Thread: Spalted wood(wood turning)

Welcome to the forum Elevalther.

Yes, CA is commonly used and yes it's horrible stuff. Other options include sanding sealer, spray-on lacquer and thin penetrating epoxy.

I have been told microwaving it kills the spores no idea how long etc

Originally Posted by elevalther

..........Is there a cheap and efficient way to harden up all the soft and decay areas in spalted wood with out using e.g. super glue. I realy don´t like the stuff ,if itsn´t really dry then you can get in your eyes. whenyour are spinning the lathe, even your are using safety glasses, and I allways have to kick nearly the whole bottles out because it´s dries for my, and it is exactly not quit cheap..........

Welcome to the forum. Searching the forum for "stabilising spalted" should bring up a few answers. I don't work with much spalted timber so I can't help much there but I can help with the super glue (CA) going to waste! Ignore the manufacturers suggestion of storing it in the fridge - it is in their best interest to make sure it goes off quick and that is the way to do it. Gather up some of those little desiccant sachets you find in electronics packaging and so forth and throw them in a jar with your bottle of CA - will keep forever!
It's not rocket science - the catalyst for CA is moisture - put it in the fridge and the first thing that happens when you remove it is massive condensation of said catalyst - put it in a sealed jar with reduced moisture in the air around it - lasts like Tutankahmen

Good tip Vern. Thanks.

Elevalther be very careful with power sanding; as you can imagine with a mix of sound and soft wood it's easy to get corrugations. So there's value in hardening the spalted stuff for this reason alone, not to mention easier cutting.

Wheelin's point is important: you shouldn't breathe in the spores.

Good luck.

Welcome a board, glad to an Iberian amongst us.


Hers a few links to get you up and running

http://www.preservation-solutions.co...tegory_id=1000

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=33280

http://www.rrpwhite.com/stabilizing%20page.htm

http://www.stabilizedwood.com/info.shtml

http://content.penturners.org/articl...yurethane1.pdf

Elevalther ,
If the spalting is deeper than you thought , and the solidifying stuff does not penetrate all the way , you may end up with this result

MJ's pic throws up another point: if you're turning a bowl or platter and have reversed onto the tenon, check that your chuck jaws are clamped on the soundest parts.

Good point Ern

Not that this was my problem there. The 'spalt' was almost thru and thru rot , and pie slice just fell off
The tenon , on the back , is still in one piece

If I have any doubts about the tenon I will run a smear of CA around it before proceeding. If it soaks in quickly I re do it a few minutes later

There's a gentleman from Arizona, in the upover that hardens punky wood in a mixture of White Glue and water. 50/50 mixture I think. But, I had to let it sit for an hour or so to get it to penetrate enough to work for me. Coulda been that my glue was old and thickened, too. But I would think that a mixture of about one-third glue and two-thirds water would penetrate very well. Soak the wood for a while, and then just let it dry, and turn away.
You could also turn it down to pretty close to the shap you want, then soak it in the glue mixture for a little while, and let it dry, and finish turning it.

Good tip Al about doing the treatment close to last cuts (provided there's enough strength in the lump to get there; given MJ's experience).

Course the other thing to bear in mind in all of this is what finish you want to use and how the hardening solution might affect that.

Hi elevalther, welcome to this treasure "arc" of knowledge and advice from the land of OZ.
Glad to see a new member from Spain, (not many here, I think!), the neighbour country of my place of birth, Portugal.

Anyway, most of the best possibilities have been mentioned above by the other forumates, and as far as I know, there is no other faster dry/harden product than the CA. It is a dangerous product to use, expensive and with nasty fumes, either on application and after dry, (sanding). We all use it, and I'm no exception, I buy it in boxes of 50 bottles of 10ml each, same with a 2 part epoxy.

Now, I know that "celulosic" (made with paint thinners) sanding sealer, is a fast dry, penetrates deep into the timber, and hardens very nicely with just one "soaking" coat. The most effective way to do it, is to submerse the whole piece into this stuff, for a few hours (4 at least), then let it dry overnight on a well ventilated place, away from light. Is important that the wet piece is put somewhere where it allows the excessive sealer to run out and not get stuck (glued) in the base as it dries. The best way to achieve this is to use some sort of thin metal mesh (an old fridge wire shelve, will do), and preferentially, allow the excessive sealer to drip into the container where the sealer is stored (or the one used to submerse the piece) for an hour or so.
When talking about submerse timber items (bowls, etc.),into any sort of solution, the first thing that will come to ones mind is, the amount needed = $cost. The most common container size bough is the 1lt one, and 1lt goes a long way even if use to soak timber but, the point I'm trying to make is, sanding sealer is a product most of us use for our timber finishes, and if you compare the price of 1lt tin and the price of 1 gallon (normally 4lt), you will find that it will cost you just over 2x1tl tins so, a well worth investment. Another thing with this product is that, you can put the whole 4 lt into a container to submerse a bowl or something else for a few hours, drain it into the original container and use it time and time again, it does not dry, harden or loses its qualities at all. The same can not be said for sanding sealers water based (acrylic), they do not penetrate the timber much and will dry/harden in the tin after used/open.

This process can be repeated, as many times as you feel necessary, or until the whole timber surface is stable and hard throughout, just give it 1 possibly 2 days in between.

I hope this is of some help to you, and we will all appreciated it you let us know how you go with it, with the must and obvious pics we all look for!

Cheers
RBTCO

Originally Posted by TTIT

Ignore the manufacturers suggestion of storing it in the fridge - it is in their best interest to make sure it goes off quick and that is the way to do it. Gather up some of those little desiccant sachets you find in electronics packaging and so forth and throw them in a jar with your bottle of CA - will keep forever!

Good one ....

Thanks Vern

Neil

Thanks folks

What a warm welcome, it is really a ark of treasure, I will read your answers care fully.

thanks again.

Elevalther