Author: mschmidt
Date: 2008-04-23 23:23
I agree with vboboe--more soaking. The flexibility of cane is a much stronger function of moisture content than of temperature. I try and soak at least an hour, and lately I've been soaking two hours, because we've had some pretty dry weather here of late. I suspect the time needed for soaking may not be a matter of getting more water in the cane, but getting the water to all parts of the cane. Water isn't going to go well through the bark, so the cane right under the bark has to get wet by water soaking through the whole thickness of the cane. I try to make sure that the cane dries slowly, and thus more evenly, reducing the expansion-contraction stresses.
Having written this, I wonder whether it makes sense to store cane in more humid conditions prior to soaking to (a) reduce soaking time and (b) reduce differential expansion stresses. Of course, you don't want to have the cane too wet for too long, or mold will be a problem.
Mike
Still an Amateur, but not really middle-aged anymore
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