Suggestions on how to shrink swollen biscuits?

[David Tiell]

Anybody have any ideas? I don't use them all that often, but keep them in the container they came in. I'm always searching through the pile looking for ones that still will fit in the slots, and am left with the ones too swollen to use. I hate the idea of throwing them away. So waht do you guys do?

TIA,

DAve

[Kyle Stiefel]

Dave,

Toss them in the microwave for 15 seconds or so and it should help significantly.

[David Duke]

Put them in vise (machinist/steel) and flatten them out.

[Mike Heidrick]

Buy new and don't waste any more time would be my advise. Keep them sealed up.

[David Duke]

Buy new and don't waste any more time would be my advise. Keep them sealed up.

I've bought new and some of them are still tight fits, doesn't take but a couple seconds to flatten them a bit in a vise.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

From what I've read, there's no going back. Once the wood has swollen the water can be taken out but it will still retain the same shape. I never tried putting beating one with a hammer or putting it in a vice but for the price of a biscuit I wouldn't worry with it

However, it may be a case of the biscuits not being made to very close tolerances. If you have ones from the same batch treated the same they should all be the same size....fit or not fit. I am working on a batch now that are that way, because I buy the cheap PC brand.

BTW, there have been threads here wondering about tight fitting biscuits swelling and splitting the wood. Some of the ones I have used have been tight enough to have to tap them in with a hammer, and out of the thousands I've used I've never had a problem with splitting or had a noticeable "hump" in the wood where the biscuit swells. But everything I make that gets biscuited gets sanded flat later so if there should happen to be one it would get taken out anyway.

[Greg Mann]

Consider using less yeast next time.

[nick brigg]

Consider using less yeast next time.

LOL

id say oven or microwave, dry them suckers out

[Jim O'Dell]

Doesn't help the immediate problem, but next batch put the extras in a ziplock back in the container, and if you have some packages of the dessacant (sp?) material, throw some in the bag too. Jim.

[Larry Fox]

I typicall paw through the can I keep them in and find ones that fit and when feel that there are not many left, throw the lot in the trash and buy more. Wasteful I know but that is what I do. :)

[Raymond Fries]

Bird Toys - I have an African Grey parrot that loves to chew on small blocks of wood.

Kid Toys - Let the kids paint them and make a mobile out them.

And then if all else fails - fire starters...:)

[Jim Becker]

Bird Toys - I have an African Grey parrot that loves to chew on small blocks of wood.

Ooooh! I'm going to have to try that one out...I have a bunch of biscuits that are so old they are growing a beard, figuratively speaking, of course. Tosca and Spike might love to rip them to shreds!

[glenn bradley]

They're kindling in my opinion. They're not expensive enough for me to risk a piece I've put X number of hours into. As Jim pointed out; got any friends with hookbill birds? JMHO.

[Doug Shepard]

I dont even bother trying to fix things on the biscuit end. If I find I have a bunch that are swelled a bit or just out of tolerance, I just plunge the biscuit joiner twice in the same location. It's usually all I need to make the slot a few thou wider and fit the biscuits. Just dont get tippy with the cutter or the 2nd cut will open it up too much & then you've got the other problem.

[Steve Jenkins]

I stack ten at a time together and put them in my metal vise.
Steve

[Vernon Taylor]

Microwace works for me.

[Richard McComas]

I don't use a lot of biscuits but I buy them a 1000 at a time. I keep a few handy in zip lock bags and vacuum pack the rest.

[Reg Mitchell]

I have that problem on occasion with the ones I have. I just hit em with a little sand paper and when they are snug put em in. They will swell more when the glue hits em :D
Reg

[Steve Clardy]

I keep mine in a plastic container, transferred from the box of 1000 they come in.

I don't ever remember having one swollen so big it wouldn't fit in the groove. :confused: :confused:

If I would happen to run across one, I'd just give it the File13 treatment

[John Lucas]

I never thought of any solution other than the microwave. 20 seconds, a minute later use them and put extras in ziplock. You might be right about it being an uneconomical way...it just always worked.

[Bruce Benjamin]

Use less baking powder?

Bruce

[David Tiell]

Use less baking powder?

Bruce
I'll definitely give that a try next time!:D

Thanks for the tips everybody. Think I will try the microwave attack.

[Tyler Howell]

Kitty Litter....fresh:D in a sealed container is great storage and will even reverse the swelling.

[Ken Werner]

Depending on the season, I leave them atop my shop heater.
even if they haven't swelled, I sometimes hit them a few times with a hammer to make entry a bit easier.

Ken

[Mike Hood]

Keep them in a sealed container mixed with cheap cat litter. It acts as a desiccant and will keep them from swelling virtually forever.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Put them on a cookie sheet in a freezer for a few days. Then put into plastic FREEZER bags, not storage bags. I also put them in storage bags on dash of truck, in the sun. Water vapor forms in bag, remove biscutts to another bag. Do this a couple of times, and they are dry again. Turn bags inside out to dry.

[David DeCristoforo]

Penicillin?

[Brian Brown]

How about a little Preparation H? It seems to shrink some other things! On second thought... maybe not.

Brian

[Basil Rathbone]

Preparation H

[Jerry Dickens]

After going thru the expanding process once which is what they are designed to do. I would not want to use them a second go around even if they did shrink from what ever process you use to reduce them in size. I put to much work in to creating a project to loose out on my project because some biscuit let go on me. I would be saying here hold my sign.

[Bruce Benjamin]

After going thru the expanding process once which is what they are designed to do. I would not want to use them a second go around even if they did shrink from what ever process you use to reduce them in size. I put to much work in to creating a project to loose out on my project because some biscuit let go on me. I would be saying here hold my sign.

I understand your concern and I would tend to agree with your choice but...This technique has been done many, many times with no ill effects. I don't believe there's any sort of chemical reaction going on, it's just the wood biscuit expanding and contracting from moisture. I've never heard of anyone who indicated that they had bad results from the microwave heated/shrunk biscuits.

Bruce