Drying wood

[Amihai]

Hello,
I bought wooden turning blanks for segmenting. Apparently, some of them aren't dry but rather coated in some sort of wax (in the picture - coated Gabon Ebony).

I'm afraid that:
1. It won't glue well when segmenting.
2. It won't finish well with CA, living moisture marks.

Are my fears justified? If so, how would you dry the wood? (I don't have a year to wait!).
Thank you very much!

 

[egnald]

Ebony is by its nature very prone to cracking if it drys too fast. The solution for most suppliers is to coat the wood in paraffin wax to slow the drying process. When I buy ebony, since I usually do not know how long it has been drying in storage, I leave the wax on it and keep it in my shop for about 3 months, then I use a scraper to remove most of the wax from the sides, leaving the ends coated and go another 6-12 months. Then I use a moisture tester to check - just to make sure that it measures less than 10%. Ebony is just one of those woods that is best purchased and then stored away for a special project. It is risky to buy it and use it right away.

In your case, perhaps you can ask the supplier if they can provide the moisture level or if they can tell you how long it has been in storage and what the storage conditions were.

Regards,
Dave

 

[jcm71]

Use African Blackwood. Much more forgiving. One of my first pens was a Cigar turned in ebony. Both barrels cracked. I keep it around as a reminder to never use ebony again.

 

[Amihai]

Use African Blackwood. Much more forgiving. One of my first pens was a Cigar turned in ebony. Both barrels cracked. I keep it around as a reminder to never use ebony again.

Unfortunately for me, You can't export African Blackwood out of the states...

 

[PatrickR]

First, I assume that any waxed wood is green and treat it that way. it is risky to use ebony that has not been seasoned (preferably years). Your best option is to find a substitute. Black plastic will look very similar to pure black ebony that has a CA finish. in the picture there appears to be an end check. if so chances are that it will continue. That's one reason to season, s that you can see what the piece does over time and weed out the ones prone to cracking.

 

[leehljp]

Some bowl turners of green wood put a blank or roughly turned bowl into a paper sack and put it in the attic or hot place (100°-140°) and leave it for a few months. As said ebonies can crack easily. The method of drying is time and warm and dry area.

When the ends are waxed and you don't want to cut the ends off, then "time" to evaporate through the sides become the means, and that is slower. I "think" you could put it in a vacuum for a week and see if that would draw moisture out. Not sure if that would work, but this is one of those situation that I enjoy "trying" when I an working on something.

 

[derekdd]

Like the fellas, I'm not a fan of turning ebony and avoid it when I can as it checks, tears out, and is rather hard but brittle.

African Blackwood and Wenge are my gotos when I want that sort of a look. Be sure and wear a dust mask when working with it as Wenge dust can cause neurological problems but it turns well, and finishes beautifully.

 

[penicillin]

Like the fellas, I'm not a fan of turning ebony and avoid it when I can as it checks, tears out, and is rather hard but brittle.

African Blackwood and Wenge are my gotos when I want that sort of a look. Be sure and wear a dust mask when working with it as Wenge dust can cause neurological problems but it turns well, and finishes beautifully.

Adding my experiences with wenge:

Wenge splinters hurt. They hurt for a long time after you pull them out. Wenge wood is aware of this property and will deliberately attack your fingers with its splinters. Wenge is a pretty wood and I like working with it, but handle it with care.