# Wet bowl drying methods



## matthew seibert (Jan 12, 2016)

I've just gotten into turning logs into bowls and I know you need to turn wet wood large then let it dry for 6 months to a year. The question that I had was what sealant or method to use in order to keep it from checking
I've seen wax, paint, and a paper bag full of shavings used as drying methods, but I'm curious what anyone else has found that works well for them


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## Jim Beam (Jan 12, 2016)

I use Anchor Seal, inside and out.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## Schroedc (Jan 12, 2016)

matthew seibert said:


> I've just gotten into turning logs into bowls and I know you need to turn wet horny midgets large then let it dry for 6 months to a year. The question that I had was what sealant or method to use in order to keep it from checking
> I've seen wax, paint, and a paper bag full of shavings used as drying methods, but I'm curious what anyone else has found that works well for them



I use anchorseal from UC Coatings - http://uccoatings.com/products/anchorseal/

I like the original formula better than the new stuff, depending on how much you plan to use, might be worth buying a 5 gallon and splitting it with other turners in your area you can also get it by the gallon form woodcraft and such but not sure which formula they are shipping these days.

I've also had decent results but some more failures packing the rough turned bowls into a cardboard box full of the shavings and letting it sit, You do have to watch out, I have had mold form doing it this way if stuff was really wet and you probably need to use a respirator while cleaning them up if you have any mold issues to be safe...


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## Mike Mills (Jan 12, 2016)

A lot depends on where you live and how you store them.
I coat the end grain with anchorseal (looks like an hourglass) and then bag with no shavings.
I store in the back of the shop until down to about 14% then bring in the house for about a month to acclimate to the lower humidity.

I have just started trying the stretch wrap method. Coating the rim and base then using stretch wrap on the outside and over the rim leaving the interior open and store face down. Stretch wrap at Office Depot is about $14 for 6" X 1000' IIRC. I haven't done enough to compare any results.
Do slightly round over the sharp rim as this is where a lot of cracking can start.


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## Dennis Ford (Jan 12, 2016)

I use more than one method:
* Anchorseal both inside and outside - open bowl forms roughed in the summer from any wood or roughed any time from woods I consider likely to crack
* Anchorseal outside only - closed form bowls or hollow forms
* Wrap in brown paper (no shavings inside) - open bowl forms roughed in the fall or winter from fairly easy to dry species
* Turn to finish thickness while wet - in a hurry and don't mind warp or very stable wood or unstable wood and try to make warping part of the design.
any/all of these can work in the right circumstance and can (will) also fail in some cases
The wood you start with and roughing to the right thickness is at least as important as the drying method that you choose. Matching your drying method to your local climate is more important than what works for 100 other turners in another part of the world.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 2


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## matthew seibert (Jan 12, 2016)

Thanks all.
I'm in western ohio at the moment, so I'm not sure about humidity or weather specifically relating to other places.
I've recently turned some ash rough, and i'm looking at doing some cherry as well.
I'll try the anchor seal first. Fingers crossed


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## Mike Mills (Jan 12, 2016)

Here we run 11-14% equilibrium depending on the time of year.
At equilibrium that is as dry as it will get without being in a controlled environment.
I have a brother that lives in El Paso and it gets down to 4%. Very different conditions and I would do as others and coat in and out with Anchorseal...maybe two coats of the new stuff.
Here is link to equilibrium by state/major city (scroll down to about page 6 to start).
Dayton seems to be about 1% higher; 12.3-15.2 vs 11.4-13.8

BTW, with cherry I would give inside and out a heavy coating. Next to holly it is been my worst for cracking...but that depends on a lot of other variables.
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplrn/fplrn268.pdf

Reactions: Informative 1


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## duncsuss (Jan 12, 2016)

I weigh it then put the rough-turned piece into a brown paper bag (the ones the supermarket uses to bag groceries), write the weight on the bag with a Sharpie. No shavings, no Anchorseal, just fold over the top.

Every 2 or 3 weeks I open it up, weigh it again, and record the new weight.

When the weight doesn't change for 3 readings in a row, I consider it "at equilibrium".

