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Drying Spalted wood ( Pecan )

R

Raif Harik

Joined
Jan 14, 2020
Messages
229
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66
Location
Austin, TX
Hi, I have some ~3' X 15" logs of pecan. They are from the tree that was growing in the middle of my shop which I eventually cut down cuz the roof I built around it was ... well basically a gaping hole. But I digress.
I cut open one of the logs the other day and found it was pleasantly riddled with spalt. Looks very nice. But the the wood is still wet. I roughed out a salad bowl and salad serving bowls and have stuck them in some paper grocery bags with wood chips. This is the first time I've done the 2 stage or the paper bag thing. I think I know the process from reading up on it. My question is, given spalt is live fungus and is very closely coupled with irredeemable decay, do I need to/is there anything I can do to arrest the spalting in the bag?
Secondly I have 3 more of those logs. I fear they will be mush before I get to them. I can't store them inside, but I could I guess put a tarp over them 🙂. Should I cut them into blanks now? I guess the answer to first question might help inform second question.
Also some nasty ass grubs or worms in there. Man those are gross. I guess it's better to get em out first other wise they end up on your face shield. I should probably read up on fumigating.
Thanks for any thoughts.
 
I’ve generally found that spalted wood dries very well without special precautions. If you think the logs are ‘ripe’, you should arrest the spalting before it goes too far. I do that simply by roughing out bowls or sawing spindle blanks and leaving them in a pile out of the weather. Being porous, they dry quickly and the fungus stops growing. But I suppose a lot depends on the species, climate and degree of spalting. I wouldn’t use very porous wood for salad bowls though.
 
I’d suggest roughing out as many bowls as you can before the wood progresses to punky.

Raif Harik said:
nice. But the the wood is still wet. I roughed out a salad bowl and salad serving bowls and have stuck them in some paper grocery bags with wood chips. This is the first time I've done the 2 stage or the paper bag thing.
Click to expand...
I don’t use wood chips just makes a mold factory

I check bags daily untill they are dry
Damp bags I swap for dry ones. The removed damp ones dry overnight for use the next day.
I check the bowls for mold. If I see mold I wipe the whole bowl wet with Clorox and discard the bag that held the moldy bowl

After 4-5=days the bags are no longer damp. These bagged bowls go on a shelf.
 
hockenbery said:
I’d suggest roughing out as many bowls as you can before the wood progresses to punky.


I don’t use wood chips just makes a mold factory

I check bags daily untill they are dry
Damp bags I swap for dry ones. The removed damp ones dry overnight for use the next day.
I check the bowls for mold. If I see mold I wipe the whole bowl wet with Clorox and discard the bag that held the moldy bowl

After 4-5=days the bags are no longer damp. These bagged bowls go on a shelf.
Click to expand...
Add to that is a daily weighing, which will show you how much moisture has been lost and after the loss becomes less the interval can be more until there is little or no change in the weight, then they are ready for the finish turn.
 
Man, you said it. Mold factory. Yuck. Well I removed the shavings and will wipe them down and trade out the bags.
@hockenbery you use straight Clorox? Or just a mix?
Thanks again
 
Raif Harik said:
Man, you said it. Mold factory. Yuck. Well I removed the shavings and will wipe them down and trade out the bags.
@hockenbery you use straight Clorox? Or just a mix?
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Straight Clorox and a 1/4 sheet paper towel.
If it’s a regular bowl I just pour a little in the bowl wet the folded paper towel in it and wipe down the outside and then the inside.
Add a little Clorox as needed. Dump any excess Chlorox and. Re bag.

One Clorox wipe always kills the mold for me and doesn’t discolor the wood or bleach it.
Texas mold may take 2 doses - every thing is bigger there? 🙂
 
Raif, getting once turned bowl blanks to dry quickly, without cracking or mold is a very individual sport. Possibly involving dark magic. What works for me, with the trees I get, in my climate, and my shop, may not work for someone else, especially if they live in a different climate. Terry Vaughn lives in England and Al Hockenbery lives in Florida. You might want to survey your local club members to see what methods work well where you live. They'll also tell you how to manage those larvae (powder post beetles, maybe? those have been discussed on here before) If you don't have access to the expertise of a local club, you should probably be sure to get some feedback from the Texans here on the forum.
 
This might sound funny but here in AZ, to stop spalting just take it out of the mud puddle you have been maintaining with the garden hose. I don't paper bag, even with spalted wood. I got elm from my mom's house in TN and I had to anchor seal the spalted peaces because it was 8% humidity and they were starting to check so fast. Petracycl or something like that is what I use when it gets super punky.
 
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