DNA Drying Method

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Flute Maker

Mike
User
On the dna drying method is straight dna? Are there any specifics as to how long something is to stay in it? For instance if you have an eight inch long mallet ...big end maybe 4" or 5" thick and the handle tapers down to 1 1/2" or so how long should it stay in? Then after dna bath just sit it on a shelf and let it dry or do you do something else?
 

reprosser

New User
Rick
I have done mostly bowls, but I just put the item in dna, and leave it for 1-3 days. Then I let it flash dry, and put it in a paper bag. Sometimes I have left the inner surface of the bowl uncovered.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
DNA drying was developed for bowls. The wall thickness recommended is around an inch to inch and a half. I would think that something 5 inches thick would need a couple weeks in DNA then in-bag drying for three to five weeks.

Weigh it once a week till it stops getting lighter then it's ready.
 

flyrod444

New User
Jack
The formula for drying bowls is to turn the thickness 1/10 the dia. of the bowl. so a 10" bowl should be around 1" thick when roughed out and a 15" bowl should be around 1.5" thick. I usually vary on the thin side of this rule. As far as DNA I used it a few times when I first started and had just as many cracks as without it. When I started getting a consistent wall thickness top to bottom and using blanks that were free of checks to start with my cracking bowls became a thing of the past just by sticking them into a brown paper bag to let them dry. As far as a mallet goes you will be very lucky if it doesn't crack. It is best to dry the wood for such projects first and then turn them. to dry thick chunks of wood I seal the end grain with wax and cut them much longer than needed and put them in a dry cool place and forget about them for a few years. With luck you will get some usable blanks this way. Old fence post work well for this kind of project too. Most in my area are made of black locust which is hard as a rock and dry enough in the part that has been above ground.
Jack
 

CarvedTones

Board of Directors, Vice President
Andy
One thing you can do with a mallet is turn it as 2 connected near perfect cylinders for now and then you will have 3 surfaces of exposed endgrain that you can seal to let it dry. After the outer inch or so is dry (a year or less depending on where it is stored), add the slope and more interesting handle design, but keep the end grain on the head sealed.
 
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