Reactions: Like 1


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## barry richardson (Jan 13, 2016)

I used to fill bags or boxes with shavings and seal them up with the blanks, but I don't any more and it seems to be about the same results, and the shavings can cause mold and stain like Colin said. Depending on the species, I might not bag them at all. If it is a special piece that I'm worried about cracking, sealing the end grain with AS works great...... but, I just had a recent experience with that on a light wood (ash) after drying when I turned away the AS the wood was a darker color underneath, the trapped moisture caused some staining I imagine... I read an article about the Malthrop family (a well known bowl turning clan) and they just throw their roughouts on a shelf, they had a whole wall of them, no bagging or sealing. BTW what happened to all the DNA advocates?

Reactions: Like 1


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## Kevin (Jan 13, 2016)

Schroedc said:


> I use anchorseal from UC Coatings - http://uccoatings.com/products/anchorseal/
> 
> I like the original formula better than the new stuff



First I heard anyone say that. I prefer II much better because it's not as thin and because it seems to mold a little less even though it has no mildicide in it. 

As to what they ship, they will ship either one you ask for as they still manufacture both. I have said this before and will again I believe I played a part in them formulting II. 

What is it about II that you do not like as well as the original?


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## Schroedc (Jan 13, 2016)

Kevin said:


> First I heard anyone say that. I prefer II much better because it's not as thin and because it seems to mold a little less even though it has no mildicide in it.
> 
> As to what they ship, they will ship either one you ask for as they still manufacture both. I have said this before and will again I believe I played a part in them formulting II.
> 
> What is it about II that you do not like as well as the original?



When I started I was turning mostly cherry and when I switched from II to the original I had less failure when drying rough turned bowls. Maybe I started doing something else different at the same time I switched from II to I and it wasn't the anchor seal but since I have a 5 gallon pail to last me a while I'll stick with it I actually like a little thinner product as it seems easier for me to get it into any nooks and crannys. As far as my comment on what was shipping, I was referring to Woodcraft specifically, not UC Coatings


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## Kevin (Jan 13, 2016)

Schroedc said:


> I have a 5 gallon pail



I order mine in a 5 gallon bucket. I think we found your problem.

Reactions: Funny 2 | Informative 1


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## DKMD (Jan 13, 2016)

I tend to coat endgrain with anchorseal(original) and then throw them in a cardboard box for a few months. I check on them every couple of weeks, and if I see mold, I get them out of the box. After that, I sticker them on wire racks for at least a year. I've been doing it long enough that I've got roughouts more than 2 years old.

I write the date and species on everything before sealing them. Sometimes, I'll write the source for the wood also(in case I want to send the finished product back from whence it came).

Some species dry much faster(walnut comes to mind), so the drying times vary considerable. The weighing method Duncan described is probably the most scientific way to determine readiness, but I'm generally too stupid and lazy to follow through with that strategy.

Reactions: Like 3


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## matthew seibert (Jan 15, 2016)

DKMD said:


> I tend to coat endgrain with anchorseal(original) and then throw them in a cardboard box for a few months. I check on them every couple of weeks, and if I see mold, I get them out of the box. After that, I sticker them on wire racks for at least a year. I've been doing it long enough that I've got roughouts more than 2 years old.
> 
> I write the date and species on everything before sealing them. Sometimes, I'll write the source for the wood also(in case I want to send the finished product back from whence it came).
> 
> Some species dry much faster(walnut comes to mind), so the drying times vary considerable. The weighing method Duncan described is probably the most scientific way to determine readiness, but I'm generally too stupid and lazy to follow through with that strategy.


When you say you coat the end grain, is that before or after you turn it rough?


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## Nature Man (Jan 16, 2016)

Mike Mills said:


> Here we run 11-14% equilibrium depending on the time of year.
> At equilibrium that is as dry as it will get without being in a controlled environment.
> I have a brother that lives in El Paso and it gets down to 4%. Very different conditions and I would do as others and coat in and out with Anchorseal...maybe two coats of the new stuff.
> Here is link to equilibrium by state/major city (scroll down to about page 6 to start).
> ...


That link is an incredible resource. Thanks. Chuck


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## DKMD (Jan 16, 2016)

matthew seibert said:


> When you say you coat the end grain, is that before or after you turn it rough?



Almost immediately after roughing


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