Spalting your own

[Haynie]

Anyone ever spalted your own wood? I was at wood worker's Source this weekend (Evil Evil place, my wallet suffered greatly) and they had some bookmatched spalted maple. It was real pretty but expensive obviously. I did buy some curly maple for another project.....Then I got to thinking and googling which always causes problems, and my curosity always beats up my wallet. Have any of you folks ever set out to spalt? If so how did it work out?

http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesArticle.aspx?id=32484

 

[Justturnin]

I currently have a large black Contractors Trash bag behind my shop full of sweetgum. It has been there about a month and has some nasty stuff going on in there.

Heres what I did.
1. Removed the Pith via Stihl 20" Farm Boss
2. Went out front to the old dead Oak Stump and pulled some 'shrooms off it. Rubbed the endgran w/ said 'shroom
3. Took Beer, Liquid Fertilizer and ammonia and poured it all over the wood.
4. Filled the bag w/ Wood and Shavings.
5. Layed over the top of the bag so it could get some air but not allow any more rain in.

I figure in about 2 months I should be good to go as Sweetgum is soft and will spalt very fast. I have to be careful so it does not actually Rot. What I need to find now is howe to stop the proccess once they are where I want them.

 

[Longfellow]

If you keep it moist and warm it will spalt in time. I do put some wood in 5 gal plastic buckets and add about an inch of a brew of cheap beer and Miracle Gro in the pail and cover it-- Let stand a couple of months and depending on the wood get varying amounts of spalting. This is grapefruit wood.

 

[Haynie]

My googling says to just air dry it.

Hmm...Is it smelly funkiness growing in there? My wife will have an issue if it smells.

 

[patmurris]

I'v had some very nice spalt occurring with nothing more then forgetting some logs outside, exposed to the rain, laying on the parkway gravel.

Each time i've read discussions on that matter, i've come across the most exotic and/or outrageous recipes... some even pee on their logs! :biggrin:

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Yes, I have worked with a "pro" in harnessing spalting culture under controlled conditions. Literally have done hundreds of pen blanks. Particularly effective with the lighter woods such as sycamore and maple.

 

[Akula]

I've done a lot, mostly maple because it's easy. (Lot of logs from Hurricane Ike stored up now)

Just set it and forget it...wait, is that a tv commercial LOL

Once I have it where it's time, I cut it and soak it in wood hardener to stabilize it. Beautiful stuff. Sharp tools, light cuts and a bottle of thin CA just in case

 

[grz5]

David Ellsworth has a good deal of information on spalting your own wood. I recommend looking into what he says.

 

[Manny]

I know a professional turner who takes bowl blanks and covers them with mayo and then stores then in a plastic bag in a corner in his shop. He gets some pretty funky results. Blues and Greens and black swirls.

 

[pianomanpj]

I know a professional turner who takes bowl blanks and covers them with mayo and then stores then in a plastic bag in a corner in his shop. He gets some pretty funky results. Blues and Greens and black swirls.

When I was a kid, I'm pretty sure I had a sandwich spalting under my bed! :tongue:

 

[RHossack]

Here's good reading on spalting your own ...

http://woodcentral.com/russ/russ4.shtml