Drying a bowl blank.

[Rcd567]

Lets say I buy a bowl blank, 20% moisture, sealed in wax.

If I want to dry the blank out, do I melt the wax off and let it air dry? Keep the wax on and let it air dry? Let's say the blank is 8x8x3. What do you suggest?

As always, thanks for your help.

 

[ssajn]

If your going to turn a bowl, rough turn the bowl and seal it in a brown paper bag with shavings to let it dry slowly. There are a lot of ways to dry a blank including DNA but I find the brown bag works fine. After it's dry finish turning the bowl. For a bowl you want to turn it wet because it's much easier and less prone to crack if you get the sides an even thickness.
If you did want to dry the blank, remove all the wax except for on the end grain so it can breath and dry. If you remove all the wax there's a good chance it will crack depending on what wood it is.

 

[mrcook4570]

At 3" thick, it would take at least 3 years to air dry. Rough turn it first to speed up the drying process.

 

[Wildman]

We know that wood dries or reaches EMC through evaporation. Wood will never dry completely sealed in wax. So scrap or melt wax off sides and leave ends sealed until ready to turn.

We also know unsealed or unfinished wood will gain and lose moisture based upon relative humidity in your area. Drying process could be faster or slow depending upon average RH for your area.

For my town average annual relative humidity runs 85% during AM and 57% PM. I could turn and finish that bowl blank based upon RH in my area and 20% moisture content. Depending upon species of wood, might want to rough turn and set aside for awhile.

Good luck!

 

[Rcd567]

Thanks, I knew I could count on you guys.

 

[holmqer]

An alternative to brown paper bags is boxes. I've found that I can fit most of my bowls in the large USPS Flat Rate boxes. I put the rough turned bowl in the box with the chips and they stack nicely! I keep the boxes I get in the mail and re-use them for bowl drying.

 

[nava1uni]

I use the brown bag method, just roll down the top of the bag. I check it weekly and move the shavings around so that no mold or anything starts to grow. Usually takes about a month and there is a fair amount of moisture in the air here next to the Pacific Ocean.

 

[holmqer]

One thing that helps, especially with Ambrosia Maple to keep it from turning gray, is to spritz the bowl with a very mild bleach solution before storing it in chips for drying.

 

[markgum]

heard an interesting tip at a wood turning meeting the other night. The guy turned the bowl, to size and then fills the bowl with water and 1/2 cup of liquid dish soap. He let it set for 4 days then dumped the water, and wapped the bowl in plastic, then every day un-wraps turns the plastic inside out and re-wraps it. The colour change was amazing. Wish I could of taken photos of the difference between the bowl with the water/soap mixture,and just letting it dry wrapped in plastic. He says he never has a bowl crack on him.

 

[holmqer]

I have seen the liquid dish soap discussion on other woodturning forums, and lots of folks swear by it. I've never tried it as I am too lazy!

My personal method that has helped me a lot is after rough turning the bowl, and before burying it in chips, I hit a bit of the end grain with Anchorseal. There is enough moisture loss through the side grain to let it dry.

Once I started doing that, I never had a bowl crack. I am in no big rush to do the second turning, so all these methods like DNA/Dish Soap soaking exceed my laziness factor. I just kept rough turning bowls every week and stacking them in boxes buried in chips. After six months or so of this I had enough in the queue that I could alternate between rough turning one and second turning another. A year later I've got tons of bowls drying in boxes and all I know is date of turning and type of wood. No idea what size or form so it's always a surprise when I open the box and look inside.

I feel almost like Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of rough turned bowls, you never know what you'll get."

 

[penhead]

I have heard of people using soap solution to dry bowls before, but haven't heard of anyone before wrapping in plastic....but anything is worth a try

The plastic used...is that like a wax paper..or sahran wrap...??..(hope I spelled that close enough )

How many days did he unwrap and re-wrap the bowls after the soap solution..??

And when you say color change...??

Sorry for all the questions..

heard an interesting tip at a wood turning meeting the other night. The guy turned the bowl, to size and then fills the bowl with water and 1/2 cup of liquid dish soap. He let it set for 4 days then dumped the water, and wapped the bowl in plastic, then every day un-wraps turns the plastic inside out and re-wraps it. The colour change was amazing. Wish I could of taken photos of the difference between the bowl with the water/soap mixture,and just letting it dry wrapped in plastic. He says he never has a bowl crack on him.

 

[markgum]

I have heard of people using soap solution to dry bowls before, but haven't heard of anyone before wrapping in plastic....but anything is worth a try

The plastic used...is that like a wax paper..or sahran wrap...??..(hope I spelled that close enough ) like a painter's drop cloth plastic. He also had some LARGE 'baggies, like trash bags but were clear and heavy duty. Said he leaves them outside on his deck.

How many days did he unwrap and re-wrap the bowls after the soap solution..?? He said till the moisture quit appearing on the inside of the plastic. Depending on the size of the bowl,

And when you say color change...?? The end grain became a darker like burnt orange tint to it. The rest of the bowl was a light brown. Can't remember the type of wood he was using, but the bowl he just wrapped in plastic colour wise was more like light oak.

Sorry for all the questions..

no worries, this is how we get brave enough to try a few new things.

 

[penhead]

Thanks Mark, appreciate all the answers...always looking for new/better ways to make a bowl, dry it quick as possible, and not have it crack..!

I have been doing the rough turning, then boil, and brown bag it with fairly good luck.

But will try the soapy solution

Thanks again..

 

[lorbay]

I did these ones last June and are turned to 1 1/8" to 1 1/4" then end checked the end grain and are now down to less than 6%. After finishing them I leave the foot on and take it in the house for a few days in the warmer room temps then finish the foot off.

Lin.

 

[penhead]

How did you let them dry..soap..brown bag..air dry..??

I did these ones last June and are turned to 1 1/8" to 1 1/4" then end checked the end grain and are now down to less than 6%. After finishing them I leave the foot on and take it in the house for a few days in the warmer room temps then finish the foot off.

Lin.

 

[Fred]

I always BOIL my stuff and then brown paper bag them.

Read these articles by our fellow IAP member, Dr. Steven Russell:
http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/boiling-green-wood.html
and
http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/boiling-protocol.html
and
http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/boiling-protocol.html

By boiling the wood you eliminate all the wax by holding the wood down and then skimming the surface of the water with a rag, etc. to collect the wax, AND you actually speed up the drying process.

I haven't lost a blank in five years or so due to checking, etc. when using Steven's methods. :biggrin:

 

[lorbay]

How did you let them dry..soap..brown bag..air dry..??

I just stacked them (so air could get around them) in a very large card board box 6' x 6' and put a card board lid on it in the basement.

Lin.