Drying Pen Blanks in the Microwave

[Vic Perrin]

Done a search on this subject as recommended and did not find a lot about it.
I obtained a small oak burr that was cut down about 2 month ago and I cut it up into blanks last week.

I have a cheapo moisture meter and when I checked the moisture it went off the scale .

Tried the microwave method as described in an earlier post and over the past week the moisture content has been getting lower and lower.

Put them in for another Cook today and the moisture meter is reading between 10-15%.

When do you think it is time to call it a day and use them ? there are some really nice looking blanks amongst them.

Vic

 

[rayf6604]

i was told by a pro turner that 10-16% moisture is about as low as you can go before it gets too dry to use. try testing a piece of dry wood to see what the moisture content is.

 

[Grump]

Moisture meters are shit, whether a cheapo or designer model.
A much more reliable way is to weight the blank, when the weight is constant is as dry as you will get.
Tell that to your pro turner.

 

[Vic Perrin]

i was told by a pro turner that 10-16% moisture is about as low as you can go before it gets too dry to use. try testing a piece of dry wood to see what the moisture content is.

Ray I have just tried one or two pieces of dry wood that are stored in the same place that these blanks have been and there is little or no difference between the readings of the so called dry wood and the pen blanks that I have been drying in the microwave.

Would this indicate that they have reached their optimum dryness for the environment that they are in.

Vic

 

[rayf6604]

Ray I have just tried one or two pieces of dry wood that are stored in the same place that these blanks have been and there is little or no difference between the readings of the so called dry wood and the pen blanks that I have been drying in the microwave.

Would this indicate that they have reached their optimum dryness for the environment that they are in.

Vic

i would say so vic

 

[Woody]

Never used one Vic I have only ever used the method Brian described weigh the wood and when the weight is stable its ready to turn weigh it bring it indoors for a few days and weigh it again till the weight is stable but you dont want Oak to get to dry or it will be to hard

 

[Walter]

Neil Lawton ran an experiment on drying wood in the microwave on the Woodworkers Institute Forum. I didn't take much interest because it is not something I intend to do but it might be of some help, here is a link to it:

Microwave experiment! - Woodworkers Institute - Forums - Page 1

 

[paulm]

I just chuck it in a warm place for a few days and thats it.

 

[silver]

Moisture meters are shit, whether a cheapo or designer model.
A much more reliable way is to weight the blank, when the weight is constant is as dry as you will get.
Tell that to your pro turner.

Scales are crap, you can't guarantee that the scales will be accurate enough to give constant accurate weight at the low weights that Vic is expecting on as small pen blank.

Moisture meters have come on a long way over the last 20 years and know that I use one regularly that requires accurate measurements. If it's good enough for weights and measures then it's good enough for a bit of pen turning..

Anyway Vic, never used microwave of small pen blanks but have used it on larger pieces, I have seen the link Walter has put up and is very good.

But I would say that the 10 to 16% that Ray quotes if consistent with allot of the evidence I have managed to gather over the years and has worked well for me.

But then again what do I know init, only my opinion.. Init..

 

[Neil Lawton]

Wood is never stable, it is just less likely to move / split, if it reaches the EMC of the area it is going to live in before it gets there!
I'm happy to do a home seasoning thing after the York do, but I'm a bit busy right now!
I've heard, and used degraded wood but I've never heard of wood too dry to use!
Modern sealed central heated houses can go as low as 8%. The wood EMC cannot go below that!
If you do live somewhere with a lower MC than that, your face is going to crack!

 

[wm460]

If you do live somewhere with a lower MC than that, your face is going to crack!

Wonder what my area is?
12' evaporation a year.
Doest rain for 10 or 11 months a year.
Some years we only get 3" or 4" in the year and that could be in one shower. :sadmo::sadmo:

 

[Neil Lawton]

Wonder what my area is?
12' evaporation a year.
Doest rain for 10 or 11 months a year.
Some years we only get 3" or 4" in the year and that could be in one shower. :sadmo::sadmo:

That's why you are the Antipodes mate!
We get rain 10 or 11 months a year!
Some days we only get 3 to 4" a day!

 

[wm460]

Perhaps you might be kind and share some with us.

 

[Vic Perrin]

Perhaps you might be kind and share some with us.

We've got a shed load of it forecast for tomorrow! I will bucket it up for you and get it shipped over!

That's if you are prepared to pay the Shipping Charges!

Vic

 

[Dalboy]

Never used one Vic I have only ever used the method Brian described weigh the wood and when the weight is stable its ready to turn weigh it bring it indoors for a few days and weigh it again till the weight is stable but you dont want Oak to get to dry or it will be to hard

Yep got to agree with that the tea light I did just recently was as hard as nails and a bugger to get a nice finish 0ff the lathe.

As for drying I have started to rough turn any blanks and leave them testing by using a meter and also weighing them. Not tried pen blanks as all the ones I have are cut from kiln dried wood or are acrylic or polyester which over comes the problem especially the last two