To dry wood by using water???

[squirrel]

Hello,

my name is Squirrel and I live in Belgium.

I start to do some woodturning and I have a question:
I read once that you could dry small pieces of wood by cooking them. The text said the water will replace the moisture of the wood. But ... how long does it has to cook?
I also throwed a piece of wood in the cistern in the hope the wood will not split further anymore (the wood is oak of the south of France - it has grown very fast ans splits all the time). But how long does wood has to stay in the rainwater? As long as all the moisture has been replaced by rainwater? And I suppose this process goes as slowly as drying in the air?
It would be good to hear from you guys and sorry not to speak English fluently.http://www.aawforum.org/vbforum/images/icons/icon11.gif
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Squirrel.
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[Curt Fuller]

Hello Squirrel,

There's a guy named Jim King that has some excellent information on boiling wood. Here's a link to his instructions...

http://www.exoticwoodworld.com/process.htm

 

[Steve Worcester]

The person I would call an authority on boiling would be Stephen Russell out of Houston, TX. He has written an excellent treatise he
http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/boiling-green-wood.html

 

[dkulze]

Hi squirrel.

Moisture is water. Water is moisture. No replacement taking place.

Wood in the cistern will not dry and so can act as short or long term storage till it can be worked. It will move and crack when drying just like new when you do take it out.

Cooking (boiling) raises the temperature of the water in the wood to the boiling point and so it begins to vaporize and move out of the wood, partially drying it while it is submerged in water (cool, hunh?). As it cools afterwords, the cells in the wood collapse and so relieve the stress that will cause cracking as it dries.

Dietrich

 

[squirrel]

To dry by using water ? - answer

Thank you guys! I will follow up your information and will give a short summary about what I found.

I have one remark ... I know in the past they often left the wood in the rivers and ... the story says ... when it has beenin the water for a long while ... it did not crack anymore when they took it out of the water.

Me too, a while ago I received beech who has been in the water ... and really the wood is still (almost) without cracks ... so, you are right, the water does not dry the wood but it avoid cracking ... and that it what I want to know: how long does it has to stay in the boiling water or in the cistern.

Thank you very much for the reply ... very nice of you.

Squirrel

 

[MichaelMouse]

Wood is kept under water in anerobic - without oxygen - conditions virtually indefinitely. Cold water lakes and cold running water up here still have useable 100 year old wood submerged in them which is salvaged, dried, and sold at a high price.

Of course, it doesn't dry anything to keep it wet, as mentioned. Boiling will make the lignin - the "glue" which holds wood fibers to one another - flow to a degree, helping to relieve stress caused by the way wood has grown, but it must still be treated carefully to keep the outer layers from collapse as it loses bulk before the inside is close to the same level of moisture. It is the same principle which allows wood to be bent or straightened by steaming, and retain its new shape to a great degree.

Waterlogged and ancient woods are normally treated with bulking agents which fill the gaps between fibers with another substance.

If your English is good enough, you might want to read this http://nautarch.tamu.edu/class/anth605/File6.htm to understand some of the processes.

Jim of course lives where the wood will air dry only to a fairly high moisture content, and slowly, because he lives in a jungle. That's the way to success, controlled moisture loss.

 

[NBHowe]

Try placeing the wood in a bucket of powdered water for a few days this will suck the moisture out of the wood.
The powdered water will have clumps in it when the wood is dry(a bit like cat litter) this can be left to dry and reused.
You should use a metal bucket as the chemical reaction of the moisture meeting the powdered water generates heat which in some cases can melt plastic buckets.
Good luck
Nigel

 

[Steve Worcester]

Try placeing the wood in a bucket of powdered water ...... Nigel

What's powdered water?

 

[mbtria]

Powdered water

Is also called dehydrated water. It comes in a can which you reconstitute by adding water to the brim. It is supposed to be a joke.

 

[Gil Jones]

Very funny, Nigel!!

 

[Steve Worcester]

Hello,

my name is Squirrel and I live in Belgium......
...... sorry not to speak English fluently.
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Squirrel.
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What you can do is go to http://babelfish.altavista.com/ and put in the web page you want to translate.

 

[squirrel]

water to avoid cracks and to influence the shrinking process

Hello,

Steve says you need to boil 1 hour for each 1'' thickness.
I tried it already a couple of times ... with good result ... and it dries faster as well ... I like the method ... I cooked 3 hours ... now I will try to cook not more than one hour.

Does somebody has experience with heating parafine oil (or others) and put the dry finished piece (for domestic use - food) in it? What temperature do I have to use by example. What advantages does it give.

I'm glad to receive so many answers and good information bur if you think I'm boring you with my simple questions ... please, tell me so.
Squirrel.

 

[dkulze]

Squirrel,

You're better using mineral oil than melted parrafin, as the parrafin will be sticky and hold nasty stuff. Mineral oil will not harden and the piece can be washed with water and kosher salt as an abrasive/cleaner (don't use soap) and reapply when the piece starts looking dry. You can find it at your local drug store/chemist/pharmacy with the laxatives. It is fully food safe and works well.

dietrich

 

[MichaelMouse]

Squirrel,

You're better using mineral oil than melted parrafin, as the parrafin will be sticky and hold nasty stuff. Mineral oil will not harden and the piece can be washed with water and kosher salt as an abrasive/cleaner (don't use soap) and reapply when the piece starts looking dry. You can find it at your local drug store/chemist/pharmacy with the laxatives. It is fully food safe and works well.

Well, maybe not the best choice. Consider that oil-soluble odors, and most are, will remain behind, and though the salt will kill becteria not fully hidden in the oil, it's still a polar mixture with water, and won't get where those beggars can go.

As I understand it the commercial walnut oil in Europe is solvent extracted rather than expeller pressed, so it'll be free of proteins which might by some wild chance get to a susceptible individual. As long as it doesn't have preservatives added to avoid spoilage (curing), should do great.

BTW, British, and possibly EU designation for mineral oil may well be paraffin. Paraffin oil, is, I believe theirs for kerosene.

 

[squirrel]

Yess, I think you are right - I looked for a factory here in Belgium who makes it and it is indicated as mineral oil and they say it is paraffin.
And it is used in a lot of food and for pills and so ... so it must be safe, I think.
Of all the oils I have ... only on the one 'for food' is written 'contains mineral oil' 'paraffin'.

Squirrel

 

[Bob Chapman]

'liquid paraffin'

MichaelMouse is right, here in the UK 'Paraffin' is used as a fuel for certain types of heaters with a low flame providing the heat. I think it is what you call 'kerosine' but that's not a name we use here (except, I think, for those who work in the oil industry where American terms dominate).

Strangely enough, the stuff you call 'mineral oil' is called 'liquid paraffin' (as if the other stuff isn't liquid). Among other uses it was once used as a laxative and can be used on bowls etc. as a food safe finish (but presumably not too much )

Bob

 

[dkulze]

I use it on salad bowls and cutting boards. A good soaking then wiping off excess the next day. I renew it when it looks dry. I've had no problems with retaining odors or stains.

I think the trick is keeping the piece fairly full of oil on the food surface. This prevents soaking in.

Dietrich