Boiling Wood In Salt Water

[Harmony]

I notice, when making kuksa cups, they are boiled in salt water.

What dose this do to the wood?

I often work with green wood, will boiling it in salt water keep it from splitting?

Harmony

 

[weaver]

I soak my rough turned bowls in alcohol overnight then wrap them in a brown paper bag for a week. Since I started doing this not one bowl has split. I can also turn them thinner and they do not go out of round as they dry.

Boiling in brine may well do the same sort of thing. I used to boil my spoons in oil but some of them got too much oil in them and never dry. I had one still oozing oil after ten years.

Now I just heat them and rub the oil in.

 

[The Cumbrian]

Whoa there Weaver, have you noticed how many posts you've got? I'd make another one, quick....

 

[weaver]

I'm not superstitious, I have much stronger faith than that.

But, I never pass up a chance to bump my post count.

 

[deeps]

The hulls of wooden boats don't rot much if they remain pickled in seawater, usually the problem areas are above the water line where rain water does the damage or if you take the boat out of the water and the hull dries out.. So I guess there is a preservative element to salt water.

 

[Daegurth]

salt itself is a preservative, it's what we used before fridges, so that makes a lot of sense.

the boiling (1hr/inch thickness, apparently) makes sure the wood is wet all the way through, then you have to dry it slowly and evenly. that stops it splitting.

 

[Schwert]

My understanding is that salt being hygroscopic once in the wood keeps the moisture level in the wood higher than untreated wood. This causes the kuksa to dry slower and likely more evenly resulting in less splitting.

 

[Harmony]

This is the box I was working on, when I soaked the green walnut in warm brine for 48 hr..

The salt defiantly was taken into the cells of the wood. It changed specific gravity and sank in the tank. I slow dried it.

I am hoping the salt will draw a little moister and keep the wood from splitting.

The box is a present for my granddaughter. She is starting her first permanent job as a middle school math and science teacher. School were she teaches are the "Vikings". I am sure I will get reports on how the walnut is doing.

The dragon head, tail and the shields are walnut. Lid is sumac, sides are birch bark and bottom is black oak.

Love the color and grain of sumac.

Harmony

 

[Womble_Lancs]

That's beautiful, Harmony.