Drying Wet Blanks

[L33]

I just received some blanks this morning...and it may just be the cold weather...but they feel slightly damp. I won't know for sure until Ive measured them with a moisture meter...which Im just about to go and buy.

However, it got me thinking...is there a way to dry blanks if they are too wet to turn and finish?

The blanks I bought are going to be used in pens Im making for a christmas market in a couple of weeks...if they are wet, I'm thinking oven or microwave...but to be honest...Ive no idea if thats a good or bad idea.

Hopefully when I measure the moisture they'll be ok, but on the off chance they aren't, Id like to be armed with the knowledge of knowing how to sort the problem... Any suggestions welcome :)

 

[hawkeyefxr]

Just leave them in your house for a couple of weeks, that should be ok for that size. When i had planks of oak 6ft long * 12in wide * 1 1/4 thick i left them for nine months. Don't put them on a direct source of heat like a rad, they might warp or split definitely not the oven or microwave. Your patience will be rewarded with a beautiful pen.
A moisture meter is the only way for peace of mind.

 

[Woody]

If your going to try drying them in the micky wave just do short 30sec blast let them cool weigh them and keep repeating till weight is stable

 

[L33]

Ive got them in a warm room now just to be on the safe side and just purchased a moisture meter and ran a few tests...its funny...you get one of these meters and suddenly you find yourself testing every bit of wood in the house!!!

Anyway, I've tested the blanks I bought and its showing 7%...I guess thats good but they do feel damp...but maybe thats just the wood (olive). So i tested some wood from British Hardwoods...and that was 6% to 7% which sounds about right. But what did surprise me was that a few weeks ago I bought some Axminster blanks, and since purchasing them they've been kept in a warm room. They came out at 12% so that figure would have been higher a few weeks back. Just goes to show that these meters are worth buying as you can never know for sure if you're buying blanks that are suitable for use straight off...as I'm pretty sure any applied finish could be affected by 'wet' blanks'.

 

[Phil Dart]

If you are measuring 7% in a warm room, but you suspect they are damp, my advise to you is to put them in a cold room for 24 hours and measure again. You need to make sure that it's not just the surface that is dry. 24 hours in a cold room will allow the moisture to distribute evenly. If it is still measuring below about 12 to 14% after that, you are in business.

 

[Pierre]

When I did my cabinet making courses we were taught that wood above 30% was green and fresh off the sawmill, 22-30% was part dried, 17-22% was commercially dry exterior wood, 13-17% was air dried commercial and 10 -12% was interior furniture quality furniture. So I try to get my blanks to about 10-12%, this allows them a certain life once they have been sealed in the finishing process. If you get them too dry, then they will absorb moisture later on and start to either expand or crack. I can show a scan of the table if you want although it will be in French.

PG

 

[L33]

I knew I wasn't going mad...I have 30 blanks and just tested them all...some are 6% to 7% but the majority of them are between 12% to 18%. You kind of get a feel for how dry a piece of wood is...even just by touch...I think I'll start using the driest ones and then use the rest when they have dried a little more...hopefully not to long, especially as they are in a warm room now. The blanks originally were air dried, so those reading kind of make sense. I guess going off Pierre's suggestion, I'll just wait until they are around 10% to 12%...and I guess that little bit of moisture will help set the gorilla glue too.

 

[bigbob]

With small wood blanks unless you have a very expensive and accurate moisture meter you are better off weighing them on these small electronic scales. I do the same as Woody measure the weight of the blank put the blanks on some kitchen towel put them in the m/wave for 30 seconds on defrost let them rest for ten minutes weigh them again they should have lost weight then keep repeating the above until the weight remains stable (usually about 3 times) do not put the m/wave on full power you will burn them from the inside out.

 

[bassethound]

If your going to try drying them in the micky wave just do short 30sec blast let them cool weigh them and keep repeating till weight is stable

Yep that's the way to go, have always used that method myself if I need to dry bits!

 

[Penpal]

I have a mate who gets to zero dry using a microwave very successfully he seeks zero to get maximum stabilising. Why are we always in such a hurry.

Peter.

 

[Pierre]

Oh I forgot if you use a moisture meter, you don't just touch the surface, you shove it in as hard as you can until you have penetrated more than 1 mm (preferably 5mm but mine only have 3mm useable) , and you do both end grain and side grain and then you mentally average out the response

Also using a microwave is all well and good but microwaves only penetrate up to 20mm in wood (depending on its density) the rest is done by heat transference. They act by vibrating the molecules much like a boy scout lighting a fire with 2 sticks!!! and the vibration continues for about 1 minute after..... SOOOO if you smell burning in the microwave best you get that piece out onto the lawn (or in WM460's case the desert) PRONTO else you may become a fireman's statistic.

 

[wm460]

I just leave them in a hot tin shed, they dry in no time.

 

[Penpal]

My best method with fan blowing through 24/7 with ideal results measured by weight in a sample set of each timber.

Peter.

 

[Vic Perrin]

Woody managed to get 0% moisture on the first lot of Polymer Clay he done

 

[Penpal]

My best method with fan blowing through 24/7 with ideal results measured by weight in a sample set of each timber.

Peter.

I forgot up in my roof. I never owned a moisture meter.

Peter.

 

[L33]

Oh I forgot if you use a moisture meter, you don't just touch the surface, you shove it in as hard as you can until you have penetrated more than 1 mm (preferably 5mm but mine only have 3mm useable) , and you do both end grain and side grain and then you mentally average out the response

Also using a microwave is all well and good but microwaves only penetrate up to 20mm in wood (depending on its density) the rest is done by heat transference. They act by vibrating the molecules much like a boy scout lighting a fire with 2 sticks!!! and the vibration continues for about 1 minute after..... SOOOO if you smell burning in the microwave best you get that piece out onto the lawn (or in WM460's case the desert) PRONTO else you may become a fireman's statistic.

Having worked in the Fire Service for 20 years and reading your last comment...that's all I need to know to convince me not to put them in the microwave! :) I'm a worrier as it is...microwaving blanks might just finish me off haha.

Regarding pushing the pins in...it occurred to me that if I push the meter pins in too far, I may end up seeing divets in the finished blank. So I placed the pins near the edge...pressed really hard...and ripped the whole side of the blank off! Think I need to be more careful. I guess the moral of this story is...don't buy blanks if u need them in a hurry...order well in advance, stick them somewhere warm and dry and when it's finally time to use them, they won't need testing because they'll have dried out over time regardless. :)