As a beginner, I don't have 6 months of wet turnings just waiting to be finished. So,,,,, I figured that the next best thing would be to test the DNA soak bit. I roughed out four bowls from wet oak and took one of them and put it in a brown bag along with some wet shavings. The other three were drowned in DNA for about four hours and then drained and the outside was covered with either a bag or the local newspaper and sealed around the rim. The results of all this is the bag and shavings didn't make it three weeks until it split from rim to bottom. The other three were weighed every day until they quit loosing weight. Or rather two of them did. The third is still on a weight reduction program. Finish turned the two that are dry and as you can see from the pictures, no cracks. Looks like the DNA wins hands down.