Help with Cocobolo vessell cracking

"mostly dry" ...... "very thick wall". Needless to say this was almost a certainty to happen. Not meaning to make you mad but simply to impress the problem onto those that aren't already aware.

Now for a fix:

First things first ... no guarantees. There's only so much you can do and then just hope for luck!

1) Good job of sealing the inside with the CA but you forgot the outside. Wax is NOT a sealer.

2) Get those damp towels off the wood and FAST. The wax outter coating that you mentioned isn't resistant to moisture and you'll get a fuzzy look under it (at best) when the moisture seeps underneath or you'll introduce even more moisture into the cracks and make things worse in cracking.

3) Is the trash bag plastic? If so, replace it with 2 layers of paper bags.

4) You want to keep the piece in a fairly moist environment (basement is usually ok), no air movement (again, basement is usually fine) but not have moisture in direct contact with it (damp towels or moisture traping plastic or condensation forming on it). If you have access to a kiln where you can control the humidity easily, set it to a high humidity level (say around

70%) and then slowly SLOWLY drop the moisture content down over a long period. NO air circulation at this point. Check the piece daily and note any cracks or increases in the ones you already have. If you notice any more cracking, increase your humidity up a couple of percentage points and let it sit for a few days there and continue on down. You probably don't have access to a kiln like that but the idea is still the same however you can achieve it.

You may have to strip off that wax and reapply once you feel secure that the wood is actually dry enough. The wax will still let moisture out from within the wood albeit more slowly than just bare. You've sealed the inside with the CA and the moisture has to escape somewhere. It's easiest path is through the wax. If you're going to go the route of slowly controlling the escaping of the moisture in the wood, leave the wax on. It'll help a little and you can strip it off later.

If, on the other hand, you want to take a different approach, you can quickly (time is not on your side):

1) Strip the wax off.

2) Apply thin CA to the cracks

3) Sand everything smooth

4) Apply a good film building finish that will seal the wood. My personal preference in this case is lacquer although a urethane will work too.

This will effectively seal the outside surface as well and trap that moisture in there. The problem with doing this is that it *could* affect the outside finish look in time. Again, there's no guarantee that this method will work completely either.

Yet another thing that you might do if all else fails and you get significant cracking is to just accentuate the cracks and put in some turquoise or other attractive stone inlay. It looks quite striking with Cocobolo.

Good luck and let us know what happens,

- Andrew

AHilton wrote: Yeah, what Al said, but add some band clamps. Get some of those automotive hose clamps and put them around the vessel (I'm assuming it's just roughed out, not finished yet). Those will help hold it in shape and let it dry w/o moving so much...

...Kevin

Too late now, but LDD from the beginning would almost certainly have stopped this from happening!

For the record, Kevin, I didn't say any of that and my first name is Andrew. That's why I sign my emails like....

- Andrew

hmm, uh, what's CA?

Bart. Check my most up to date email address at:

custom compensated banjo bridges, tabs, stained glass:

**may your moments of need be met by moments of compassion**

CA = Cyanoacrylate commonly referred to as "Crazy glue"

Doh! Humble apologies. It's the teeny fonts and aging eyes that did me in. The AH sort got jumbled together in my mind and looked like ALHilton at a quick glance.

Couldn't talk you into changing your name could we? Al is much shorter to type.

S'later...

...Kevin

Weellll, how about just "A"? Of course, I'll answer to about anything as long as there's food, money, wine or women involved! Wait, that's a matter for a different discussion.

- A