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Soaking in dish washing soap

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I read this article http://www.turningwood.com/LDD.htm on Steve W.'s sight and like the author of the article I'd like to like to pick up a piece of green wood, turn it and finish it in 2 days, not wait 6 months for it to dry. The author indicates he had great success with soaking the blanks in the soap solution prior to turning and going straight to finishing.

I may have missed more recent posts, but I found posts about people experimenting with this 3 years ago. I was wondering what conclusions if any have been drawn with more experimentation over the past 3 years. Does this work?
 

Steve Worcester

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I tried it a bit but I have enough pieces rough turned that I can wait. I found that the pieces ended up having a slick soapy feel to them. Made some interesting patterns in the ash piece I tried though.
 

john lucas

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I turn large pieces to 1/2" thickness and smaller pieces thinner down to about 1/4" for bowls. Hollow vessels average anywhere from 1/8 to 1/2" depending on size. I've never seen a need for the soap or alcohol.
 
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Remember that sweeping compound? It's got glycerol in it, the same thing that most hand dishwashing liquids have. Keeps Madge's hands soft, because it's one of a class of humectants. So, you'll get less dust when sanding, a hopefully pleasant odor, and very little else, unless you're willing to soak for a long time or turn thin, which, as others remind you, does not require anything to get an interesting and crack-free result.

Its effect as a bulking agent will be limited, because it will evaporate, just slower than the water in the wood.
 
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I have turned a few green bowls to 1/8 - 1/4 and have gotten no cracks, did get some hairline cracks in others but after reading another post that may be due to me overheating the wood when hand sanding. I think I need to move to using a sander.

I read a post the other day about filling larger cracks with "gold dust" (brass shavings from key cutters). I think I'm going to give that a try, sounds like it should look pretty cool. Do you just fill the crack with CA and pack the crack with shavings or do you mix a "Paste" of CA and shavings and pack the crack with the paste?

BTW, I just get blown away when I look thru the galleries you guys have posted. How do most people get to the level of that quality and learn to do the more intricate things?

Steve, I see you've had the opporturnity to work with David Ellsworth (loved the story about him introducing himslef to your son). That must have been pretty awesome, especially with only the 2 students.
 
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Hi Jake I have used this method but on rough turned bowls not blanks.It does seem to help with cracking and lets you finish the bowl in about 3 days however I used unscented and dye free dish detergent.If you didn't follow the link to Ron Kents site in that article check it out.Also here is a link to other links about drying bowls. http://www.public.iastate.edu/~rwallace/WTlinks.html#Processing-Toxic-Woods

One word of caution you need to put the bowl in a bag or box for a day or two so it don't dry too quickly.
 

Steve Worcester

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BTW, I just get blown away when I look thru the galleries you guys have posted. How do most people get to the level of that quality and learn to do the more intricate things?

Practice, practice, practice. Never being totally satisfied with the end product and researching how to get to the next level, being your own worst critic.

Steve, I see you've had the opporturnity to work with David Ellsworth (loved the story about him introducing himslef to your son). That must have been pretty awesome, especially with only the 2 students.

At the time it seemed rather surreal, but he is just another human and a real nice guy too. He realizes his legacy will be those he has passed on his techniques too rather than his product. I would recommend to anyone to take a class from a David Ellsworth, a John Jordan or a Clay Foster any time they have the opportunity. It will greatly shorten the learning curve and assist in taking you to the next level.
 
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...
I read a post the other day about filling larger cracks with "gold dust" (brass shavings from key cutters). I think I'm going to give that a try, sounds like it should look pretty cool. Do you just fill the crack with CA and pack the crack with shavings or do you mix a "Paste" of CA and shavings and pack the crack with the paste?

Jake, here's an example of filling with a "mortar" of key cuttings and epoxy. I fill the holes slightly proud of the final surface, wait an hour or two, then turn and sand so as to cut through all of it. This is all done on the lathe.

http://www.aawforum.org/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=5998

And here's a close-up: http://www.aawforum.org/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=5999

Key cuttings may include both brass and aluminum, depending on the practice of the locksmith. And there are a lot of other materials you can experiment with: coffee grounds (fresh and used), metal powders, stone powders, etc. Mixtures could be very interesting (or maybe too interesting). By filling proud, and then cutting, an appearance of miniature terrazzo can be achieved.

I think the usual practice with CA, is to pack with dust, and dribble CA into it. Pot life of a CA paste might not be long enough to work with it. I prefer epoxy, because of longer working time, as well as higher strength, or less brittleness.
 
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Yes, CA is my poison of choice.

Thin cheap stuff: dribble a bit in the void, hand sand across it with coarse grit abrasive. Dribble in some more but this time spin the piece holding the paper against it (and stand aside!). Repeat until filled.

Only good for smaller fills; takes too long on wide cracks.

Usually dries a shade darker than the wood. Medium to dark woods, it shows only if you look for it.
 
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BTW, I just get blown away when I look thru the galleries you guys have posted. How do most people get to the level of that quality and learn to do the more intricate things?

Keep a thick skin and ask for critiques of your work from more experienced turners, then continously push your limits.
 

Steve Worcester

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Yes, CA is my poison of choice.

Thin cheap stuff: dribble a bit in the void, hand sand across it with coarse grit abrasive. Dribble in some more but this time spin the piece holding the paper against it (and stand aside!). Repeat until filled.

Only good for smaller fills; takes too long on wide cracks.

Usually dries a shade darker than the wood. Medium to dark woods, it shows only if you look for it.

Put some painters removable tape of it to seal it in. A Chris Stott trick is to paint the area around the crack with the finish you will ultimately use so that the CA doesn't discolor the surrounding area.
 
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Yes, CA is my poison of choice.

Thin cheap stuff: dribble a bit in the void, hand sand across it with coarse grit abrasive. Dribble in some more but this time spin the piece holding the paper against it (and stand aside!). Repeat until filled.

do you mean to sand right away to get some sanding dust in the CA? Is the initial course grit just to fill in the crack faster?
 
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