Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Pen blank kiln ?
Phil Joines in Krum, Texas
>I have the pen monkey on my back and to support the habit I'm thinking of building a kiln. 2'x2'x10" deep with two layers of blue foam board for the box with a double glazed door. Painted black inside. I figured a row of 3/8" holes top and botton would do for ventilation. Sit it outside, tilted back to face the sun. Two or three months in the summer sum aught to do it. It will be mostly for Mesquite in the North Texas area.
Any sugestions?
Re: Pen blank kiln ? *LINK*
Guest
>That should do it but how are you going to *control* the ventilation besides just having holes? Or the heat? Or getting rid of the moisture accumulated?
If it's just pen blanks and you're not planning to do hundreds at a time, just microwave them. In 3/4" x 3/4" thicknesses (cut just a bit oversize to allow for any warp), it doesn't take long at all. Not the 2-3 months!
If you really want to do a kiln, you might consider something a bit quicker and more reliable than a solar. There's some short articles on a Woodturners Micro Kiln at....
http://www.woodturnersofswmo.org/Newsletters/NewsLetters.htm
January 2004 - Page 3
February 2004 - Page 3
March 2004 - Page 1
Just another option.
http://www.woodturnersofswmo.org/Newsletters/WSWMO%20Newsletter%20January%202004%20Page3.pdf
Re: Pen blank kiln ?
Larry G.
>That will do it.
I just stack cut blanks (like Lincoln logs) in a hot attic. They go from green to dry in a few weeks in Wisconsin.
I have used a box heated with a light bulb and also microwaved blanks.
Almost anything will get them dry.
When you drill them, let the blanks sit overnight.
Larry
Hand Turned Pens at http://pws.chartermi.net/~lgottlieb2/
Re: Pen blank kiln ?
Peter Teubel
>You might want to do a google search on vacuum kilns. Drying time is measured in DAYS, not weeks or months. I'm considering building one myself, since my vacuum pump sees only intermittent duty on the lathe.
Re: Pen blank kiln ?
Brian Gray in Sandusky, OH
>When it comes to drying pen blanks, I just drill a hole down the center that is smaller than the diameter of the hole needed for the barrel.
This will allow air to reach the wood from both sides, and drying will happen easily within a week....probably less, but I play it safe.
Or, microwave for a little bit.