Spaltinig recipe??

A while back, there was a thread on spalting, and some one (maybe Leo?) had a mixture that they used to induce spalting. I'm going to cut some limbs this week (Ash, Sycamore, hackberry and pecan), some 6 inches or more. I want to try spalting on these, but I'm not sure what to put in my "spalting soup" to get the right bacteria to start the process. Any one remember the ingredients for this??

Another question: Are there external signs that will indicate that the spalting has reached an adequate coloration? I'm concerned about stopping it too soon, and having a bland piece or leaving it too lang and have it so mushy it can't be turned without adding CA glue or other fortifier. Any guidelines? TIA

Ken Moon Webberville, TX

Reply to
Ken Moon
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I find that things spalt nicely if left lying on a forest floor - figure all the right fungi (and it is fungi, not bacteria - the spalt lines are the chemical warfare defining the boundary of one fugal colony and the next) are living right there. If not having a forest, leaves would presumably help. If you had the time and energy, turning things once in a while might even the process up a bit.

Sometimes you can see marks on the end of the log, and often there are fruiting parts (ie, a visible tree fungus growth). But it is somewhat of a crap shoot - keep checking with an icepick, and pull stuff in to turn if there's much sign of softening on any piece in a batch. Before it softens, you pretty much need to cut or turn a piece to see how its coming along. If not so much, I guess you could put the piece back for more fungus time.

Reply to
Ecnerwal

Hi Ken

Sorry it was not me that had the spalting recipe, but I do know that hackberry and sycamore can have nice spalting,don't know about spalting in pecan and spalted ash never looked very good to me. I do have a link to Andrew Hiton's site and he has a big write up on spalting the how and why, If I recall it right, he did commercial spalting, anyway a lot of info there.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Ken Mo> A while back, there was a thread on spalting, and some one (maybe Leo?) had

Reply to
l.vanderloo

SORRY And here's the link,

Reply to
l.vanderloo

I am trying to induce spalting on some silver maple that I have. I put a layer of shavings on the ground, got them wet, then put an end cut piece of dogwood that was very spalted on the shavings. I then put the silver maple on the dogwood, added more water, more spalted dogwood, water, more shavings to cover the log sections, and more water, then a tarp. I will let it stew for a while, and keep checking on it to make sure it stays damp. and see how it progresses.

robo hippy

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robo hippy

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TonyM

Reply to
Lazyacres

Russ Fairfield has a great spalting recipe.

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Reply to
dmreasons

I've used Russ's formula before and have had sucess with it. Just a few things that I've observed with spalting, no matter what method you choose - 1) it works better in warm or slighty hotter weather (Living in Las Vegas is great for this!), 2) If using a container (like a trash barrel), make sure to cover it up and keep it 'out of sight', so that animals or small children aren't tempted to play around with it. 3) Moisture is probably the biggest part in the process (If you add too much water to the mix, don't worry about it!)

As far as determining what external signes to spot, mushrooms are really good, white moss/slime is good too. How long you want to spalt is up to you, but I check it every three months or so by pulling out a log (with gloves on), and cutting a portion of it off.

As stated before, some species of wood just don't spalt very well/at all, and some only get moderate results.

Reply to
Brent

Mac

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Reply to
mac davis

my formula for Nova Scotia is to let the wood sit for a couple or three months, sometimes a year or two before I get to it. Looks spalted to me.

Reply to
Darrell Feltmate

I've heard (but *not* tried,) that urea will help promote spalting- this was in the context of a surf-board maker, not a turner. Perhaps the easiest thing to try, but I don't think I'd want to spin it on the lathe afterwards! :)

Reply to
Prometheus

Not sure urea will help bacteria that feed on lignin and cellulose. They're everywhere in the woods, so no inoculation required. Warm and damp are the recipe. Above 18% is the mark, but keeping them at the FSP ~30% would preserve the shape as well. Some say set them on end, but that has produced rot on the ground and split on the top for me, with little to be proud of in the middle. I lay them right on the ground, cover with damp shavings and turn 'em after a few weeks to even the progression. Leave the bark, cover the ends.

Reply to
George

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