LDD

Smoke, mirrors, maybe a rattle.

Slowing the loss of moisture from the surface of a piece to provide an even gradient is done so many ways, including merely setting a fresh piece on a lower shelf in the basement to dry, that it's hard to consider, absent any science, why a high-suds surfactant would make any more of a difference than a low suds laundry detergent, or a nearly identical hand-washing liquid.

They have it down at the airport.....

Absolutely NOT ! Only my very special, one of a kind, exclusive, personally bottled water by the light of the new moon will do it.

- Andrew

Nah, it wasn't a dumb question at all. We're just having fun ... not at your expense .... but certainly in your general direction. Seriously though, it was a good question. Anything you put into contact with the wood could possibly affect final color, texture, smell, taste or even machining properties so you were right to ask. Commercial soaps use all kinds of different colorings and other additives in addition to their "active" ingredients. It's best to ask when there's a possibility of getting unexpected results.

Now, to answer your question (in public, no less), I have used and am using a few different local brands (non Costco) of dishwashing detergent. They've all had the same results against the control within +-7% in my limited & unscientific (at least I'll actually admit it) study. Get the cheapest stuff you can and try it out. At the moment, my favorite is the light-yellow colored Palmolive I get at SAM's club. Why? Because I bought some for my wife a few months back and she doesn't like it for dishes. I'm not going to let it go to waste and it smells good enough to stand it.

- Andrew

So would I look for this "Personally Bottled Surfactant" at Costco or was that reference to moon be a clue.......Possibly on the internet under "PBS.ORB" ..................:-)

-- Email evades spam Direct contact through web site

M.J. Orr

I went to Smart and Final. they look like a resurant supply. Looking at the gallon size dish soap I bought 5 gal and put it with 5 gal of water in a tub and I am soaking some pepper and olive. Now I can't think of the brand, but I recognize it when I walk in there. The stuff I bought was ani-bacterial. So now I know if this dosn't work for spliting ect, at least my bowls will not get a cold or the flu.

Andrew: If I understand you correctly, you are making water into a bottle by the dark of the moon?? Sounds messy and kink! I hope you don't plan to market it! TRUE BELIEVERS!!: Make sure if you use Andrew's method make sure the LDD has antimicrobial qualities! *G*

Nooooooo No no no no.

The normally ordinary water (in a secret location of course) only has these special properties when bottled at juuuuuust the right time. Only when there's a "new" moon and only by it's first light as it reaches Earth (or the planet you think I'm on). You're right, Leif, it is sounding kinky!

- Andrew

Byron, I have been talking to the "high priest of LDD" Leif Thorvaldson about something along this like. Let me share something with you about LDD.

LDD works great, it really does. Not only does it cut out the intervening

Now for the "other shoe."

I have been having a great deal of problems,lately, with my bowls warping on me, curling up about the vertical axis of the log from which they were split out (cut out for your purists). When I first mixed up the solution the bowls turned out great. However, as the solution has been used several times it is working less and less well.

I think my problem is that I used a real "el cheapo" LDD with a lot of solids that settle out of suspension. If you are going to use LDD spend a few extra cents and buy Ajax or Dawn or one of the other "major" LDDs. You will not need that much (four or five large bottles will do you just fine and may be too much) that you total differnce will on be a couple of bucks. Mix 1:1, soak about 24 hours and store the LDD until next use (I use bleach jugs, Leif has a vat that he just leaves the stuff in - but I suspect he turns a lot more than I do). It should work fine.

Give it a shot, what have you got to lose, there are more blanks in the woodpile and practice makes perfect.

I don't turn large quantites of bowls, but what I did is go to WallMart and get a tub. There were all kind of sizes for you to choose from. It may have been Rubbermaid brand. I then put wheels on a piece of plywood to put my tub on. I figured it would be pretty heavy to move around once it was full and had wood in it. I put in my wood and was able to put an old round barbecue grill with a square patio stone on it. That is enough weight to keep the wood submerged. When needed I just roll it from under a shelf and grab the handles on the grill and lift out the brick. Then I go fishing for the wood piece I want. When done I roll it back under the shelf.

Bruce