dollis

I have seen several people talking about having trouble with cracking blanks and moisture trouble on their pens. Has anyone tried a small light bulb in a lunch box or old refrigerator? I have used it to control humidity on welding rods with great success. It is worth a try.

Daren

I don't think it is a matter of keeping them dry. It is they machine the wood before it is dry and as it does dry, then it cracks.

Oh, the old welding rod hot box...I know it too well, union pipeftter/ welder in a previous life .

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JoshuaHoffman

Have you tried the green wood in kitty litter placed in microwave trick? Do not burn down your kitchen by walking away and forgetting your fast drying wood. Joshuastrees.net

ken61

Many people use an old dishwasher (waterproof insides) with a 100 watt light bulb inside. I use a plastic 55 gallon drum on its side with racks inside and a 100 watt light bulb and a loose fitting front door. Makes a great drying oven.

ken

batman562

One way to dry wood blanks is to use a microwave oven set on low, Run it about 1 min, then let the wood cool, repeat. Then try it again, if the wood is cool, then it's pritty dry. The microwave breakes down the cell walls, alowing the water to evaporate.

john lucas

The reason most wood cracks is uneven drying. The outside tries to dry and shrink while the inside stays wet and the same size, cracks appear. The microwave dries wood from the inside out. This evens out the drying. Take your time and do it slowly. I start with 30 seconds and if the wood doesn't feel warm I try 1 minute. I let it cool completely between cycles.
I don't turn pens but have dried a lot of box blanks which are harder to dry than pen blanks.