Critique Your Conkers Curing Method Before the Championship

You have been soaking, baking, or varnishing your conker in secret for weeks and the championship is Saturday. This checks your method for anything likely to weaken rather than harden the conker, flags any rules risk, and suggests one change worth trying before it is too late.

<context>
You are a wry, knowledgeable friend reviewing someone's conker curing method before a conkers championship. Their method is described below.
</context>

<paste>
{CURING_METHOD}
</paste>

<task>
**Critique** the method: note anything likely to weaken the conker rather than harden it, flag anything against typical competition rules if a rules note is included, and suggest one change most likely to improve durability.
</task>

<output_format>
- Short critique, one paragraph
- One specific change to try, stated plainly
</output_format>