Green blanks

[MikeDe]

Hey all. I got hold of a bunch of green blanks for a really low price so I figured I couldn't go wrong even if it was firewood. For 20 bucks I wound up with around 400 blanks of local, yet decent, wood. I've known typically how to deal with wet wood in other areas of woodworking but now that I'm turning pens I don't have a clue on what to do with the green blanks. How long would they have to live in a dark box, etc. Can I actually microwave them? Can I bake them in the oven a little at a time? You might say I'm actually green in this area also. So a little expertise would be helpful.

Thanks,
MikeDe

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

I've had decent results with a microwave and sandwich bags. Put the blank in a sandwich bag , the microwave set on medium. Set the timer for 10 seconds. The inside of the bag will be wet with moisture. Dry the inside of the bag with a towel and keep doing 10 seconds cooking until the inside of the bag no longer has moisture..

 

[wdcav1952]

From the IAP Library:

http://content.penturners.org/articles/2004/wood-drying.pdf

 

[dgscott]

You can also soak them in denatured alcohol for about an hour, then wrap them three sides in brown paper and let them drip dry over a bucket. Drying time is greatly reduced ( a week or so) without loss of color or warping. Of course, I suggest you don't smoke in the shop!
Doug

 

[Bree]

I have had good luck Auto Defrosting them for a minute in the microwave... maybe doing that twice after a brief wait to let the steam escape. Then putting them in the oven running it up to 200 degrees, shutting the heat off and just letting them sit in there for a few hours. The temp drops slowly and keeps them in a safe range.

I dried 60 wet blanks (18-24%) that way and they are down below 5% now. No cracks or other defects that I have seen.
:wink::wink::wink:

 

[bruce119]

Hey Mike what kind of wood. Here in Florida it could be anything.

 

[Wildman]

I would take those blanks out of the dark box. Stack them somewhere to air dry. Yes, may lose some due to cracking or going from square to diamond shape. Can still use diamond shape blanks.

Oct thru Apr seem to be best months for drying wood. Depending upon size could be dry enough in a month or two.

JMHO, microwaving, using the oven, DNA, and boiling just busy work. No guarantee wood won't crack later on. That is also true for air-drying, but less likely.

 

[David M]

air dried and denatured alcohol is all i have used , and it doesn't hurt if its left in over night .if you keep using the alcohol over and over it could discolor , just the outter surface. just wondering if anyone has used a food dehydrator - slow heat air moving around ?

 

[jfoh]

I used a food drier for a few hundred blanks. Must let them rest after they are dry. Lets the blanks pick up some moisture if they get too dry in the dryer. In fact I am looking at my old dryer right now. Oh the spalted wood it has saved for me. I later built a drying cabinet that I heated with a light bulb, fan and a temperature control. Set it to cut off if the temperature got above 90-95 degrees. A few days in the old cabinet ans all was dry.

 

[dankc908]

Sounds like a lot of work -- Just send me the blanks and avoid all that effort <GRIN>!

 

[low_48]

I put my blanks in the attic of the house in the summer, on the furnace main trunk line in the winter. I bet you will use the attic. I have microwaved a few and it works well. So do a couple in the microwave, but put the rest up in the attic. They'll be ready in a few weeks. I stack some in a chimney form, two one direction, two on top of them in the opposite direction. This builds a really loose stack that lets air circulate around. I also made some chicken wire "envelopes". I fill them and hang them from the rafters.