Thread: Issues with natural materials

With natural materials is hard to predict what will happen down the road.
I stopped using horn for scales a while ago because of the poor stability of the material.

Yep..It appears meleii's house is haunted ! Oh,by the way meleii,if that razor is equipped with adjustable fasteners you might want to check them, back off them,eliminate any slop then snug them up again.

This is my two pennies worth being a Carpenter by trade and this is what I see, two natural materials which are both unstable when exposed to moisture and when one is placed inside another well under the right conditions things are likely to go wrong.

Wood Movement - You Can't Stop It
Wood is hygroscopic, which means its MC will fluctuate based on the relative humidity (RH) of the surrounding air. As humidity increases, the MC increases, and the wood expands, and as the humidity decreases, MC decreases, and the wood shrinks. This relationship is referred to as Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC), and is accurately predicted.

Understanding Equilibrium Moisture Content
The moisture content of wood is tied directly to the relative humidity of the surrounding air. The higher the relative humidity, the higher the MC of the wood. Period. If you’re installing wood that’s recently been transported or installed on a job, it might take a little while for the material to reach its equilibrium moisture content (EMC) with the air — in other words, for the wood to accommodate to the humidity level for the climate around the wood: the wood may take on more moisture or it may dry out. For example, if wood at 10% MC is exposed to 25% RH, the wood will dry to 5% MC (and shrink as it dries).
- See more at: A Finish Carpenter's Guide to Understanding Moisture Movement In Wood

Took a bit of searching because I honestly didn't know about burning Coal

But I found it !!! A Coal Stove/Furnace dries the air in the house, almost as much as a Wood fire/stove does

Most of you know but Propane heat adds humidity and Natural gas it is my understanding that it depends on the "Combustion Chamber"

Anyway it was bugging me so I did some searching

Originally Posted by celticcrusader

This is my two pennies worth being a Carpenter by trade and this is what I see, two natural materials which are both unstable when exposed to moisture and when one is placed inside another well under the right conditions things are likely to go wrong.

Wood Movement - You Can't Stop It
Wood is hygroscopic, which means its MC will fluctuate based on the relative humidity (RH) of the surrounding air. As humidity increases, the MC increases, and the wood expands, and as the humidity decreases, MC decreases, and the wood shrinks. This relationship is referred to as Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC), and is accurately predicted.

Understanding Equilibrium Moisture Content
The moisture content of wood is tied directly to the relative humidity of the surrounding air. The higher the relative humidity, the higher the MC of the wood. Period. If you’re installing wood that’s recently been transported or installed on a job, it might take a little while for the material to reach its equilibrium moisture content (EMC) with the air — in other words, for the wood to accommodate to the humidity level for the climate around the wood: the wood may take on more moisture or it may dry out. For example, if wood at 10% MC is exposed to 25% RH, the wood will dry to 5% MC (and shrink as it dries).
- See more at: A Finish Carpenter's Guide to Understanding Moisture Movement In Wood

That is probably why my father in law stored the new hardwood flooring for the house he was building many years ago in the house for a period of time before installing it. I think it was referred to as seasoning the wood.

Bob

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Took a bit of searching because I honestly didn't know about burning Coal

But I found it !!! A Coal Stove/Furnace dries the air in the house, almost as much as a Wood fire/stove does

Most of you know but Propane heat adds humidity and Natural gas it is my understanding that it depends on the "Combustion Chamber"

Anyway it was bugging me so I did some searching

We had a new high efficiency natural gas fired forced air furnace installed end of may last year to replace a mid efficiency one. The high draws combustion air from the outside and the mid from in the house. I am now noticing this heating season the that some of my horn scales are warping a little. The change in furnace type and the relative humidity change that goes with it may be the reason.

Bob

A coal stove does dry the air. So for compensation we always have a pot of water on the stove to release some humidity. But the dry heat is starting to make sense.

Originally Posted by meleii

A coal stove does dry the air. So for compensation we always have a pot of water on the stove to release some humidity. But the dry heat is starting to make sense.

In the old days in winter here people would place dishes of water in the return air grills for the forced air furnaces because of the dryness. Just walking across a carpeted floor would would build up enough static electricity to to give the old girl a jolt for fun. That was a sure sigh the humidity was way low. Sometimes the water trick worked and other times no. It would depend I guess on how much the furnace was going on and drying the air out.

Bob

Blame it on on the stove if it makes you feel better but the answer is in the relative humidity outside and hence inside your house. Go to the national weather service and compare today's RH to July's. Warmer air simply has a greater capacity to hold things in solution, including water.

As a reality check, What does a water "restoration" company ask you to do after a water leak? Turn on the A/C. Why do A/C units have a discharge for condensate? Does your heater? No, because with heat, water stays in solution in the air.

So your heater is doing all it can to keep your air moist but it can not overcome the seasonal effect of drier air during the winter.

All this talk about humidity encouraged me to take out my ivory scales and wipe them down with mineral oil and let it soak in for a few hours. A great reminder.