Question regarding checking

[Dan Oliphant]

I would like to ask for advice as to possible fixes for the checks in this walnut vessel as shown in the photos. The rims checks are through and the bottom check is wide but not through (looks to be 1/4 inch deep). Planned finish is to be tung oil only.
Thanks in advance for your help.

[Dick Strauss]

Dan,
Unfortunately any glue or epoxy that you use will prevent the tung oil from penetrating as far as I know. Can you turn them away by making the piece thinner?

Did you use DNA to dry the bowl?

Sorry I'm not much help,
Dick

[Dan Oliphant]

Dick, thanks for the response. I was given this piece of walnut yesterday by a local tree trimmer. It had sat in his yard for some time. The temp has been quite high here and the humidity has been single digit for several weeks now. With the rim checking being mostly through checks, I don't want to make the piece shorter, besides, if I did, it would turn into a rather odd looking bowl.:rolleyes:

[Bill Wyko]

fill them with coffee and super glue. I got that from someone else here on the Creek.:)

[Tom Keen]

looks like you have an end grain turning and its going to continue to check/crack. You can stop the cracks from running by putting some thin CA at the leading end of the crack. They may get wider but they shouldndt get longer. Ive filled them with coffee grounds but have better luck with some dust/shavings from the piece I was working on. Fill the crack with dust and drizzle in some CA. Let it dry and repeat until the crack is filled. It will finish out darker than the surrounding wood. But, you may end up with an interesting effect.

good luck,
Tom

[Dan Oliphant]

Thanks for the replies, any input on how the CA will react with the tung oil?

[Bob Boettcher]

Once the CA is cured, there will be no problem with the Tung oil finish. If you want to avoid having the CA discoloring the wood around the cracks, apply some sanding sealer first, and let dry before doing the crack filling with the CA and sawdust.

You could also just leave the cracks, and when the piece is done, drill some holes along the large cracks and lace up with leather or wire. Make it look like an old piece that has been repaired.

Remember, a crack is not a defect, it is a design opportunity!:)

Bob

[Dan Oliphant]

Thanks Bob, I was hoping to stay with the Tung oil finish.

[Dick Strauss]

Dan,
Since you live in a desert area, it is really important that you seal your wood ASAP once it's cut. I know you didn't have the opportunity here but keep it in mind for the future. I think your piece already had stress cracks before you received it. It is also important that you turn the piece quickly and bag it immediately. You may want to Anchorseal it and double or triple bag it if you plan to re-turn it at a later date. Any time you have the pith (center of the log) in your piece, you stand a good chance of cracks that radiate from the center as has happened near the bottom foot of your piece.

What I was susggesting was that if the walls of the piece were originally 3/4" thick, you might be able to turn them down to 1/4" and get rid of most of the cracks. Sometimes you can also prevent some of the cracks in the first place by turning thinner and allowing the piece to warp.

The desert environment is a hard place to turn from what I hear. Don't give up on turning. It just presents some special challenges that you'll have to overcome. I hope some of this helps!

Try joining your local woodturning club for lots more info (if you haven't already done so). You can reach the club at www.avwa.org (http://www.avwa.org/) . They meet in the Lancaster/Quartz Hill area.

Dick

[Paul Engle]

The tung will cure right over the CA glue, not to worry. I have used this stuff since the late 70's and the only thing not working is mineral oil as it does not harden up.

[Dan Oliphant]

Dick and Paul, thanks for the response.
Dick, out here in the desert there is another trick we use, as soon as possible, a piece, or several pieces of wood get placed in a thick plastic bag (30 gal type) with a cup of water. This really reduces checking issues a lot. Does not help much on stuff that is already cracking though.:cool:
I have no intention of not turning, have been at it for some time, most of my turnings have been elements incorporated into furniture pieces though. I am a member of the local turning club, thanks again.

[Dick Strauss]

Dan,
One other thing to do is to accentuate the cracks as if they were purposeful. You can take a dremel tool and widen the cracks once the piece dries fully. I've got a 12" walnut bowl that got this treatment along with a few others. You shouldn't give up on your bowl. If for nothing else, use it for practice for surface treatments, etc.

By the way, I hope I didn't offend you. If so I apologize! I had no idea of your experience because I don't think I've seen your posts before in the Turner's area.

One other thing to try is to cut off a few inches on each end of a log that has sat unsealed for a while. Sometimes you can eliminate the end checking this way and start with defect-free solid wood. I bet you already knew that!

It's funny you mention putting bowls in a plastic bag...If we put things in a plastic bag with water in Ohio, the bowl would be green with mold in a few days. Just goes to show you how you have to tweak the process a little for different parts of the country. Ken Fitz has the same cracking issues in Idaho due to the low humidity.

Here's to better luck in the future,
Dick

[Dan Oliphant]

Dick, you didn't offend me in any way shape or form. I don't post on the turning forum because I'm not a very talkative type of guy, as you can see by my total number of posts I don't jump in all that much.
The walnut piece is being coated with tung oil now, when finished I will post a pic, not a terribly interesting piece, but it was fun to do.