Polycryl. After a day, I then put the blanks in a 30% solution followed by a 45% solution for the third day. Then I follow up with a day of soaking the wood in Pentacryl. Following that, I let the blanks dry out. I have never had a blank break/explode apart of the lathe when I do this. I have never had a blank crack either. I don't use a moisture meter as I find the drilling of the blank tells me all I need to know.

Mike

 

[fritzmccorkle]

some woods will give you a wet look when drilled that are not wet. very oily woods tend to do this such as olivewood. the blanks are not moist, but have a lot of oil in them. there are meters that use pins and some that measure on the surface. all meters are definately not equal. denisty of the wood also has a great effect and some meters come with detailed charts that list different species and how to read the results. i have used the microwave and weigh method, but my preferred method is to put them in the oven and leave them in there with the heat set to about 180 overnight. it may not be any better than microwave, but that's the way i do it. i can do a lot at a time and there seems to be less effort. usually blanks are just waxed on the end. this is to slow the moisture from escaping and prevent checking of the endgrain however sometimes the entire blank is wax dipped which prevents drying at all.