Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Badger on May 30, 2018, 06:27:55 am

Title: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: Badger on May 30, 2018, 06:27:55 am
  Has anyone here used desiccants instead of heat for keeping bows dry? I was reading up on common desiccants and they seem like a perfect solution. Calcium chloride granules are cheap and easy to get. They can be dried out and reused if necessary also. Might create a problem of getting wood to dry not really sure.
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: Marc St Louis on May 30, 2018, 06:37:01 am
The thought did cross my mind years ago but I never followed through with it.  Those little desiccant packs you get are silicon dioxide and are usually just thrown away, I had the thought of keeping them and using them for that purpose
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: Badger on May 30, 2018, 06:41:56 am
  From what I have been reading it doesn't take near as much desiccant as I would have expected. A small amount will actually keep a closet dry.
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: Aaron H on May 30, 2018, 06:54:26 am
I was thinking about this same thing the other day.  I believe some of those mini dehumidifiers use this same concept
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: osage outlaw on May 30, 2018, 06:59:36 am
I use them in my ammo box.  I don't see why it wouldn't work for bow storage. 
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: Badger on May 30, 2018, 07:01:31 am
  Charcoal, plaster of paris, coffee creamer, all kinds of things will work, I think dried out coffee grounds would even work.
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on May 30, 2018, 07:08:18 am
I use them in my roll around tool box in the garage. When I consider how much moisture could be a 6 foot long piece of wood, I'm not sure those tiny bags would do much. Unless you saved about 100 of them.
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: ksnow on May 30, 2018, 07:19:53 am
I keep 5 pound bags of it in my garage tool box and my gun cabinets.  You'd have to have a lot of it and keep the staves in a fairly tightly sealed room.

Kyle
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: Pat B on May 30, 2018, 08:12:27 am
When I was in Colorado elk hunting Kenneth and I kept our bows in a PVC tube with uncooked rice in it as a desiccant. It rained every afternoon and we were camped near a stream with very little sunlight so it was very humid. We were hunting with selfbows and sinew backed bows and never saw any decrease in power due to the moisture.
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: BowEd on May 30, 2018, 08:20:14 am
I kept 8 [2 sinewed] bows inside a sealed type PVC tube with a few bags of those at an event I stayed at for 4 days.It rained a lot 3 of those days.I did'nt exactly weight test the bows but I did'nt feel any or much at all reduction in draw weight.


Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: Bayou Ben on May 30, 2018, 10:05:58 am
I just bought one.....

I'll let you know how it works.  I plan to just leave it in my hot box (without the light bulbs on)
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: osage outlaw on May 30, 2018, 10:21:40 am
You need to disable the link.  It's against PA rules
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: Bayou Ben on May 30, 2018, 10:22:54 am
Sorry, wasn't aware of that.  I took it off.
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: Pat B on May 30, 2018, 10:31:36 am
Ben, read the rules just so you won't make the mistake again.   :OK
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: Bayou Ben on May 30, 2018, 10:50:27 am
Pat, I read the rules when I first signed on, and I just re-read them.  I interpreted the rules as no link posting if you are promoting the item to sell it or trying to get someone to your website. 
I just wanted to give a visual to what I was talking about, but no problem I won't post links anymore. 
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: osage outlaw on May 30, 2018, 10:56:09 am
Just put a space between the www's.  That way people can copy and past the address and find the link.  As long as you can't click on it, you are OK.  Like this

ww w.primitivearcher.com
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: Pat B on May 30, 2018, 11:43:24 am
Ben, just do like Clint suggested. As long as you can not click on it directly you are OK. You can even use a company name so folks can Google it but not direct links.
Title: Re: Disiccants for keeping wood dry
Post by: Morgan on May 30, 2018, 10:28:42 pm
There is a silica cat litter called Mimi litter. I keep a small pillow sack of it in my gun safe and ammo drawer. I know it keeps those places bone dry in our high humidity. Article that I read that put me on to it said you can bake the moisture out in an oven. Never have, and that’s been about 5 years ago.