Scott-
I use Pentacryl a lot for bowl turning. I rough turn blocks down to about
10% or less thickness to diameter and then put the rough blank into a bucket
of Pentacryl for one or two days before draining and setting aside to dry.
Normally I let them dry for 1 - 2 months or more before finishing. If I'm
turning a block from a tree that has partially dried - set around too long
of had died on the stump - I will immerse the rough bowl in a bucket of
water over night then transfer it to the Pentacryl. Pentacryl works best on
wet wood. The only problems I've had involved trees with a large amount of
compression wood and blocks that I had not completely removed the pith. If
you have a log section with the pith not centered, it probably came from a
leaning tree with a lot of compression wood.
mike.
"Scott H." wrote in message
om...
I turn all of my bowls green, and have been trying different drying
techniques. I have used the boiling technique, but I still have some
cracking. I have recently tried Pentacryl "The Wood Stabilizer". I
dipped my bowls into the Pentacryl once, and after a few weeks, I
haven't gotten any cracking. But now I'm not sure what to do. It is
easy to tell when my boiled bowls are dry enough to finish turn from
their feel and their weight. How do I know when the rough bowl that
is treated with Pentacryl is ready for finished turning. Do I need to
wait until it feels dry, or can I finish turn the bowl before it feels
dry and not worry about warping or cracking.

Thanks, Scott H.