# Microwave drying catastrophe!



## AlmightyOx

While drying a fork in the microwave today I was watching very vigilantly when instead of steam there was a pop and the bag I had the fork in started filling with smoke. I quickly removed the fork and put it out the window to let it burn down. After about 30 seconds it had stopped smoking and i pulled it inside to check it out. There was a pocket in the fork where it had turned to a charcoal substance. So I am curious what I have done wrong! My process was as follows:

1. Bag the fork in a gallon ziploc.

2. Nuke it in 30 second increments about 5 times.

3. Wipe the condensation from the inside of the bag between cycles.

4. 5th cycle, almost burn my apartment down.

I didn't de-bark the fork before I dried it. I think that could be the problem. Perhaps a pocket of air became too dry and lit it ablaze. Either way, all is fine and I'm airing out the apartment now. I just don't wanna do it again...

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## quarterinmynose

I don't have a ton of experience with microwaving forks, but did you let it cool for a good while between nukes? I know those suckers get REALLY hot in that short zap. The couple times I did it, I let it rest for about an hour between zap doses.


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## AlmightyOx

quarterinmynose said:


> I don't have a ton of experience with microwaving forks, but did you let it cool for a good while between nukes? I know those suckers get REALLY hot in that short zap. The couple times I did it, I let it rest for about an hour between zap doses.


About 10 minutes between. It was cool enough to pick up with my hands.


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## LVO

From my limited fork drying(one of which ended JUST LIKE THIS) , you need to let it cool approx 1 hr in between nukes. I read from one member they did it just once a day. I hope I remember that correctly

the wife people are not fans of this drying method


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## quarterinmynose

Yeah, I would give it a little more time between doses. The majority of the heat is in the center. I know when I did it I could hold on to the fork shortly after I pulled it out, but if you gripped it hard and held the heat would make its way to your hand.

I believe the key is not going to fast. I have read that as a general rule wood needs to air dry at a rate of one year per inch of thickness. Most of us just don't have the patience for that. Pulling all that moisture out in a matter of one or two hours seems bound to end in either burning or cracking. Even with letting it cool for an hour between doses I ended up with some very slight cracks. I also may have drawn too much moisture out.

There are quite a few threads on micro drying forks, but none seem to give really definitive answers. I think the best way to learn this art would be through trial and error. Congratulations on your first trial and your first error. :stickpoke:


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## Btoon84

you put it in the microwave with the bark on? I debark prior to microwaving. also, some microwaves are more powerful than others. you, apparently have a powerful microwave. 20secs might be more appropriate. if you have the capability, turn the power on your Nukemaster3000 down a couple notches.


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## Charles

I have dried quite a few by the microwave method. I do not use the plastic bag technique ... frankly, I see no good reason for it. The moisture will escape more readily if it is not contained in a plastic bag. I nuke the fork for 30-45 seconds. Then I take it out and put it aside to cool and dry in the open air for at least an hour. Then I do it again ... etc. At first you will get a cloud of water vapor in the microwave, but that will get less as your repeat your nukes. As you progress, keep your eye on the end grain. Especially with a bark-on frame, most of the moisture is going to come out the ends ... fork tips and tip of the handle. If in doubt, blot the end grain with a paper towel. When the towel no longer picks up any moisture, the frame should be about dry. Of course de-barked frames dry faster as moisture comes out all over the surface. Be carful with really sappy woods, like evergreens ... they have pitch that can more easily catch fire.

Cheers .... Charles


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## AlmightyOx

Btoon84 said:


> you put it in the microwave with the bark on? I debark prior to microwaving. also, some microwaves are more powerful than others. you, apparently have a powerful microwave. 20secs might be more appropriate. if you have the capability, turn the power on your Nukemaster3000 down a couple notches.


*sigh*... I did... Currently debarking another to test out a slower dry on. I found the bag was swelling up nicely at about 30 seconds, but apparently it was just getting too darn hot.


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## hoggif

Would (perhaps warmed up) silicagel work as a safer substitute method? Just pour some in a jar and close the lid. It generates a small vacuum too especially when heated up which should help to get moisture out.


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## harpersgrace

You could let it cool longer, but my guess is there was a pocket of resin or some impurity in the fork, it happens....sometimes they crack, sometimes they turn into charcoal, sometimes they are perfect


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## Imperial

hoggif said:


> Would (perhaps warmed up) silicagel work as a safer substitute method? Just pour some in a jar and close the lid. It generates a small vacuum too especially when heated up which should help to get moisture out.


i gather it does the same thing as rice does to wet electronics, such as a cell phone in a bag of rice ? now i feel like sticking a fork in a bag of rice. -_-

.

.

back on subject- if i were to nuke a fork, id wrap it in paper towels, some bounty or something to soak the moisture as it escapes the fork. i think a better method is just putting it in the trunk of your car or inside a lil weber bbq grill . is there any way you can tell if the burnt area is small enough or not severe enough to cause concern, to where you can just fill it in with some CA or epoxy or wood filler of some sort ?


