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Daddy3x
14th August 2008, 02:57 PM
I just tried turning an end grain bowl from a chunk of black locust. Being a brand new turner, i was fairly pleased with the results. I sanded it the best I could being careful not to overheat it, then threw it in alcohol. I noticed that the very bottom pith area had a small crack in it, maybe 1/16". What is the best way to fix this? I still have the tenon on it and will be cutting it off after I let the DNA dry out in a week or two. Now back to MY alcohol :2tsup:

TTIT
14th August 2008, 04:13 PM
Best to wait until it dries out fully and see if it still only 1/16" - some woods will actually close up the cracks once the drying balances everything out :U - but not many :C

Daddy3x
14th August 2008, 04:23 PM
I have dried some after DNA and then wrapping bottom only with paper bags with some success. Does just putting the whole bowl in a closed paper bag work just as well? It is my understanding that just wrapping the bottom allowed "shrink compression" to keep things more stable, yet it seems that some just throw the bowl in the bag and leave it. I am not planning on returning the whole bowl, just turning the tenon off, and kind of let mother nature have the final say on the overall shape.

TTIT
14th August 2008, 04:30 PM
Don't know about putting the whole thing in a bag :shrug: The main idea of wrapping the outside is to keep a bit of the air from it to let the inside catch up. Enclosing the whole thing could allow mould to get a foothold. I wrap the outside of nearly all my rough-outs including lidded boxes (ie: endgrain) - rarely fails :2tsup:

Little Festo
14th August 2008, 08:27 PM
I use thin CA glue to "set" the crack and stop it from opening, works pretty well.Once the crack opens it will usually only get bigger, particularly on end grain.

The problem with CA glue is that it can "stain" the piece, suppose the base isn't too bad. If you are lacquering it try putting a layer of lacquer on then use the CA and gently sand off any excess. You need to do this after the piece has been sanded ready for finishing of course. Cannot do this with oil finish though, CA will not bond effectivly.

Hope this helps - Peter