sorry... another DNA question

[doug young]

I searched back through previous posts and couldn't really find the answer to this one. I am going to be getting some green cherry burls that i am going to cut into 2 x 2 x 8 blanks to make some game calls out of. I know you put roughed out bowls in dna but i wondered if i could speed the drying on the blanks by using dna.
question number two is this. How flamable is DNA. I would keep it in a 5 gal bucket with a lid but this is in my garage which has a water heater and a flame on the pilot light. Is it safe for me to have this in the same room?
thanks ahead of time for the responses. I am supposed to be working so i may not be able to get on right away to say thanks.
doug in shasta lake, ca

[Prashun Patel]

DNA is mostly ethanol.

Ethanol has a flashpoint of around 60degF and a Lower Explosion Limit of about 3%.

This means at above 60deg F, the vapors above the can can momentarily catch fire if in the presence of an ignition source (spark, pilot light, etc).

If the conc in air gets above 3%, then the air in the room will become flammable.

My company blends chemicals (fragrance oils) and all of our flammable stuff is required to be under an explosion proof hood. If it were me, I wouldn't store the stuff in a 5gal bucket. I'd keep it in smaller vessels that can be individually sealed better than a 5 gal bucket. That's just me.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I think Lumber companies do know how to dry lumber, and they certainly do not use alcohol under any name, I think if you do it their way you'd be better off, and you'd not burn the place down.
Maybe buying dry wood to start of with would be easier and less costly in the long run, certainly less hazardously.

[Brian Brown]

DNA is extreamly flamable. The usual purpose of using DNA soak for bowls is not to make them dry faster, but to make them dry more evenly. I have no doubt that it speeds the drying process a bit, but by dring more evenly, the internal stress in the wood is released more uniformly, meaning less chance of cracking. Without a void or hole in your blank, the DNA will probably be of limited usefulness. To make call blanks dry faster, drill out the center first. Make sure that the hole you drill is smaller than the finished hole size, Rough turn the outside of the call (larger than the finished dimension). Soak in DNA 24-48 hours, and dry as you would a bowl by wrapping the outside in newsprint, and leave the inside exposed to the air, then drop the whole thing in a paper bag, and close the top, leaving a lot of air space around your blank. Check back every few weeks to see how dry your blank is. It's gonna warp on you. Thats why the interior hole is smaller than finished dimension, and the exterior was left large. When it is dry, you can finish turn to final dimension.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Doug - on the outside of the can of DNA it states, in big letters, 'for use as alcohol appliance fuel'. Flammable would be an understatement and the other down side to that is that DNA burns clean - meaning you won't be able to see it while it is burning!

In the summer - because of the higher temps - I keep all my DNA and soaking gear out in the shed. Winter time I have it in the garage where I can have access to it - but neither of those 2 places has any open flame or easy source of ignition.

Believe Brian has suggested the best method that 'may' work for larger blanks and that is to rough out the shape and drill it with a smaller diameter than finished size. The blank will warp but hopefully roughing it out and drilling a small hole will minimize any finish work.

Best of luck! Let us know how it works out for you!

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Here's a small piece of the final drying protocol.