Spalted?

[Stingray]

Hi all again,
Ok, I have often heard you guys out here use the word "spalted". I have got a pretty good idea what it is, but Im not sure. So I looked it up in the dictionary, I cant find the word. So anyways, what is spalted exactly mean? I cant believe I cant find it in the dictionary. This is probably another dumb question, and alot of you will laugh, but I just found it funny that I couldnt find this word! Thank you for your time.

[gerti]

Go to http://www.google.com/ and enter "spalted wood" (WITH the quotes). You'll get a number of good hits...

Basically spalted wood is wood that has started to rot. The fungi and what not work their way along the most vulnerable paths first, creating often a very interesting pattern. However the fact that we are talking funghi and spores explains why working with spalted wood can be a health hazard. But it's soooo pretty....

Gerd

[Scottydont]

Not a dumb question at all. I am not an expert by any means but Spalted Maple is one of my favorites for turning pens. Spalting naturally occurs in wood as part of the decaying process. Some folks create there own spalting in wood with various methods by introducing high moisture content and darkness (i.e. placing wood with wet coffee grounds in a dark plastic bag and keeping in a cool place.) The absense of light and high moisture allow fungus to grow. Wether natural or induced, the challenge is to find wood that has spalted enough (evidenced by black streaks) but has not rotted the wood too much. That light and spongy condition often referred to as punky. The ideal is lots of streaking but as close to the original hardness of the wood as you can get. They can be tricky to turn and can be subject to tearout or blow outs especially on end grain. I turn mostly pens from spalted woods but I stabilize them with poly under vacuum to restore the hardness and improve turnability.

Another desireable type of spalting can be caused by insect infestation like beetles.

Here is a picture of some splated maple blanks.