GouletPens
Member
It seems that microwaving is a good way to dry small things like pen blanks, but it took a bit of effort for me to fish through all of the threads to find buried tips on microwaving. I've recently gotten myself into a situation where I needed to use some olivewood when it was wetter than I feel comfortable, so I read up everything I could find here on using a microwave to dry wood. I, along with others I'm sure, would really appreciate if all the microwaving experts could post there knowledge on this thread to make it easier for reference in the future.
The method I used was cutting the blanks to size and drilling the holes for the pens I needed (8mm euros and a cigar). I tested one blank doing it on high for 10 seconds at a time, and the 2nd or 3rd time it cracked. I read up a little more and decided to run a longer period in the microwave but on a lower power setting. I noticed what this did was keep the fan running the whole time, but only periodically actually "microwave" it. All of the pen blanks I've done on the lower setting (level 2 out of 10 for 3 min. or so at a time) have turned out fine with no cracks. I ended up microwaving them in 3 min cycles on level 2 probably 8-10 times, until there was no noticible moisture on the wood and there was no steam.
Reading more NOW, I realize I should have used a scale to weigh the wood as I went to know when it stops getting lighter, or at least wrap the wood in a paper towel to monitor the visible moisture (I had it sitting on the towel, but didn't wrap it). I have turned the pens now, and I can't tell if the noticible "ease" of turning is due to the fact the wood is still too wet or if it's just because olivewood is so naturally oily...it's hard to tell. I've made several olivewood pens before, but this time I ordered the blanks from Exotic Wood Group who I've never gotten olivewood from before.
I'm sure in the next few days I'll find out if these pens were too wet b/c they'll crack if they are, so I'll update then. In the meantime, everyone please share your microwave experiences!!!
The method I used was cutting the blanks to size and drilling the holes for the pens I needed (8mm euros and a cigar). I tested one blank doing it on high for 10 seconds at a time, and the 2nd or 3rd time it cracked. I read up a little more and decided to run a longer period in the microwave but on a lower power setting. I noticed what this did was keep the fan running the whole time, but only periodically actually "microwave" it. All of the pen blanks I've done on the lower setting (level 2 out of 10 for 3 min. or so at a time) have turned out fine with no cracks. I ended up microwaving them in 3 min cycles on level 2 probably 8-10 times, until there was no noticible moisture on the wood and there was no steam.
Reading more NOW, I realize I should have used a scale to weigh the wood as I went to know when it stops getting lighter, or at least wrap the wood in a paper towel to monitor the visible moisture (I had it sitting on the towel, but didn't wrap it). I have turned the pens now, and I can't tell if the noticible "ease" of turning is due to the fact the wood is still too wet or if it's just because olivewood is so naturally oily...it's hard to tell. I've made several olivewood pens before, but this time I ordered the blanks from Exotic Wood Group who I've never gotten olivewood from before.
I'm sure in the next few days I'll find out if these pens were too wet b/c they'll crack if they are, so I'll update then. In the meantime, everyone please share your microwave experiences!!!
