Spalting dried maple/birch

[redfishsc]

I have some curly maple (it may be birch, there is some reddish color) that I came across dirt cheap, and it's all 3/4" square by a foot long.


I'd like to try spalting them, since some of it has a small amount of spalt already in it (ie, it's been "seeded").


I know spalting requires water. Could I perhaps plop the blanks over in a pressure pot with some water and marinade them for a day or so at 80PSI? I do not have access to a vaccuum pump nore chamber.


Is there anything I could add to the water that might help (other than the occasionally suggested beer, I don't touch the stuff)?


How would I store the blanks to encourage the spalt?

Thanks!

Matt

 

[gokartergo]

I do not now anything about spalting.. But if beer is said to work.. Then yeast would work even better. You can buy yeast at any grocery store.. I have to use it once a month for our septic tanks.. Just a thought..

 

[kkwall]

Hi Matt,


I remember reading an artical some time ago on spalting your own!


If I remember correctly, they recommended a fiendish mix of water, horse manure and leaves, with leaf mould on. Apparently the mould starts the spalting, and the manure and water give the correct conditions for the spalting to form. I believe that it can be done in a barrel??

There may be something in the archive??

 

[kkwall]

Hi Matt,

Check out the below link from a previous post.

http://www.woodcentral.com/russ/russ4.shtml

 

[TellicoTurning]

Matt,
I think spalting is related to time that wood is exposed to the fungus and other factors.. don't think the pressure pot will have any effect. I haven't tried the formula listed above, but have left some wood out on the ground for a few months.. I got some nice spalting.. mostly on one side, the side that was on the ground.

 

[redfishsc]

thanks all--I'll check out the link.


Oz, the pressure pot was only a way to get the kiln dried wood wet all the way through again.