But Wilson said he's in no hurry to try it all anytime soon.

"Ultimately I don't think there's any way this is going to be closed. You could find the journal of the guy who faked it in the 1300s and it wouldn't matter. The local bishop at the time declared it to be a forgery when it was first introduced. You have radiocarbon dating that didn't change anyone's mind."

At this point, Wilson said he feels a "real deep sense of futility on the reality of shroud studies," particularly after several shroud scholars "attacked (his theory) before even reading it."

"The whole thing is just a regular old dog pile and a lot of fun."

But those who either passionately believe, or disbelieve, in the shroud leave little room in their minds to be convinced by something as simple as his experiment. As a result, Wilson has been "directed to every dimension of hell" by skeptics who have told him to " 'go to,' 'rot in,' 'go sit in,' 'go languish in,' 'enjoy your trip to,' " he said.

Having word about his experiment fly around the shroud crowd was "like walking into a crowded bar and hitting the biggest guy — I watched the place erupt. I think I exited out the back door into the alley at the right time."

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E-mail: carrie@desnews.com