Spalting experiment result - failure

Re: Spalting experiment result - failure

BJ

>Thanks John for sharing your experience with us and it is good the log yeilded such nice figured wood anyhow. Would not the spalting process be aided by the direct contact with the log butt to the soil? I feel the wicking action of water would not be broken and carrying with it the microbes that causes spalting. I have been just setting the log as it grew (shorter than yours) on broken ground and in the shade, also I anchorseal the top and spalting occurs pretty fast especially in hot weather. Sometimes (most of the time) around here waterhosing the ground is in order.

Re: Spalting experiment result - failure

John K Jordan

>>I have been just setting the log as it grew on

>broken ground and in the shade, also I

>anchorseal the top and spalting occurs pretty

>fast especially in hot weather

I've heard of that as well, but since I had the log and the backhoe I wanted to try the burial method, especially since it came recommended.

When in contact with the ground at one point, I assume the spalting starts at the bottom and move up slowly through the log. How do you tell when enough is enough and when any longer is too much, by time, appearance, guessing ??? How much wood do you lose on one end?

Some also recommend mixing a recipe and putting the wood and gunk in a bag.

JKJ in East TN

Re: Spalting experiment result - failure

John Lucas

>John

This is the method I use as well. I have no idea when to stop the spalting. I usually just let them sit for about 6 months and then I'll remember they are out there and cut off a chunk and turn it. I usually end up waiting longer because I usually have a million other things to do.

Re: Spalting experiment result - failure

Gary Evans, Tallassee, TN

>John,

I'd be willing to bet that you find as much or more spalting in that big piece that you still have lying on the ground.

It's been my experience that you can't keep susceptible woods from spalting if you leave them laying around without cover here in East TN. That's the kind of process I like.

By the way, I don't think you'll get much of anything from the cherry. I've found that it just doesn't spalt much.

Gary

Cherry

tdaniel

>Cherry makes good fence posts because it is rot resistant; only the sap wood will spalt. I buried a big piece of pecan a few years ago and left it for 17 months and got very little spalting. I think it must get air to spalt well but I have not done a study on that. My best spalting occurs when I stand the piece on end in a moist, shady area. You can get additional colors in the spalting by "planting" mushrooms in the area. Some woods (such as beech) will only spalt near the ends, max 18" deep from the end. Again, all this is not from a scientific study....just observations based on limited data.

Re: Cherry

Raymond Overman in SC

>I had a piece of hickory about 10 inches in diameter that was laying on top of a neighbors lawn for about 6 months. I cut it into 12 inch lengths, set the lengths endwise on soft peat ground in the shade and left them alone for about 6 more months. They're spalted throughout now. To be honest, I wasn't even trying and that may have made all the difference.

Being that you're looking for bacteria and Paul James (The Gardner Guy on HGTV) says you want to turn your compost pile so that all those critters can get some air and start working, I would imagine that was your problem. By burying it, the bacteria didn't get enough air to thrive and therefore didn't draw those neat little boundaries.

The other side of that is surface area for penetration. By keeping the log whole, did you limit the amount of penetration by the bacteria?

Interesting experiment though and now we know. Thanks!

Re: Spalting experiment result - failure

Richard Allen

>The "how to spalt" as I am aware of it:

Process the wood into turning blanks, riding yourself of the pith, waxing...

Lay a large piece of clear plastic on a slight platform (such as might be provided by a pallet) and stack/sticker the processed wood on that.

Wrap the whole thing in the clear plastic during warmer weather (Spring through Fall). Open the stack during the winter months (no spalting is goign to occour then anyway and some drying is likely to occour).

Make sure the stack is covered losely with a dark tarp so the sun can't get to the wood.

One spalting season should produce the desired results. Two spalting seasons can degrade the wood past spalt but can be needed in cooler areas.

Spalting needs three things.

1. fungus, this occours naturaly but you can form a paint from a tea of rotting leaves.

2. A tempature between 60 - 90 F

3. Moisture

It is almost imposible to avoid the fungus so that leaves the tempature and moisture to control. If you burry the wood in the forest then the moisture is very likely to be there but the tempature is likely to be missing. Getting the wood off the ground (like on a pallet) will let the wood warm more than if it is in direct contact with the ground. Wraping the wood in plastic will retain much of the moisture in the wood. Stikering the stack of wood will help all surfaces of the wood gain expoisure to the fungus and will help with the winter drying season. The top of this stack will often have the most spalting. Turns out that the top is the warmest part.

Good luck

Richard

Re: Spalting experiment result - failure

Barry Irby

>Is that a dead Holstein in that bucket loader? Just for a minute....

I grabbed some short poplar logs and in an attempt to prevent checking on the ends, I stood them on end on a piece of Styrofoam and put a trash bag over the top. A year later I rediscovered them and they were spalted to the point of being rotted. The were indoors in my junk room. Wish I had caught them sooner.

Re: This isn't as hard as you guys make it seem!

Doug Trembath

>I have spalted roughouts accidentally, by placing them in a garbage bag because I was too lazy to get out the Anchorseal to seal them, or was in a hurry, or something.

After an indeterminate amount of time, I rediscovered the bag, and looked inside. The roughouts were covered in black fur, and I figured I'd just have to toss them. Instead, I chucked one up and made a cleanup cut. Lo and behold, black line spalting all over the piece, ths best example of spalted maple I've ever turned, and we get a LOT of it here in SW PA. What I'm trying to get at, is the spores seem to be in the wood naturally, and if moisture is present, they'll grow. The piece was donated to the turning club, and presented to one of the founding members a couple of months ago. He was ecstatic, and for good reason.

I got a bunch of Silver Maple about a year ago, large pieces. I cut out the pith, and left them covered in the wood yard for a few months, no sealer or anything. They spalted wonderfully, but they did have some blue stain, as well. Keep in mind that the last two years we have had an incredible amount of humidity and precipitation. I didn't need to seal roughouts very often, even Cherry, and they dried nicely. Not that way this Spring, however, the weather has been gloriously dry for a couple of weeks now, and we actually have sunshine every day! Neat! But, I'll have to start sealing my roughouts. Small price to pay for the sunshine, anyway.

Doug Trembath

Studio in the Woods

Re: Spalting experiment result - failure

Gary Evans, Tallassee, TN

>Richard,

You forgot the 4th requirement for fungus growth. The little buggers also have to have oxygen.

Gary

Re: Spalting experiment result - failure

John K Jordan

>>Is that a dead Holstein in that bucket

>loader? Just for a minute....

Ha! It does look like one! The white is where the bark was pulled off from the chains.

We have no cows, but chickens, goats, and dogs. Next year may be retirement time, so a couple of cows in the north pasture would be perfect. Maybe some peacocks and a llama as well.

BTW, I never had or even used a tractor until I moved to this place. I still can't believe how useful a tractor is, especially with a loader, backhoe, bushhog, yardbox, etc!

JKJ in East TN