Wax Rough-Turned Bowl Blanks

Re: Wax Rough-Turned Bowl Blanks *LINK*

Dave Paine

I seal my log sections, but once I have rough turned, I do not seal.

I watched the linked video by Brian Havens. He tapes paper to the outside to try and even out the drying. He also used denatured alcohol to speed up the drying process. I have not tried this, but it looks interesting.

If the rough turned bowl is completely sealed in wax, it will either take a very long time to dry, or may not dry depending on the thickness of the wax.


http://brianhavens.com/woodturning/videos/

Re: Wax Rough-Turned Bowl Blanks

John lucas

I wax all of tbe end grain areas and if i left some thin areas that will lose moisture faster Its worked well for me doing it that way

Re: Wax Rough-Turned Bowl Blanks

robo hippy

If I was doing twice turned bowls, and on a production scale, I think I would have a dunk tank. At the very least, make sure to round over your rim edges. Some woods will work fine with just the end grain coated. Some need to be covered all the way. Some don't need any thing other than storing in a cool dry place. Depends as much on local environment as it does on the woods.

robo hippy

Re: Wax Rough-Turned Bowl Blanks

John K Jordan

If it's twisty or burled grain or a species known to warp like crazy I paint the entire bowl, otherwise the end grain. Wood like sassafras needs nothing.

Re: Wax Rough-Turned Bowl Blanks

Dale Bonertz

Good answers but the best sentence is Robo's when he said it depends on your environment as much as the wood. Having said that in any environment it won't hurt to coat the entire blank with wax emulsion as you stated your using (anchor seal, seal tight or etc. If in a dryer climate for sure coat the whole thing. In a generally humid/wet environment then end grain only works fine. So many who don't have a lot of drying experience lose a lot of blanks due to poor advice on forums and not knowing your location it is hard to give accurate advice.

Re: Wax Rough-Turned Bowl Blanks

Barry Rockwell

I also agree with Robo Hippy that it is dependent on your environment. I live in Montana part of the year and if I don't coat the whole bowl there is a very high risk of losing it. On the other hand, I live in the San Diego area part of the year and everyone there just coat the end grain. I usually coat the whole bowl even in So Cal. That said, some wood is negatively affected with a wax emulsion coating. I have found that fir, pines such as ponderosa and others, and spruces, are severely yellowed by such coatings and it goes way beyond the surface, making it almost impossible to remove by turning. I take my chances with those woods with no coating at all.

Re: Wax Rough-Turned Bowl Blanks

Ron Bauer

After watching a youtube by robohippy on storing blanks I tried using stretch film as he suggested. A case of 12- 7000 ft rolls and a holder was <$40. I simply wrap the entire piece then punch some holes in the top to start relieving some moisture. More holes, more moisture is released. Does away with worries of anchor seal dis coloring and is less of a mess. I have not taken bowls to final "dryness" this way since I use a drier to finish them. Using just the wrap and slowly opening over time should give the same result as wax. This will release the moisture from the inside which is what waxing the outside does. Just my experience. Ron.

Re: Wax Rough-Turned Bowl Blanks

john lucas

I've played with plastic wrap a lot in the last few years and reallly like it. When I get fresh logs and don't have time to cut them I'll put it on the ends. Keeps them good for much longer. I use to use trash bags for this purpose but they break down to UV light much too quickly. The stretch wrap lasts far longer. It will lose some of it's grabbing power so I often put a piece of string around the loose ends to keep it in place over the months.

I have cut bowl and hollow vessel blanks and completely covered them. They will eventually dry this way despite what it seems like. It takes a long time but they lose a lot of moisture over a years time. It compares roughly to completely covering a piece with wax. Both break down over time and let moisture out (and probably air in) but they do the job of slowing down the drying to prevent cracking.

Oh and it's fantastic for bundling things together in a move. I just moved my entire shop and I would bundle fragile things with durable things and wrap them. Despite packing everything in a container for 6 moves and having to move it twice I have only found one thing broken so far and it was a plexiglass shield that was fragile to begin with.

Re: Wax Rough-Turned Bowl Blanks

Barry L Elder

What he (John) said!

Re: Wax Rough-Turned Bowl Blanks

George

I have good luck coating the entire bowl and I've lost some where I only coated the end grain. When I use my bowl kiln, I coat everything!

Re: Wax Rough-Turned Bowl Blanks

Brad Vietje

I find that the biggest variable here is the climate where you work, and how (or if) you heat your work space. I only seal valuable or irreplaceable wood, like something someone brought from "Uncle Chester's Apple tree" for a commission piece. I can't think of a single bowl I've lost to checking in over 10 years.

However, I can get away with that cavalier approach because:

1. It's quite humid here during the warmer months

2. I work in a barn with a dirt floor, so humidity levels are high

3. I don't have (or in any recommend!) forced hot air heat near green wood

4. I tend to put Apple or Beech or other high-shrinkage woods in paper bags, or if doing them in batches, cardboard boxes

5. When it's dry around here, its also well below freezing (and sometimes well below zero )

6. I bevel or round every exposed "corner" on my rough-outs, and I mean every one -- inside and outside of rim, plus the corner of a tenon (or recess, which I only rarely use). Splits can get started on sharp edges where the wood dries too fast.

7. I only put shavings in with a rough turning if I want it to spalt; otherwise, I'll have a slimy mess of mold and fungus a few months later.

8. You can make the bottom of a side-grain bowl thinned than the sides -- and you should -- if you leave a tenon on there to dry with the bowl. That tenon is a thicker place, so it will retain more moisture there, plus side grain dries slower than end grain in the first place.

8. For exotics, and real movers like Lilac, I rub on Butcher's paste wax as the piece is spinning a la Wally.

I expect others working in different climates or other heating/cooling conditions would not be able to do the same as I do, but that's what works for me.

Safe spinning,

Brad Vietje

Newbury, VT