spalting tips?

We've got a "pro" here, who'll chime in, though you might want to get a few of the basics first.

Go out to the woods and look at chunks of what you want to turn. The spalting will be on the ground side for reasons of gravity and greater moisture. Some just rot so quickly you can't rely on intermediate beauty. Lot of softwoods in that category. More substantive woods are better bets. Some won't rot because they're too resinous or acid.

I like to lay a log on its side where it's damp and cool, rotating it so that the spalting happens round and round, instead of the bottom rotting while the top is almost pristine. Bark is obviously on, and loose shading to hold moisture is advised if you don't have good deep shade.

Or, you can let 'em lay, and accept what you get. Mostly what you'll get is rot one side (or one end, if on end) some spalt, and then out to plain wood. That's why I favor the interventionist approach, such variability is difficult to turn and finish properly.

Answered directly. I suggest anybody (still) interested (but STILL not understanding it), just do a search in the list archives at

- Andrew

I do something a little different, but have some great success. In fact, I may have read about it here several years ago.

I turn the piece GREEN (I do mean GREEN) to 90% completion, then pack the shavings from the turning into a plastic grocery bag, put the piece in the bag and then stuff it inside (for goblets, bowls, etc.) and out all around the piece. Then I tie the bag closed. Then I put another bag around it.

I wait about 90 days then pull the piece out. Usually, it is good and black, will all manner of spalting running over the piece, inside and out. Some pieces I have pulled out look like ebony they are so molded. Turn the piece to the finished shape, then put it in another grocery bag tightly sealed to let the piece finish drying out, ususally another 60 days.

Then I pull it out and final sand it, and apply finish. No shellac finishes here, spray laquer or poly is best as the shellac has a tendency to break down your spalt lines and make them blurry instead of nice and crisp like a piece of marble.

The added benefit is that the piece will continue to shrink in the second phase, and I have had small goblets come out of the second bag with walls no more than 1/16' or so thick. MUCH thinner than I could (or did!) turn them. They were a big hit at the club though as they thought I actually turned the walls that thin and uniform as my design.

Robert

Do you have a picture of a woodturning that you've done this to? You can post it to alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking or email directly to me or point to a URL.

- Andrew