# Drying A Natural Fork.



## buckarue (Jul 9, 2012)

How should I dry out or season a natural fork?


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## tomshot123 (Mar 31, 2012)

I just let mine dry naturally for 2-4 weeks depending on the wood but there are many opinions on this and all should be taken into consideration because they all have their disadvantages and advantages


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## newconvert (Dec 12, 2011)

your best bet is to go to the tutorials and read. there are many different ways to dry out natty's. after you read a bit if you still have questions you will be a bit more specific.


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## Sean (Nov 17, 2011)

Welcome to the forum Buckarue


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Welcome to the forum. A microwave is the fast track. Used in short busrts of 30 secs. at a time.DON'T burn it. Do a bit of research in past posts for more details. Good Luck!


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## Jakerock (Mar 8, 2012)

Heres the answer I hate, but it it a real answer: "Glue the ends and leave it in a closet for a year"
F-THAT! Do what treefork said.


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## Sofreto (May 10, 2012)

Look at the tutorials. I am new too naturals and I did the microwave thing...30 sec every other day. Two forks did well while one developed a huge crack.


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

After you've been at this game a year or two, you will probably have more forks than you can build at once, and you can season them properly. Two years ago I was boiling forks in salt water and putting them in my dehydrator for a day or so. Now I have about 75 forks drying naturally, with a fair percentage of them ready to work. I still use the dehydrator, but now its job is to kill any critters in the wood. And yes, it helps to seal the ends, though I have mostly winnowed my forks down to types that don't crack.


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## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

as been said before, use the search - theres a ton of info already on this .


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## Hunter69 (Jun 23, 2011)

natural drying is best, but it is'nt quick but a year or 2 not really needed just 5 to 6 months is ideal.

There have been lots of microwave posts but I have experimented with several naturals of different species on different power settings eg 100%, 80%, and so on but the result is almost always the same yes it dries out the moisture fast and they look ok on removal but you let cool and hope to work on them next day to find a horrible big split caused by the heat shrinking the timber and on cooling it starts to crack from ends and runs too far to save in most cases unless you leave the forks and handle very long but then you struggle to fit it in micro, so my own honest opinion is to leave it 6 months but smear a nice thick coat of wood glue on each cut surface to stop checking/ splitting, and when glue dry write date of when you cut it in permanant marker over glued surface to remind you when it was cut so you know when its had its time.

And finally always leave bark on as if removed can dry out too quickly which can still cause splitting glued edges or not....

Deano


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## reecemurg (Oct 9, 2011)

natural drying is the best as everyone has said .

sorry to sort of hijack the thread but hunter69 i have to say your display picture is amazing ! did you draw it yourself ??

cheers,

Reece


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## Hunter69 (Jun 23, 2011)

reecemurg said:


> natural drying is the best as everyone has said .
> 
> sorry to sort of hijack the thread but hunter69 i have to say your display picture is amazing ! did you draw it yourself ??
> 
> ...


Hi there, no it looks like a pencil drawing but is actually taken from an old poachers book I was given and I liked it so much had to have it as my profile pic .....


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## reecemurg (Oct 9, 2011)

Hunter69 said:


> natural drying is the best as everyone has said .
> 
> sorry to sort of hijack the thread but hunter69 i have to say your display picture is amazing ! did you draw it yourself ??
> 
> ...


Hi there, no it looks like a pencil drawing but is actually taken from an old poachers book I was given and I liked it so much had to have it as my profile pic .....
[/quote]
ah ok , it's a sweet pic !


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## stej (Jan 16, 2013)

Hunter69 said:


> natural drying is best, but it is'nt quick but a year or 2 not really needed just 5 to 6 months is ideal.
> 
> There have been lots of microwave posts but I have experimented with several naturals of different species on different power settings eg 100%, 80%, and so on but the result is almost always the same yes it dries out the moisture fast and they look ok on removal but you let cool and hope to work on them next day to find a horrible big split caused by the heat shrinking the timber and on cooling it starts to crack from ends and runs too far to save in most cases unless you leave the forks and handle very long but then you struggle to fit it in micro, so my own honest opinion is to leave it 6 months but smear a nice thick coat of wood glue on each cut surface to stop checking/ splitting, and when glue dry write date of when you cut it in permanant marker over glued surface to remind you when it was cut so you know when its had its time.
> 
> ...


It's not strictly needed to leave the bark on. It depends.. I know that if I debark oak and let it dry outside (now there is not too hot), it will be ok. If I dry it inside, than it will crack (as happened now when drying in the office). Also hawthorn is quite resistant to cracks so I can debark it. And besides that width of the fork plays its role too. The wider one will crack more probably then a tiny/narrow one.

Also some wood cracks even with back and glued ends (plum, mirabelle, etc.), so the only help is to cut the fork long enough and as the cracks appear cut them.


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## Viper010 (Apr 21, 2012)

i have read somewhere on this forum (dont remember where n cant find it atm, sorry) that soaking freshly cut wood in a 50/50 solution of dishwashing soap/water for about a day before drying greatly reduces the chance of cracking.

i am currently experimenting with this, so far with satisfactory results.

also, if you want to carve a fork while 'green' ie not wait till its dry b4 you shape it, you can soak it for a day, start carving, and after evry carving session soak it again for an hour or so.
the wood will be easier to work (softer, less splintery) and the soap lubricates the blade. also, far less dust when sanding.

cheers, remco


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## stej (Jan 16, 2013)

Doesn't that mean that the sanding paper will work poorly because it will be ful of the soap?

Also you mean the liquid soap, right. Not the brick that you put into a case with cloths because it smells good


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## Viper010 (Apr 21, 2012)

@stej

i mean the liquid soap you use for washing dishes, mixed 50/50 with water.

actually, if you use good quality waterproof sandpaper (preferably the kind with cloth backing instead of paper) the soap makes it easier to clean out the grit and you can use your sandpaper for much longer. you can slap it on your workbench gritside down or clean it under running water.

hope this helps.
cheers, remco


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## jake64 (Dec 2, 2014)

Sorry I am replying to a post over 2 years old but I couldn't help but asking. Henry, at what temperature did you set your dehydrator at and how long did you boil the fork before putting it into the dehydrator.


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## Bali-Flipper32 (Aug 13, 2014)

You can put it in the oven for a couple of hours at 170-200 F or you can put it in a dehydrator over night.


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## twang (May 10, 2015)

anyone tried freeze drying?


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

jake64 said:


> Sorry I am replying to a post over 2 years old but I couldn't help but asking. Henry, at what temperature did you set your dehydrator at and how long did you boil the fork before putting it into the dehydrator.


I just now saw this. I boiled the fork for less than hour, until a film of sap appeared on the water, then set the dehydrator to 140 degrees.


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