Brad Vietje
Hey Darrin,

Stuart asked some good questions, so I'll follow up with a few more:

1. What kind of wood?
2. Where do you live?
3. What storage is available?
4. Heated, or cold (back to #2...)
5. If heated, how?

What you do depends more on these variables than anything else. What I do in Vermont, or what Wally does in Arizona might not be right for you.

I seem to live in a pretty forgiving climate. I use a paper bag or box for most bowl rough-outs, and only use Anchorseal for high-value wood that's prone to cracking. I never use both. Wet shavings, as others have reported, are good fr spalting the wood or growing mushrooms, but don't seem to be helpful for seasoning bowls. For the past 4 - 5 years I have only rarely used Anchorseal -- Wally uses paste wax in Arizona, which is a lot drier than here, so if it works for him, it's good for me! I use Johnson's Paste Wax and smear or melt it on as the bowl is spinning.

I almost never lose a roughed out bowl to cracks, but have lost a few to excessive mold or spalting from the moisture in the bag or box, or the rainy weather.

I store rough turned bowls in an unheated barn, usually down near the dirt or concrete floor. If you dry things in a heated space, it won't take as long, but you'll probably have more cracks, especially with forced hot air heat, which is really bad for drying bowls.

Safe sinning,

Brad Vietje
Newbury, VT