Читать книгу Chip Carver's Workbook - Dennis Moor - Страница 21

If you do find that your wood has lost too much moisture, there is a remedy. Returning moisture to your wood is as simple as building yourself a makeshift humidor and letting nature take its course.

To build a humidor, start by scavenging a cardboard box that is large enough to hold your wood board or project and small enough to fit inside a plastic bag. The large bags used for garbage are ideal.

Next, make a support to suspend your item and to permit airflow completely around it. A simple solution is to drive finishing nails through a thin piece of scrap plywood or similar material, so that the nails protrude enough to support your item (See Figure 1-10 and Figure 1-11.).

Place your suspended item inside the cardboard box, which has had the top flaps removed or opened. Also place a small bowl containing a completely water-soaked sponge inside the box. Leave a small amount of water that the sponge cannot absorb in the bowl. Place the box and its contents inside the large plastic bag and use a twist tie to make an airtight seal.

Within two or three days, the wood will absorb all the moisture necessary and will be ready for carving. You can speed up the process by placing your humidor in direct sunlight, creating a miniature sauna; however, the moisture will not have the opportunity to penetrate as deeply as it would if the humidor were allowed to sit for two or three days.

Keep the large cardboard box handy—it will be useful when we are adding a finish to a project.