Looking after a carved owl

[Chalgravesteve]

I bought this one before Christmas and it’s been indoors ever since  

 

gradually started cracking and I’m wondering what anyone might do to stop that continuing  

 

I appreciate that it’s just caused by the wood drying out but I didn’t expect it to be quite as significant as it seems to be getting 

 

any suggestions? 
 

[openspaceman]

If the cracks are caused because the outside is drying faster than the core then put it somewhere colder with a higher humidity. You need to dry it evenly so water is leaving the surface at the same rate it is migrating out of the core.

 

OTOH the chances are it is the difference between tangential and radial shrinkage that is causing the cracks and there is not much can be done about that.

[Chalgravesteve]

1 hour ago, openspaceman said:

If the cracks are caused because the outside is drying faster than the core then put it somewhere colder with a higher humidity. You need to dry it evenly so water is leaving the surface at the same rate it is migrating out of the core.

 

OTOH the chances are it is the difference between tangential and radial shrinkage that is causing the cracks and there is not much can be done about that.

Thanks 

 

I did think that’s what it would be  

 

 

[carver83]

Not much really you can do if it was green when carved, I've found heavy oiling then varnish finish can help reduce but not stop the splitting 👍

[Squaredy]

On 01/03/2023 at 14:00, Chalgravesteve said:

I bought this one before Christmas and it’s been indoors ever since  

 

gradually started cracking and I’m wondering what anyone might do to stop that continuing  

 

I appreciate that it’s just caused by the wood drying out but I didn’t expect it to be quite as significant as it seems to be getting 

 

any suggestions? 
 

As has been said not a lot you can do really.  Had it been left as a log the same thing would have happened.  Slow drying may have reduced it but in the end it was always going to split.

 

 You could slice it into two along the crack and fit each one to a wall somewhere.  Each piece would be unlikely to split then.

[Mick Dempsey]

I understand you can get frozen mice to feed them, this helps them get used to eating small rodents and aides their transition into the wild.

[gobbypunk]

You could try drilling a hole up the inside of it in the middle it may release some of the tension inside on relief carvings we used to carve slots down the back to stop cracking .