Most of the recently arrived Turkish Boxwood from Octopus that I have been bragging about is now nicely stored under the entryway seat in our house. It stays nice and warm there and this will be a good place to store this wood and keep it dry. This nice pile of wood is enough for about 100 Folk Flutes. For the last few years I've made about 20 boxwood flutes per year on average - so this should keep me going for the next 4-5 years. I hope to get more when I can afford it sometime in 2014.
Some of the boxwood exhibits a nice curly grain. If you ever have wanted a flute with some curly boxwood on it, now is the time. These are all head joint pieces. Note the greyish "blue stain". Its really not that bad. Also, note the complete lack of knots. Most of the woodpile is as clear as these pieces.
I am assuming you mean "sticker". No need to as this wood is dry enough already at about 5% according to my moisture meter. I've never found any benefit to stickering turning squares of any turning wood.
Speaking of drying, the Mopane I have came in fully waxed squares. These have to be first turned round and pilot bored, and keeping the end grain sealed before they will be fully dry. Then they usually need to sit for a year usually to equilibrate. This summer was so humid that it was hard to keep the moisture from re-entering the wood and I never got around to turning some for future use.
In the meantime I am seeing if I can accelerate the drying process. Steaming it at full pressure in a pressure cooker had no effect. Mopane won't microwave like Boxwood will - instead it catches fire. However, in the last few days I tried sticking a pilot bored piece of Mopane 210mm long in a humble food dryer set at about 110F. The moisture left the wood at the rate of .5mL per hour (.5 grams/hour) until it stopped losing any weight. It lost a total 4mL (4 grams) and bottomed, then actually gained back 1 mL. There is no apparent trauma to the wood. This shows some promise!
I would think a desiccator would work as well as vacuum and be easier, safer, and cheaper. A big tupperware container (maybe with a little silicone grease to get it to seal better); some desiccant with indicator to show it's no longer effective, and you've got a big container with 0% humidity.
Charlie Whorfin Woods
"Our work puts heavy metal where it belongs -- as a music genre and not a pollutant in drinking water." -- Prof Ali Miserez.
A desiccant might work but that is something I would have to go out and get, such as Silica Gel. I have also heard of using plain wheat flour for this. But there is something simple about sticking it inside a food drier and turning it on. Especially if one is already running it to dry apples and pears. Also, the gentle heat is something that is good for the wood, in terms of moving the water around and out. For boxwood we can do this in a microwave and the wood gets almost too hot to touch. I've been doing it that way for years.
Tell us something.: Very much enjoy all flutes, bagpipes and whistles. I'm an older player; however, an active learner. I take current lessons from an Irish Flute tutor, a Boehm Flute tutor and a Highland Bagpipe tutor. I'm a great believer in lessons and without the assistance of a tutor, I find that I would be repeating the same mistakes over and over again, making me proficient in poor music.
That is really beautiful wood Casey, nice find. I would imagine that it might also be utilized on your more expensive flutes as well--right? I guess I must be a "left coaster" as I rather like/ enjoy the inclusions, not only in boxwood (blue hue), but also blackwood. And the curley boxwood is so beautiful in a finished flute. As you may recall, I'm fortunate to have one of your flutes that has the curley box wood and frequently people who see the flute comment on the beauty of the grain. I know that the appearance of the flute won't make me a good player, but I sure feel good playing it!
I will be using this on my more expensive flutes for sure. I do still have some logs of the stuff cut before 2005 and some of the old French boxwood from the 1980s. I was going through it pretty quickly using it on Folk Flute batches.
Casey Burns wrote:...However, in the last few days I tried sticking a pilot bored piece of Mopane 210mm long in a humble food dryer set at about 110F. The moisture left the wood at the rate of .5mL per hour (.5 grams/hour) until it stopped losing any weight. It lost a total 4mL (4 grams) and bottomed, then actually gained back 1 mL. There is no apparent trauma to the wood. This shows some promise!
Hi, Casey:
What make/model of food dryer are you using? This is a type of product with a very wide range of prices and quality.
Its an old Nesco dehydrator with plastic circular trays that my mom gave me about 20 years ago! Blows warmed air and has a thermostat that runs from 90-130F. Its fairly reliable.
Tell us something.: Crafting fine quality folk flutes from around the world since 1997, my goal is to create beautiful instruments that have the best possible voice, tuning and response by mixing modern methods with traditional designs.
I've been saving up for a vacuum kiln for this very purpose, but like Casey I've found that a microwave (used properly) gives very satisfying results. It takes some patience. To be on the safe side I will use the lowest setting and cook the wood for 5 minutes at a cycle, gradually increasing as it starts to loose moisture. I've done as many as twenty cycles for a batch of wood. It takes a few days, but the wood is 100% dry at the end, at least until it absorbs a bit of ambient moisture.
I know that the appearance of the flute won't make me a good player, but I sure feel good playing it!
