On Wed, 16 Jun 1999 08:55:15 -0700 Paul Bethke
<pcbethke@n...> writes:
>James writes,
>Questions about water displacement in wood cells while drying, or oil
>soaking snipped...
>and... Plant cell walls re a lot thicker and more structural, and may
>have water, but a plant biologist could answer that better than I.
>

        Which caused Paul to say:

>OK, I'm a plant biologist. Plant cells walls contain a lot of water.
>Think paper towels, cellulose sponges and wet blue jeans. Even kiln
dried
>lumber is 6-8% water, and all of that is in the walls.

        Which prompts me to ask if there is a way to
get water back into the cell wall before putting oil
in the free spaces?

WARNING!        WARNING!        WARNING!
PROBABLE DUMBASS IDEA AHEAD!

        What if someone, not me mind ya, was to steam
a dried out woodie for awhile then dip it in some oil
(linseed, tung, boiled or otherwise)?  Would that
be good, bad, or indifferent?

Regards,
Steve