Wood Drying... That last bit of moisture

Erin Burke

Erin Burke

KnifeMaker...ish
Joined
May 19, 2003
Messages
1,330
I have quite a bit of wood that I'd like to send to WSSI to have stabilized. I took some moisture readings today (with my cheap HF moisture measuring device thing) and most of the wood clocks in at 10%-13%. I have heard that wood should be sub-10% to stabilize successfully. I live here in the humid northwest... what is my best option for storage of this wood to drop the moisture content another 4-5%??? I'm thinking that sitting in a cardboard box in my shop is not quite cutting it.

Here's a photo of the wood in question.
3887999925_d0ae8131cf_o.jpg


You'll notice three big blocks of maple burl (some spalted) in the photo. Should I cut these blocks down to handle-block size before I send out to be stabilized... maybe even to aid in drying???

Finally, the two sets of scales at the top of the picture are red elm burl. When I bought them they were coated in heavy wax and wrapped in cellophane. They have been sitting around for about a year in this condition. I recently removed the cellophane... but should I clean off some of the wax to allow for drying?

Thanks in advance.

Erin
 
Erin,
I would cut those into oversized blocks and then send off to Mike. Put a note in the box to check for moisture, and they will check it before stabilizing it. If its high they will dry it before stabilizing it. This is another benefit (difference) to having your wood professionally stabilized.

Nice pieces you have there BTW... Are you gonna dye any of that?

Larry
 
Erin,

Short of kiln drying, I don't think you are going to get wood at a lower than average-humidity level. I'd be talking to the people who do the stabilizing for the answers you are looking for.

Mike
 
I can dry wood down to 6%, let it sit in the shop for a couple days and it's back up to 10-15%. Wood will acclimate to the humidity it is stored in.

Cut your wood into handle blocks, remove any wax and send to WSSI. Your scales might warp, best to cut scales after stabilizing.
 
For handle size blocks nuke it for one minute in a ziploc bag (not totally sealed)
No visible moisture in the bag should be pretty dry.
Ken
 
kc custom said:
For handle size blocks nuke it for one minute in a ziploc bag (not totally sealed)
No visible moisture in the bag should be pretty dry.
Ken
Click to expand...

i have not tried nuking wood yet, but sounds like a good option.
plywood is glued and cured in giant microwave,so why not.
thanks for the heads up.
also,
i dry my handle wood by storing it in my 1991 Toyota Station wagon.
you know how hot a car gets in summer weather.!5%^$#@

i have tested my solar dried wood against kiln dried wood and my stuff is lower by several points. like 8% moisture. course it could go back up with humid weather.

buzz
 
I would like to test some of this with a moisture meter (never have) but I can say
that I've taken wood green off the chain saw and did this maybe 20-30 times over
the course of a week (anytime I walked by the microwave) and then built up a super
glue "glass finish" and 4 years later no movement at spacers or anywhere else and
complete clarity in the finish is still there.
Ken.
 
Shaughnessy said:
Erin,
... Are you gonna dye any of that?

Larry
Click to expand...

All of the pen blanks and scales shown will be clear. I had thought about having one or two of the big maple burl blocks dyed. I was considering the black-gray, the gold or the teal (green-blue) options. Some of the double-dyed options look OK too, but they get kind of spendy. I want to stay away from gaudy unnatural-looking colors, and tend to like darker handles in general... that's why I'm leaning toward the black-gray option even though I haven't seen any photos. Any recommendations from people with experience having WSSI dye/stabilize maple burl.

Erin
 
You can also try silica gel. I have dried some scales which were at 13% to 1% in about 30 hours...
 
I believe the only double dye Mike will do is box elder,and theres other restrictions, but I did some black and gold, red/ black, purple/teal (box elder) and it turned out great. His double dye method is the best I've seen.

The color in your maple will absorb differently so if you do a single color, there will still be other areas that will show through (eyes). Heres one in a single dye maple burl in purple... Natural is cool too tho. I like 'em all...:D

I have some down there now, waiting for more people's materials so they can run the batch through. ;) (purple, green and blue)

Post some pics when you get your stuff back... Larry

b3.jpg
 
Mike Krall said:
If you are willing, would you describe the process you use in more detail please?

Mike
Click to expand...

Here is an experiment on this: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=597213

I have used this for some unstabilized wood scales, before and after attaching to a knife. You first dry the scales in silicagel about 6 hours, after it is dry you glue them on the knife tang. After the epoxy cured you just dunk the knife in the silica gel. After about 12 hours the scales are completely dry. You oil the scales, it really sucks in the oil. After 4-5 coats I'm pretty positive about the oil goes deeper than an equalized (10-12 % moisture) scales.
You can also packet these blocks in an air tight plastic bag and a little silicagel. You can send those to stabilization, they will be dried on the way :)
 
Larry,

In the back of my mind I always thought a purple dye-job would look terribly tacky... but that looks nice.

Erin
 
Sorry, I didn't persue the sugar treatment. A couple weeks later the samples I have impregnated with sugar were measured same moisture of %10-12 as the ones I didn't treat in sugar but the sugar treated ones were a bit heavier. I don't know how to test the success of treatment. Maybe some day I'll find some time to run this test much more efficiently...
 
galadduin said:
Sorry, I didn't persue the sugar treatment. A couple weeks later the samples I have impregnated with sugar were measured same moisture of %10-12 as the ones I didn't treat in sugar but the sugar treated ones were a bit heavier. I don't know how to test the success of treatment. Maybe some day I'll find some time to run this test much more efficiently...
Click to expand...

Emre,

I maybe shouldn't have asked the question. The sugar (or PEG) process is for a different problem. As I think about it, getting green wood dry and/or getting wood with unequal moisture content equal is the need.

It's interesting you're finding silica-gel takes moisture out so quickly/evenly and the dried wood then taking finish more readily and deeply. That alone is valuable if sealers and finishes that prevent moisture gain and loss are used. Then, the only thing that would cause wood to move is aging/stabilizing... much less of a factor than moisture caused movement.

Mike
 
Erin, when you are through stabilizing that wood, send a few blocks over the Cascades to Winthrop. Nice looking wood. Where did you get it? You started a good thread that sucked in a lot of good information.

Phil Millam
Winthrop WA
 
Erin Burke said:
Larry,

In the back of my mind I always thought a purple dye-job would look terribly tacky... but that looks nice.

Erin
Click to expand...



I hear ya Erin....I felt that same way about green for a long time. Something about "green" wood didnt sit right, but 1/3 of this current order will come back green. :D I'm gonna try it and see how it looks.

Larry
 
I have a huge barrel of silica gel and i keep my wood in there and it works great. i put some redwood burl in there for like a week and then took it out and it sucked up supper glue like a sponge.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top