Arrggggg Kuksa cracking

[bert333]

oh noooo Anyone has any tips on how (if remotely possible) to stop cracking?
It seems to have started in a knot on the brown part of the handle

 

[HillBill]

They always start from knots or central piths. It is cracking because it is either drying out too fast or unevenly.

Put it in a plastic or zip lock bag, open just a little. This will help prevent further splitting ( not stop it altogether) as it allows it to dry slower. Keep it out of sunlight, preferably in a cool dark cupboard.

Once a split starts all you can do is try control it. If needs be mix some PVA glue with sawdust and rub it into the split to hide it.

 

[bert333]

Thank you HillBill
It would be a shame if it kept going- all that work....
I'll try what you suggest- thank you for the tip

 

[robin wood]

By far the most common cause of splits is leaving the central pith and growth rings in the bowl, this results in a radial crack starting at the rim. I remember your original pictures and you had removed the central growth rings perfectly. These small splits seem to be in an otherwise straight grained clean section of wood so why are they there? Two possible contributing factors. One is that when you were cutting the hole for the finger grip the knife carried through and left small cuts in the surface which you didn't quite remove, like a paper cut in a finger it is possible for these to be there but hardly visible but as it dries they open up. The other factor is that if I remember rightly it is cherry which is a wood which has one of the highest shrinkage rates and in which the radial and tangential shrinkage are the most different. That sets up more stress as it dries than other woods. I think it may just be bad luck. As Hill Bill says "in glue and dust we trust" I tend to use supaglue which works well on an oiled surface, run a little into the tiny cracks and then sand lightly with fine paper as it dries.

 

[dwardo]

I have had small cracks in knots before in a few bows and they have all lasted. A tiny bit of superlue and dust works well as Robin says. Doesnt look to bad though to be honest.