Spalted, Rotted, Buggy Bowl

**Paul39** · 27th February 2009, 12:45 PM

There was a maple crotch in the wood pile that looked promising. It had been in the pile a couple of years, in the rain, snow, sun, heat, cold.

When I split it the spalting was wonderful. On the lathe it was soft and hard, mushy in places. Lots of tearout. I roughed it and microwaved it to kill any bugs, let it dry for a couple weeks, soaked it in dilute polyurathane to give it some body.

After it dried I started carefully shear scraping, still tearouts. I like to leave a spigot for the tail stock untill the last part of hollowing. While cutting that down I had a catch and the bowl flew off the lathe, but didn't shatter. There was enough spigot left to grab with the chuck and enough left in the bottom to cut another recess without a foot. I rechucked in the recess and cut down some more as it was flopping all over the place because the spigot had dried off center.

I resorted to 50 grit and took off 1/8 to 3/16 off the inside and out, and sanded up to 220. Somewhere along here it threw itself off the chuck again, but didn't break.

There was a chip out of the recess but it rechucked. The rim is not even, It is not round, The walls are not even thickness.

I won't sell it or sign and number it. I will keep it because of the adventure and what I learned along the way.

Here it is after the first coat of tung oil.

**Ed Reiss** · 27th February 2009, 12:50 PM

terrific, Paul......don't ya' just love it when they fight back??

All in all, looks pretty good

**ElizaLeahy** · 27th February 2009, 01:10 PM

That is one pretty pattered timber though, isn't it?

makes you think, when something so pretty can come out of rot.

**Paul39** · 27th February 2009, 01:19 PM

It is pretty, and I have the other half of the crotch to play with.

Hopefully it will be easier from what I learned the first time.

**Rum Pig** · 27th February 2009, 01:26 PM

How safe is using oil over splatted wood for food purposes

This is a question I have been thinking about lately.

**TTIT** · 27th February 2009, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by Rum Pig

How safe is using oil over splatted wood for food purposes

This is a question I have been thinking about lately.

My old man made their cutting board with alternating strips of spalted tulip oak and something else - used several times daily for many years - Dad's dead

. . . . . . . .but mum's still using it

**Paul39** · 27th February 2009, 01:45 PM

I put into Google: Spalted wood bowls for food use.

There were a bunch of hits.

This one specific to the question:

http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com...ad.php?t=25263

As with most forums, many opinions. I expect we will hear more here.

This particular bowl I don't think would survive use as a working bowl.

If one made a spalted bowl and used a clear two part epoxy finish, that would seal the bowl. Whether the epoxy is worse for you than the spalting is another question.

Years ago I saw salad bowls made of thin strips of wood laid up in a cris cross fashion that was impregnated with some kind of clear resin and pressed in a form or die.

**OGYT** · 27th February 2009, 03:09 PM

Hello, Paul. That's a beautiful bowl... in spite of the fight it put up!

I am just getting over a sinus infection that's lasted for a couple of months. I attribute it to spalted wood. Not turning. Burning. I had some that was pretty punky, and just put it into the wood stove in the shed, and didn't notice that my exhaust fans were pulling some of the smoke into the shed (I'm a fireman, so I always smell like smoke

). When a friend came in, he mentioned it, and I fixed the problem. But I know that's what gave me the infection.
I wouldn't hesitate to use a spalted bowl for veggie salads and such if I wanted to... but I'd make sure it was sealed well first (I don't think that even mold spores can live through a lacquer wash), and I wouldn't be chopping the veggies up in the bowl, so I don't think I'd be eating the wood. But that's just me. You do what you think is right.

**orraloon** · 27th February 2009, 05:57 PM

Paul,
It's the end result that counts and that looks very good. You also have a story to go with it.
Regards
John

**Skew ChiDAMN!!** · 27th February 2009, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by Paul39

There was a chip out of the recess but it rechucked. The rim is not even, It is not round, The walls are not even thickness.

I won't sell it or sign and number it. I will keep it because of the adventure and what I learned along the way.

Considering what you started with, along with the challenges it presented along the way, that turned out very nicely. Not perfect, but full of character and still worthy of signing/dating even if you have no plans to sell.

**Sawdust Maker** · 27th February 2009, 07:42 PM

A bowl with character

something I would be proud of. And you might be surprised that others like it and might even want it for themselves!

**Ed Reiss** · 28th February 2009, 04:33 AM

Originally Posted by OGYT

Hello, Paul. That's a beautiful bowl... in spite of the fight it put up!

I am just getting over a sinus infection that's lasted for a couple of months. I attribute it to spalted wood. Not turning. Burning. I had some that was pretty punky, and just put it into the wood stove in the shed, and didn't notice that my exhaust fans were pulling some of the smoke into the shed (I'm a fireman, so I always smell like smoke

). When a friend came in, he mentioned it, and I fixed the problem. But I know that's what gave me the infection.
I wouldn't hesitate to use a spalted bowl for veggie salads and such if I wanted to... but I'd make sure it was sealed well first (I don't think that even mold spores can live through a lacquer wash), and I wouldn't be chopping the veggies up in the bowl, so I don't think I'd be eating the wood. But that's just me. You do what you think is right.

...another concern with using spalted wood is infection. 22 years ago I was sanding the inside of a spalted bowl when a "splinter" spears it's way into the right portion of my finger right by the fingernail. Didn't think too much of it at the time...3 days later the finger was swollen and red at the tip and hurt like hell. Time for a visit to the ER. Doc there couldn't figure out why it was the way it was...prescribed some anti-biotics and sent me on my merry way. 2 days later it really swelled up and hurt more than hell. Back to the ER. Doc tells me it's now infected and the nail has to come off...oh, joy!!! So the nail is ablonded...finger is banaged up, a few pain pills later not feeling pain.
Seems like forever for the nail to grow back. 6 months later it swells up and is red again. Decided to skip the ER doctor and went to a real one.

Yep, it's infected again...yep, the nail has to come off again, but this time the Doc got a culture result. It was pseudomonous (a nasty bacteria) from the spalted junk in the wood. Doc says the only thing that is effective to combat it is Cipro...the stuff that is prescribed if you get anthrax. Oh joy!!!! So, it's on the Cipro regimen ($5.00 per pill) once a day for 2 weeks. Cipro works, only to find out that not only does it attack the bad bacteria, but it also destroys whatever good bacteria is in the body...so, what happens when the good bacteria is killed also? Why, of course, you get thrush!!!

Here it is 22 years later, the nail has grown back, but there is still mild to moderate nerve pain in the affected area.
Have I done spalted bowls since?? Yes, but very carefully...especially when sanding. Would I use the bowls for food?? No way!!

**artme** · 28th February 2009, 03:43 PM

That is one sweet bowl.

Several coats of poly and use only for wrapped confectionery.

**Gil Jones** · 28th February 2009, 05:08 PM

Paul,
Good looking spalted bowl

**Paul39** · 1st March 2009, 11:17 AM

Thanks for all the kind words and advice on the bowl. I am quite fond of it. The end grain is still sucking up tung oil like a sponge.

When I do the other half of the crotch, I'll rough it out nice and thick and let it dry and do the moving around for a couple months before finishing.

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