Drying green wood

[Eugene Dixon]

I know some turners soak their rough turned bowls in 50-50 water and liquid dish washing soap to speed the drying process.

I'm wondering if surfactant would work as well as the dish soap. Any chemists here?

[John K Jordan]

I know some turners soak their rough turned bowls in 50-50 water and liquid dish washing soap to speed the drying process.

I'm wondering if surfactant would work as well as the dish soap. Any chemists here?

I've always understood that soap is a surfactant.

Google soap vs surfactant for plenty of reading, including this: http://www.essentialchemicalindustry...rfactants.html

You'll find plenty of words bloggers and such have copied from others, such as the text on this page: https://www.beckystallowtreasures.co...the-difference

Surfactants

Both soaps and detergents are known as surfactants (short for surface-active agents). Surfactant molecules contain a lipophilic (fat-loving) end that attaches grease dirt and a hydrophilic (water-loving) end which makes the molecule dissolve in water. The electrical charge on the water-loving end of the molecule distinguishes between the different types of surfactants. Surfactants come in four different types: anionic, nonionic, cationic, and amphoteric.


How this applies to drying wood is beats me. First, is there scientific documentation that soaking in soap or detergent solution speeds drying and if so, under what conditions and by how much? What type of wood, sizes, initial conditions? Can the solution be shown to even penetrate deep enough into the wood to make a difference? Does residue left in open pores have an effect on any of the many finishes? As for surfactant, what type? (I have several types from the farm store for mixing with sprays.)

By documentation I don't mean where John Doe says "yeah, has worked for me for 10 years, I'll swear by it." Same with other drying methods such as soaking in alcohol. Over the years I've read a lot of claims but not yet seen the peer-reviewed papers by wood scientists documenting experiments with careful controls. The nature of woodturning seems to make insuring consistency between samples problematic.

JKJ

[Eugene Dixon]

Thanks JKJ. I guess I should have confessed that I had already done some google work. Soaps and detergents are surfactants to be sure. And, there are 3 types: positive, negative and neutral (layman terms), which I'm sure you know.
Best,

[Prashun Patel]

What is the purpose of using soap to dry wood? I have hear of it being done but don’t understand why it would work.

You are right, there are many types of surfactants. The basic purpose is to allow oil to dissolve into water.

[Reed Gray]

I have been using the LDD (liquid dishwashing degergent) soak for years. The process was developed by Ron Kent over in Hawaii years ago for dealing with sanding out the Norfolk Island pine. Any pine is a pain to sand because the resin clogs up the abrasives instantly. The only thing the soap does is that it acts like a lubircant and makes sanding a lot easier. I use it on just about any bowl I can. 1/2 LDD, 1/2 water, 24 hour soak, rinse, air dry. I only turn green to final thickness, and then dry, sand, and finish. I did one set of bowls and tried the DNA soak, LDD soak, and air drying. No difference in drying times, warping, or crack control. The DNA made the bowls more difficult to sand out than air dried or LDD soaked. I have no idea on how it would work on twice turned bowls. Use tan (Kirkland brand at Costco) or yellow, but not blue or green which will leave blue or green tints to the wood. The yellow or tan doesn't seem to add any color. It will pull out some color, so if you soak black walnut in it, it will turn every thing else dark. Always round over rims to prevent or slow down rim checking, and I use plastic stretch film around the rim for added protection and a slight bit of compression as the rim is the most vulnerable part. I don't use the stretch film on maple because that wood will mold under the plastic. It really does make a big difference in how the wood sands out. I haven't figured out a way to spray it on after dry and allow to soak in then sand. It just doesn't seem to do the same job. No taste problems with the soap either.

robo hippy