When do you throw away the bath water?

[Noah Barfield]

When the baby is no longer in it. Sorry, couldn't resist!

Noah

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I use DNA whenever I want to shorten the drying process. As my liquid has been used a lot, it has darkened quite a bit. It still works perfectly but when I throw in light colored material, I expect some darkening. It turns away in the second turning process.
faust

[Thomas Hotchkin]

Mike
Could not use a Hydrometer to check the specific gravity of your ethyl alcohol? You might take a look at alcohol hydrometers, or this link for H2O-alcohol ratio. Tom http://www.avogadro-lab-supply.com/c...p?content_id=2

[Mike Cruz]

Brilliant, Tom. Don't know why I didn't think of that... Must be because I've been out of school for so long that I forget that there are math equations and scientific experiements that can answer my questions! I think I'll go pick a hydrometer up and do a little testing. Now...where to find one. I'll start on Amazon... Thanks.

[Prashun Patel]

IMHO, you'd spend yr money better on a lumber moisture meter. You really care about the final moisture content of the wood - not the alcohol. Even if you were able to control the ethanol water content, you'd still find that different woods require different drying times and possibly different techniques. You can also use the moisture meter on your flatwork (oops, did I say that )

[Jim Slovik]

I keep my DNA in my unheated pole barn garage. In the dead of winter, the water in the DNA turns slushy. I skim the slush off and assume that my DNA to water ratio has improved.

[Rich Aldrich]

I just keep adding to it. I use it because I live between Lake Superior and Lake Michigan which makes the humidity levels high in the summer. In the winter, due to heating, the shop gets very dry. These varying effects are difficult to control, so the DNA method seems reasonable and works for me. Like Scott, I am a very impatient turner. I like to get to the conclusion so that I can learn and go to the next piece.

[Rich Aldrich]

Mike
Could not use a Hydrometer to check the specific gravity of your ethyl alcohol? You might take a look at alcohol hydrometers, or this link for H2O-alcohol ratio. Tom http://www.avogadro-lab-supply.com/c...p?content_id=2

Tom - excellent idea - use science to actually measure the quality.

[Mike Cruz]

Jim, that might be the best unscientific method I've heard. Of course, I'd hate to have to wait until winter to clean up my DNA, but at least it works in winter!

[Mike Willeson]

as of the last year I date and coat the pieces entirely with anchorseal.

How long does it take a piece entirely covered with anchorseal to dry?

[Keith E Byrd]

My limited experience with color was bad. I had a bucket of DNA that I soaked 3-4 walnut bowls in. A coupole of weeks later I through in a spalted box elder bowl that came out very brown- a very ugly brown. I now keep two buckets one for walnut the other for all other and have had no more problems.

[Mike Cruz]

Mike, about 6 months.

[Dan Hintz]

but in Dan's honor, I guess I'm looking for a little "why?" here.

<sniffle> I'm getting a little teary-eyed... my young padawan is learning to question the world around him

[Frank Hasty]

I believe what happens is that the alcohol is diluted by water in the wood by a process similar to if not actually osmosis. Therefore the specific gravity of the solution should change (alcohol is lighter than water), and that difference should show up on a hygrometer.
Therefore if you begin with say 100 % alcohol bath and soaked a piece of green wood for some period then the resulting water/alcohol solution now being more dense than straight alcohol would make the hygrometer float rise higher. If you continue soaking more wood in the same bath there would come a time when the solution was so close to that of the water in the green wood that it would take much longer to obtain a satisfactory result....if ever. Seems to me that additional alcohol is necessary and that the way to test the solution is with a hygrometer.

[Bill Wyko]

You guys have a drying problem? I live in Tucson, 30 miles from water & 3 feet from hell. Anchorseal it and throw it in the garage. It'll be ready in no time.