What an Idiot

Well, no doubt a lot of you would have known better, but I didn't. I recently got some empty vintage Yardley shave soap bowls, which looked kind of grungy. So I soaked them in hot water, and the result was badly warped bowls. Here are the images, the first one displaying the wavy edge and second showing that the bowls are now oval rather than round.


So now my question is: should I try soaking them again and applying a C-clamp to try to force them straight?

I would definitely try fixing them.

I know steaming wood is used to bend and manipulate it, so try a google search and see if anyone else has done with wrapped bowls.

(11-07-2013, 05:56 PM)churchilllafemme Wrote: Well, no doubt a lot of you would have known better, but I didn't. I recently got some empty vintage Yardley shave soap bowls, which looked kind of grungy. So I soaked them in hot water, and the result was badly warped bowls. Here are the images, the first one displaying the wavy edge and second showing that the bowls are now oval rather than round.


So now my question is: should I try soaking them again and applying a C-clamp to try to force them straight?

John :

that's what I did with some Geo F Trumper wooden bowls and kind of worked , but they didn't fully recover their original shape , I'm afraid.

Sorry about what happened to you.I know how you feel...

Good luck to you, John! I have no experience with wood except how to use it when lathering soap as it is in some of my handles!

You're not the first person to hurt was was intended to be a rescue. I bet all of us that use vintage items have done something similar. I know I have. Far from being an idiot. You simply didn't know. Now if you repeat the experience, then you'd be an idiot.

I feel your pain.

If you try to fix them they could split. Or you could leave them as is as one of a kind bowls. Flip a coin I guess. No matter what comes up, heads or tails they're yours to do with as you choose.

Do you have another bowl or something round that you could use as a form to gently force a correction to their shape? Maybe a trip to the hardware store might be in order to find something. Let them know what you plan, maybe they can help, but beware of the clerk with ideas and no experience. I'd ask (in a round about way) about qualifications.

That sucks, but they did come out clean though! Maybe you can try and match a lid to fit them properly, it wouldn't look as bad.

(11-07-2013, 08:19 PM)ShadowsDad Wrote: Maybe a trip to the hardware store might be in order to find something. Let them know what you plan, maybe they can help, but beware of the clerk with ideas and no experience. I'd ask (in a round about way) about qualifications.

I may try that hardware store consultation before using my C-clamp on the bowls. Thanks for the suggestion.

The idiot had a brainstorm! I think I'll try using worm drive dryer duct hose clamps, gradually tightened down around the hot water-soaked bowl rims to round them again. Yes?

Why bother. They look kinda cool. You can say that they're that way because your grandfather used them during WWl and that they're aged.

(11-07-2013, 10:06 PM)churchilllafemme Wrote: The idiot had a brainstorm! I think I'll try using worm drive dryer duct hose clamps, gradually tightened down around the hot water-soaked bowl rims to round them again. Yes?

That's along the lines of what I was going to suggest - a large hose clamp / bolt clamp / etc. GENTLY tighten as you soak. You might also try placing them upside down on a flat surface with some weight to try to work out the warpage. Good luck!

~Frank

John I think that will just make the diameter smaller and not force it to take a round shape. The shape is the key. I don't think it will be rigid enough.That sort of clamp can be tightened on a 2x4 and will assume the shape of the lumber.

I think you're on the right track though. All you need is a ring of some sort. I have no idea as to dimensions involved, but maybe a piece of Schd40 PVC pipe just a few inches long might do it. I'd walk through Home Depot or some such with a bowl and keep my eyes and mind open. Don't fall for the first idea either because there might be something better 20' away. Too, know how you'll use the form you buy. Have that plan in mind first. It's OK to think about it in the store. No one will run you out for taking up aisle space. FWIW, the piece of pipe I refer to might even be had for free since it'll only be a few inches. You might also check any construction jobs that are going on locally. They'll have plenty of scraps when they're doing the plumbing.

Whatever you do though, be gentle so as not to crack it. You might even need to do this over the course of a few days; getting little bit closer each time. Of course soaking or steaming it each day before gently forcing it into the rigid form.

Oh noooo! Good luck with these.

I would just stain them and wax the surface....no need to have any specific shape to produce lather...use the most misformed one as a candy dish or fill it with rocks and use it as a art object.

Everybody does stupid things. You learn and move on. I ruined an amazing quilted robe purchased during the Korean War. Was going to us it as a shaving robe. Then I had the brilliant idea of hand washing it in Woolite vs having it dry cleaned. That sucker shrank. bled, and the quilting material disintegrated. Felt like a complete idiot, but life goes on

Well, this is kind of amazing. As the bowls have continued to dry, they have been regaining their original round shape, and the edges are leveling.


However, I got a couple dryer hose spring clamps, so I am "helping" the restoration process using them and some scuttles for weights. I may not need to re-soak the bowls.

(11-08-2013, 10:34 AM)Deco Wrote: Everybody does stupid things. You learn and move on. I ruined an amazing quilted robe purchased during the Korean War. Was going to us it as a shaving robe. Then I had the brilliant idea of hand washing it in Woolite vs having it dry cleaned. That sucker shrank. bled, and the quilting material disintegrated. Felt like a complete idiot, but life goes on

Thanks for the encouragement. I've done a lot of stupid things over the years, and live does go on. I'm not beating myself up over this, and now it's looking like it might just turn out OK after all. And I'm sorry about your beautiful robe.

I was going to say it would probably go back in shape while it dried. I'd jus do what you're doing drying it upside down. In theory, if you keep the lips flat against a hard surface the rest of the bowl will go back to its original shape.

Wait...new business opportunity...Custom wooden bowls...hand formed to the shape of your dreams....sign me up !!!!

(11-08-2013, 11:49 AM)churchilllafemme Wrote: Well, this is kind of amazing. As the bowls have continued to dry, they have been regaining their original round shape, and the edges are leveling.

That's great news!

That's by far the best possible news! Excellent!