Need help from old wood experts

[cestout]

A potential customer has a paintedcarved wooden statue that he says is about 200 years old. It is about 3 ft tall and 2 ft wide. He moved from OrangeCounty CA,in the coastal weather zone, to Riversidecounty, an much dryer zone. Since hemoved the statue started developing cracks. I made him aware that moving to the dryer climate was possibly theproblem. I need to pick yourbrains. First, what can be done immediatelyto stop this condition from progressing, and maybe reversing it. Second, if he wants me to build a displaycase to protect it, how should it function. I figure 3 sides of glass installed with cleat silicone, with a weatherstripped door. Then some way to raisethe humidity but not make it soggy, placed low in the cabinet with a few smallvent holes at the top-back of the cabinet. I pointed out that a ready made cabinet would cost much less that acustom one. He asked would it be hundredsor thousands, and I told him hundreds. He said that would not be a problem then. So, any help any old wood experts could givewould be greatly appreciated.

[lawrence]

First off... I'm NOT an expert...

If he is keeping it indoors it is possible that an air conditioned environment is "assisting" with the cracking. The problem (as you know) is that the humidity has (and perhaps keeps) changing.

To raise the humidity I recommend something similar to heartfelt beads (used for humidors) which will assist in keeping the humidity at a constant percentage (they only release moisture until the humidity reaches a certain point)
http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/products.asp?cat=60%25+Rh+Humidity+Beads
these only go as low as 60% though... you'll want more like 50% constant humidity....

I HIGHLY recommend you contact a museum curator where they may be able to give you better advice on how to maintain a constant humidity.
(and perhaps even a source for materials such as this one)
http://www.keepsafe.ca/
Lawrence

[lawrence]

just found these guys... do custom orders for 50% beads... I'll bet that would be your cheapest solution... make a (relatively) tight display and add beads. He (or she) will need to periodically replentish the beads or they will run dry.
http://www.cigarmony.com/humiditybeadsystem.aspx
Lawrence

[MikeON]

It could be that if allowed to acclimate slowly enough by keeping it wrapped, the wood will stabilize without the need for added humidity. The inner core wood is still expanded from higher moisture content, which has not had time to escape. Drier wood on the surface is trying to shrink and thus cracks. Some woods like oak when dried too fast will develop surface cracks. Slow drying minimizes or eliminates the cracking. That being said, the museum curator suggestion is a good one.

[cestout]

Thank you both! Mike, the statue is quite large so the layered drying is probably what is happening. Lawrence, you always help me. I had never heard of these beads having never been a smoker. Great Idea, but as you both suggest, I will see if I can try to contact a museum curator.

[RogerB]

You can use a dehumidifyer in a small room on low this will remove and stablize the carve be sure to keep turning the carve to ensure you do not draw from one side faster than the other.Soft wood will dry faster. Remember to also place on side to do the bottom. hope this helps.

[jmoriearty]

You are dead on with your theory, it is due to humidity changes. Wood "cures" with age. The problem is that curing is actually adapting to it's current environment, not to all environments. Wood that I use here in Lubbock, TX is cured at about 3% but wood in other areas would be considered cured at 7% or even greater moisture content. As wood cures, it cures from the outside surfaces. Unsealed open grain causes the wood to cure faster and less evenly from the center areas of the wood instead of a gradual draw through the surface layers. This often causes a considerable amount of cracking. Generally, with lumber, it takes about a year per inch of thickness for the wood to become cured and have a proper moisture content for it's current environment. Unfortunately, with large carvings, they are generally carved from logs and contain the full rings, thus the curing time can increase exponentially.

In this situation, I would not recommend building a humidor type box. You can do far more damage to the wood that what you would save. Lawrence is correct in his suggestion of contacting a museum curator. Most university museums have grad students and professors that would be glad to answer a few questions for you in order to help preserve a piece of history. That would be the most likely place to start, especially since the piece is already being damaged by its new environment. I would guess it would be more of a technique of acclimatizing it to the new area than a storage solution. Many times it can be as simple as sealing the surface pores with a neutral wax to slow the drying speed.

Good luck, I hope that you can save it. The old carvings are worth the effort!