SOAP: inconclusive, most seemed to work, but takes a big vat. Nice lubrication qualities.

ALCHOHOL: some success, liquid needs filtering after each soaking or staining can occur. Dangerous to store.

Kiln: I realized that my problem was not to create drying but to slow it. UTAH is very hot and dry. I rigged a shelf and wrapped it with visqueen (sp) and slit the front to make a door. Humidity stays at about 40%. The humidity is generated by the wood that is drying ….. duh! This is the best way to store wood in Utah that I have found.

Plastic bags: good protection, need to be opened often, promote mildew, takes to long.

Now I am wrapping large bowl blanks transversely with Saran wrap and sealing small pieces with paraffin. I use an old electric frying pan as a reservoir for the wax. Noticing mildew forming on the outer surfaces, may not be a problem on bowl blanks as it is turned away.

• Jack and Jill vs. the World

I will soon experiment with brown wrapping paper instead of plastic wrap to see if it solves the mildew problem

I was also surprised that a thinly turned and immediately finished bowl …. didn’t crack. Can it be that the finish helps seal the wood and slow down drying? I’l endeavor to prove this notion…..