after alcohol soak?

Re: after alcohol soak?

TomW In SouthJersey

>Since you didn't get any responses from someone more experienced than me I'll try to explain what has worked for me so far.

I allow the roughed blanks to soak for several hours, drain for about one hour then wrap the edge as you described. I place them in paper bags and roll the top of the bag down and tape with masking tape.

I also tend to leave the blanks a little on the thick side to take into account any warping that occurs.

So far I've had very good experience with the process. The only problems I've encountered has been with oak. It seems to crack more easily.

Hope this helps.

Tom Wright

Re: after alcohol soak?

Dan Moening

>I'm likely the most novice turner on this forum as I've only been at it 3 or 4 months.

I have a small Ryobi, benchtop lathe, but I do try hard ;^).

To date I have turned exactly 3 bowls.

Olive:

This was from either a trunk section or a large branch that had been cut down approximately 8 months prior.

I rough turned it to ~5" diameter and 1/2" thick.

Soaked in alcohol for 24 hours...3:30pm to around 4:00pm the next day.

Wrapped in paper as DaveSmith describes and left to dry for one week...Saturday to Saturday.

Finished turned to a little less than 1/4".

No cracks, no checking, no warpage.

Eucalyptus:

These were from a branch of a large tree felled 2 months prior to using. I turned 2 bowls from it.

I rough turned the first to 5" diameter and ~1/2" thick.

Soaked in alcohol for 24 hours...wrapped in paper and left to dry for one week...Saturday to Saturday.

Finished turned to a fat 1/4".

No cracks, no checking...but it did move...elongated in what would be the length of the branch, parallel to the pith. It is now somewhat ovoid.

The second eucalyptus bowl was allowed to dry for over 2 weeks and finished turned to a thin 1/4".

No crack, no checking, no warpage or movement. I did manage to turn through the bottom while hollowing it out though :-[

Hope that helps you some...

Dan.

Wrap the rim.

Dave Smith, Longview, WA

>Hi Ed,

After rough turning the bowl wrap the outside in brown paper or similar material. I use masking tape to gather the paper around the rim. Then fold the paper over the rim, secure it with tape and then cut off the excess. As the piece dries it will shrink nd if the paper is not folded over the rim it will not stay on.

An other thing to consider is rounding the edges on the rim. Sharp edges are stress risers and will increase the probability of cracks starting there.

Good luck. Feel free to email me if you need more information.

Dave Smith

Been playing hooky from WC the last few days in Longview, WA.

Thanks guys

Ed Kelle

>Hopefully I did it all right. Or at least close to right. Guess time will tell. At least this will be a quicker process. Thanks for the help

Re: after alcohol soak?

John Carr

>Ed, I've soaked over a dozen bowls with great results. Sizes have ranged from about 3 1/2" in diameter to over 10". Wall thickness kept to around 10% of diameter (eyeball measurement only - this doesn't appear to be all that critical).

Soaking time has varied from two hours to over three days (OK, so I forgot it was in there...)

Once removed from the alcohol, I leave them exposed to the air for an hour or so, then wrap them in brown paper. I just tuck the loose edges into the bowl cavity - no tape, no rubber bands - and set it upside down on a wire shelf.

I've been weighing them every three days until weight loss stops, and haven't found any that have taken more than 24 days to dry completely.

Perfect score so far - haven't had any bowl crack or warp. Of course, getting too aggressive with a gouge can show adverse results if one tries to get the wall "just a tiny bit thinner". (Oops!)