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## AlmightyOx

Imperial said:


> hoggif said:
> 
> 
> 
> Would (perhaps warmed up) silicagel work as a safer substitute method? Just pour some in a jar and close the lid. It generates a small vacuum too especially when heated up which should help to get moisture out.
> 
> 
> 
> i gather it does the same thing as rice does to wet electronics, such as a cell phone in a bag of rice ? now i feel like sticking a fork in a bag of rice. -_-
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> back on subject- if i were to nuke a fork, id wrap it in paper towels, some bounty or something to soak the moisture as it escapes the fork. i think a better method is just putting it in the trunk of your car or inside a lil weber bbq grill . is there any way you can tell if the burnt area is small enough or not severe enough to cause concern, to where you can just fill it in with some CA or epoxy or wood filler of some sort ?
Click to expand...

It was high enough on the fork that it was in an area I was going to remove anyway, but it really scared the ba-jesus outta me. I just wanna get started on another fork instead of waiting for months for a fork to dry in my trunk.

As a bit of an aside, has anyone ever tried drying a fork in a food dehydrator? That seems like something that could work out nicely.


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## Jeff Lazerface

dude, wow weeee! i wanna see the fork!!


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## Jeff Lazerface

oven at 200 for 2 hours, i have not tested this, but i plan too. Laurel smells like green beans when drying.


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## AZ Stinger

Not enough time between zaps...


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## Tentacle Toast

Has anyone ever used an industrial quality desiccant like Drierite® for sapping the moisture from their forks? It's relatively inexpensive, & a few grams sealed in with a fork would, I'm guessing, do the job in a reasonable amount of time (2ish days, perhaps?)...I could be wrong, I've never used it for so dense a solid, but I can attest to its efficacy in my applications...


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## ash

I reckon you had a bug hidey-hole inside the fork that was left full of munched sawdust (tinder) and it went up once it got dry and hot enough.


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## Jeff Lazerface

I have found in the short time i been doing this, each wood is differant, Laurel I do 2 minutes, cedar 30 seconds, maple about 22 seconds i use 1100watts full power, the whole time its in the microwave i stare at it, i let it cool till i can touch it to my cheek. I start ruffin in while i am drying. I do not bag wood if it does not smell bad. i use a large pyrex dish.


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## flipgun

Nuke, FREEZER, nuke.


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## Tex-Shooter

Hmmmm, would it be possible to freeze dry wood? -- Tex


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## Dayhiker

AZ Stinger said:


> Not enough time between zaps...


I usually wait about 25-30 minutes between 30-second zaps. I have dried many a fork this way.


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## AlmightyOx

Thank you EVERYONE! It is becoming increasingly apparent that I just didn't wait long enough between cycles. I will definitely remember that next time I dry a fork. Still curious as to whether or not a fork could be dried in a food dehydrator. If anyone has tried this, please weigh in.


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## Jeff Lazerface

food dehydrator is a box with heating coil, just like your stove, it will work. but it will take all day. the oven at 180♦º for 2-3 hours will work

both work, and dude, the 2 most mossy forks are dry


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## Jeff Lazerface

Im bout to see if we having boy or girl man

im working on the most crazy slingshot ever


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## AlmightyOx

Jeff Lazerface said:


> Im bout to see if we having boy or girl man
> 
> im working on the most crazy slingshot ever


Good luck at your appointment man.

I can't wait to see what you're working on now. Seems like you have a new design every day.


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## Wingshooter

If you are going to dry forks in a microwave you need to use a grain scale so you can monitor the water loss. Weigh it before you start and after each heating session. You will find the water loss will be you best measure of how many times to heat a fork. If you loose 8 grains between each heating session and suddenly drop to 5 or 6 it is time to quit.. Debark it so the water can escape out the sides as well as the ends That is the reason for the bark in the first place to hold the moisture in. The reason for the ziplock bag is so you can tell when to shut of the microwave. As soon as the bag fills with steam shut it of. Some forks take a longer heating time on the first session. Don't let the bag fill up tight because the steam will still be coming out of the fork and could bust open the bag. Also be careful when opening the bag that steam is hot hot hot. I dry everything including the inside of the bad and let it sit for 30 minutes. I have been drying forks large and small in the microwave for years and never had a problem using this system.


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## The Gopher

i also don't see a need for the bag, i wrap mine in a paper towel just to keep the mess down if it starts to drip all over. like others have said, wait longer than 10 minutes. even if it is cool to the touch the inside is probably much hotter still.


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## The Gopher

food dehydrator or oven is a completely different mechanism of drying than the microwave. The microwave is exciting the water molecules from the inside and driving them out of the wood. using an oven heats from the outside of the fork, an accelerated version of air-drying. wood splits and cracks because the forces are uneven as the fork is drying from the outside too quickly, this is why the microwave method works so well, is that you are drying it from the inside out not the outside in as in an oven or dehydrator.


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