"Sniperborg" wrote in message
...

Hi
I have read two conflicting reports on protecting roughed out bowls.
one said put the sealer on the out side of the bowl and let air dry and
the other said seal the inside.
Which is the correct or best one for drying.
TIA
Mark


--
Sniperborg

Sealing techniques vary widely and range from shoving the roughed bowl in a
paper bag to sealing the entire bowl inside and out with Anchorseal. I have
had good luck with all of them for the species I use but the safest way is
to coat the whole bowl. Unfortunately, this extends the drying time
considerably.

The most crack prone area is the end-grain so seal it if you are going to
seal. I don't know if it makes much difference whether it is the inside or
outside if you are only going to do one surface but intuitively the outside
does seem the better candidate.

You may find as you build up an inventory of roughed bowls that you can
afford to allow a slower drying time and will want to ensure that real nice
piece won't crack and thus coat it completely.

Some woods, like apple and other fruits, can be very prone to cracking and
IMO these should benefit from a good sealing.

billh