Mesquite Bowl Oil Soak

Dan Mosley

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Location
Palm Springs, Ca
Had some time to turn today for once so i was out in the garage and opened up my 5gal bucket of oil soaking liquid (1-gal each of mineral spirits and linseed oil / 1 qt gloss varnish) and discovered that i had a mesquite bowl in it that i had forgotton about. It had been soaking for a little over 3 weeks. I took it out and let it drip dry and then wiped it down well and let it sit out on the work bench for 6hrs and then moved in side where its cooler. I am leaving it out to see how it will dry over time now - I am thinking at least 2-3 weeks to ensure it dry well. Then im going to buff it with WD and wax and call it done.
The attached picutres show it out of soak but it does look much better in real life - darker rich looking satin kind of color.

Comments or suggestions? ...........Thanks Dan
 

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I agree with Don. :thumb: Be cautious with the white diamond, though. If the wood's porous, you'll end up with a bazillion white specs that won't want to come out.
 
Question... I thought Mesquite was pretty stable green or dry... why the oil soak?

I notice you have a varnish in your oil soak... does that aid in the finish.. like a sanding sealer??

I got into turning because of a guy in Fredericksburg, TX that turned a mesquite bowl that I thought was out of this world... to date, I have yet to turn a mesquite bowl... I've done a peppermill in mesquite and numerous pens and game calls, but alas,:(:( no bowls yet.
 
The oil soak is one way i can control the cracking, I finish turn then soak it for days and wet sand it along the way with 600 wet/dry - after days of doing this i take them out - wipe down dry and bag them - let them dry slowly over weeks - then finish them in different manners depending on what i want to do at the time.
It is just one method i use - why the varnish in the soak ? it seems to add more lustre to the buffing if i choose to go that way. I am sure it does do some sealing but for me its just another technique i use sometimes.
There are times after the soak and drying i may just apply several coats of semi-gloss laquer - or i apply a couple more coats of antique oil or danish and buff out..............its hard to answer because i finish in different ways and im always searching for that ultimate finish.
 
Dan I am puzzled by bagging after soaking in your solution. I would think after soaking several days in a oil/varnish mix that bagging wouldn't be necessary. When I soak my turnings that I have taken from start to finish with Antique oil I sit them on a shelf to let dry for 2 to 4 weeks then buff. I am just curious if you have had bowls crack after the soaking if you let them dry without bagging? I have never had a HF or bowl crack after soaking in AO.
 
Bernie - I did lose a couple (Pine wood bowls) when i took them out of my oil soak and left them out in the garage - with temps pushing over 115 with humidity and sometimes just the high temps the garage was like a oven and i found that bagging them seemed to stop the cracking. When the wheather changes i probably would not need to bag them. I am sure it was also a matter of the type of wood because others did not crack at all.
I have since put a trash can in the back room of the house where it stays cool and let them sit in it with the lid cracked open for circulation. This seems to be working out well with no cracking.
Other types of wood i can soak and set out as you mentioned - I did a bowl out of holly and is air drying and so far is doing well.
 
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