Spalting 101

[Big Beech]

New book just delivered, haven’t read it yet but looks good on the reviews. There is another book that doesn’t have the how to section and was a bit more expensive if I recall.

anyone done anything to speed up the process?

[Stubby]

1 hour ago, Big Beech said:

New book just delivered, haven’t read it yet but looks good on the reviews. There is another book that doesn’t have the how to section and was a bit more expensive if I recall.

anyone done anything to speed up the process?

I have heard some people stand the cut face down on a permanently damp surface .

[5thelement]

A guy I used to work with did a lot of wood turning and bowl making.
He would always do the spalting afterwards.
He reckoned unspalted wood turned better, he would then put the bowls in bags containing all kinds of stinking concoctions usually involving seaweed.

[devon TWiG]

I spalt wood with varying degrees of success , Ash and Beech work best for me , I prefer wood that is at least a bit spalted already and when it is still wet /fresh cut I wrap with clingfilm leaving the bottom open and put it on the ground in my woodland in an area near to where I cut and split logs so a nice culture of rotting sawdust , bark and fragments already exists about a year seems to produce results .   Ash bowl about 9" dia and Hollow egg form approx 12" tall 

[Big Beech]

Was hoping to do this log, speed up helge process 

[gobbypunk]

Damp sawdust in a black sack or just left in the sawdust somewhere damp and dark works ok for me