Spalted holly?

Re: Spalted holly?

MikeinCapeMay

>I believe that all wood, subjected to the right conditions, possibly with the exception of cedar, redwood, teak and some other exotics will spalt. Afterall it's a natural process of rot.

Re: Spalted holly?

Dave MacLuskie

>I have a fair bit of holly that was cut down in September of 03. It's been sitting outside in the shade, anchorsealed, but uncovered. I had turned a few pieces earlier and hadn't gotten around to cutting up the rest for blanks. It's ALL spalted now, though most of it doesn't have the nice blank lines. It definitely changes the character of the wood, but I kind of like it.

This is spalted Holly

Russ Fairfield

>Sometimes it looks like this. Other times it just turns to a dirty brown color.

Re: Spalted holly?

Robert Simmons, Atlanta

>In my experience Holly will spalt in a heartbeat - the trick usually is to get it worked before it starts showing. The colors are pigments deposited by fungi growing through the wood. Turn it quick.

Robert

Re: Spalted holly?

Brad Bittle

>Thanks for the responses, everyone....holly, it is!

Re: This is spalted Holly

Mike Rubes, Apex, NC

>Hi Russ,

That's awesome looking. Was that piece yours or did you just have a pic? If it was yours, do you have a pic of whatever you made from it? I'd love to see how it looked as a bowl/hollow form.

Thanks,

Mike

Talked to a girl named Holly today in Apex, NC!!!

Re: Spalted holly?

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native in Florida Exile :

>Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't working spalted wood a bit on the dangerous side. I think I read where the fungi spores are not good to ingest. coarse, I do it anyways and so far no problems. Perhaps I'm just Lucky or haven't encountered one of the "bad" woods yet.

Todd O.

Re: Spalted holly?

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>The challenge with holly is to season it without spalting.

Holly is the whitest wood (at least the whitest of which I am aware), and thus is in demand for inlaying and marquetry (for example, as stringing adjacent to ebony). However, getting it to dry white, without spalting or other color degradation (rot) is very difficult. A white turned bowl is even more difficult, as an essential part of the process of getting it to dry quickly, before it discolors, is to cut it up into small pieces.

Re: Spalted holly?

Robert Simmons, Atlanta

>You can have an allergic reaction to the fungi in the wood just like some woods themselves invoke the demon. Allergic responses to fungi can be quite serious and they are treated in a different manner than infections would be. The fungi that cause spalting in wood are generally not pathogenic for people with intact immune systems. The colors in the wood are from the pigments that the fungi produce, the spores are usually found on the surface of the tree after the fungi have grown sufficiently. The fungal parts you find in spalted wood are the thread-like hyphae of the fungus, generally not spores. I don't see it as that much of a special hazard unless you already know that you'll allergic to fungi. It's always best to wear your dust protection, regardless.

Robert

Re: Spalted holly?

Andrew Hilton

>Weeelllll, unless you have specific reactions to this kind of fungi or are at other health risks anyway, it's not going to be a problem. Of course, that doesn't mean that the next time you work spalted wood won't be the time that you become sensitive to it. You know?

Fungal infections of the lung are quite serious. BUT, it's not as simple as saying "all fungi are bad to inhale". There's some specific diseases caused by some fungi. These include "Farmers Lung" and "Tobacco Fever" (I think that's the right term). In both diseases, the amount of inhalation and exposure times were significant. And, we're talking about completely different types of fungi too.

The biggest risk when working spalted wood, as it relates to fungi and related organisms, is that spalted wood is an indication that the conditions are right for more than just the spalting (white rot) fungi to grow and be present. Other fungi and especially the molds and mildews that tend to hang around on the surface of these pieces of wood are far more of a threat to us.