Part time lurker finally posting some PICS

[CHARLES D Richards]

I felt like maybe I should share a little since most of what I do is get great ideas from the rest of you. The majority of the work I do is spalted wood. I really love the variation and have been very fortunate to always have some nice spalted timber to choose from.

The pictures are very recent pieces and of course all spalted... river birch, oak, and a footed magnolia hollow vessel.

My name is listed as Charles but I actually go by 'Dave' and for some reason when I signed up for the Creek a few years ago it would only accept my formal name.

So, anyway, just trying to offer something that maybe others who enjoy spalted wood may enjoy viewing.

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[Tony Pisano]

Beautiful work on your part and also on mother nature's part.

[tom lucas]

really nice.

[John K Jordan]

Dave,

Very nice. I saved your notes from a couple of years ago about spalting and have used your method, although not yet as extensively as I'd like. (I added "Dave" to my file!)

Hey, what is that mirrored plinth the hollow vessel is sitting on. Something you made or found somewhere? Almost looks like polished back acrylic - I like the look!

JKJ

[CHARLES D Richards]

Thanks John, the hollow form is on a mirrored battery operated display stand. I was trying to show the feet but they don't show up too well. I often do videos of the hollow forms & other pieces on the stand so all aspects of the spalting can be seen.

Link to turntable: https://www.amazon.com/Trumpeter-Battery-Operated-Mirrored-Turntable/dp/B000EUFECU/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmrnull_11?keywords=trumpeter+displa y+turntable&qid=1551987314&s=gateway&sr=8-11-fkmrnull

[Tim Passmore]

Very nicely done Dave! I gather you do your own spalting. If, indeed that is the case, would you please elaborate or share some resources/techniques?

[CHARLES D Richards]

Very nicely done Dave! I gather you do your own spalting. If, indeed that is the case, would you please elaborate or share some resources/techniques?

Tim, what I do is not very scientific but just my method. I am sure there are a lot of variables I don't understand but in my area (south Georgia) it works for me. If fact, I have so much spalted wood I can't turn it all. As we all know, spalting is pre-rot so once the log starts to spalt I have to put it in high gear to turn as much as I can before it gets too punky.

I'll put together a few pics and descriptions of what I do and post them tomorrow.

JKJ posted a link in other thread on spalting of what i said a few years ago, you may want to check that out as well. Nothing has changed but sure don't mind post the process again.

Dave

[Tim Passmore]

Thank you so much.

[Randy McCreight]

Your bowl is beautiful.

[Roger Davis TN]

Hello Dave, good looking wood and forms. I like spalted and a bit punkey wood. I have learned what shear cutting is all about using this type of wood. I have trouble with the inside cuts of vases, a little bouncy and rough. Do you try to harden the wood? I have used Minwax hardener but find Danish oil works well. The last spalted bowls I turned where buffed out, not much shine though. Thanks for displaying, Roger.

[CHARLES D Richards]

thanks Roger. I hear you about the shear cutting...I occasionally use Minwax hardener on specific places but a can lasts me a long, long time. At least for me buffing spalted wood goes in this order from worse to best oil finish.. walnut oil, danish, antique. I generally do not do a lot of buffing except hollow forms where I use 3-4 coats of Krylon Matte rattle can. Afterwards I use Beal buffing but add microcrystalline wax instead of carnuba.

This spalted oak HF was buffed that way after the Krylon

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[CHARLES D Richards]

thanks Randy for the kind words. You're probably talking about God's workmanship with the spalting.

[CHARLES D Richards]

really nice.



thanks Tom and Tony

[Dave Fritz]

Beautiful work, I look forward to seeing how you do the spaulting.

[CHARLES D Richards]

Good morning everyone, I'm afraid you may be disappointed in my spalting process because I don't do anything different, mother nature does it all.

I am sure geography plays a role= I live in Valdosta, Ga which is 15 miles from the Florida line. High summer temps and high humidity. Not a lot of rain but some

Attached find pics of my woodpile...you'll notice that almost all the wood is left in log form, laying on the ground or on some slab pieces of wood left over from previous cuttings.
Some wood is stacked on top of each other to keep it off the ground. No real system and it really depends on how much I want to work that
day.

So, when I get a piece of wood, I keep it in the longest form I can manage by myself and seal the ends with Anchorseal. I use the blue color just so I can notice from a distance that I did actually coat the ends.

I then make a notation on my phone to check the piece in 4 months. When the 4 months is up I cut a 1 inch slab off the log to see if spalting has occured. If not, I wait another 60 days, check it again and then every 30 days thereafter.

In my experience most wood spalts within 6-7 months and I have 60-90 days to turn it before it gets too punky.

Some woods spalt totally different than others color wise so I take than into account. Down here Sweet gum spalts brown and orange but gets punky quickly. River birch can spalt in 4 months. Most woods spalt with the common black lines .

In November 2017 a lady brought me 8 pieces of pecan to do commissioned gifts for her family members. I am not fond of pecan until is spalts so I told her it would take a year for me to get her gifts finished. I had to encourage her to be patient to allow the wood to spalt so the pieces would be much prettier. I took photos of the logs over time to show her the spalting process which may be a good example for you to see.

So, I coated the ends with Anchorseal and waited, after 4 months is the first picture, second picture is after 6 months, last picture was 7 months.

hope this helps a little
Dave

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[David M Peters]

Thanks for the information, Dave! After each examination slice do you re-coat with Anchorseal?

[CHARLES D Richards]

yes, David. sorry forgot to add that part

[John K Jordan]

Excellent! I'll add this message (and pictures) to my file. I recently got some sugar maple logs that I want to try spalting.

[Ted Calver]

Beautiful wood, beautifully executed! Looks like you have plenty of land to play on too.

[CHARLES D Richards]

Yes Ted, we live out in the boonies on 132 acres. I try not to cut my own trees unless they have already fallen or standing dead. There's always plenty of wood in our area plus I always look for contruction sites that are clearing lots, sound of chain saws, etc.

[John K Jordan]

... I try not to cut my own trees unless they have already fallen or standing dead. ...

I agree with that philosophy. I only use trees from my property that come down by themselves or have to be removed for some reason. I feel sorry for turners who live in the desert - living in the "hardwood belt" there's always far more free wood than can ever be used. An adjoining landowner is clearing woods for pasture for cattle and making huge bonfires with the trees. He invited me to mark any trees I wanted and he puts those logs into piles for skidding.

JKJ

[Steve Eure]

Charles, I live not too far from you as "the crow flies", as they say. A little unincorporated town of Elmodel, Ga. (pronounced Elm-odel) It is a very small hole in the road community on Hwy. 37 in Baker Co. between Leary and Newton, Ga. I have had great success spalting Chinaberry. It takes only a few months under a tarp on the ground. I unintentionally found that out after I turned some green, dried in my kiln, then finished turning. Although those bowls were nice, they were nothing compared to what happen next. After a few months, I took another log, and too my surprise, it was heavily spalted. They turned out beautiful. Those are the ones that everyone wants.

[CHARLES D Richards]

Yep, Steve, for me, it seems to be better not to push mother nature too hard and let her have her way with the spalting. As you can see from the pecan end pieces I posted, what a difference the last 30 days made.

If you're ever heading south on I-75 stop by and we can share turning info

[Lamar Wright]

Very nice work Charles! I love to turn spalted Maple. Your spalting process is identical to mine. Beautiful pieces indeed.

[CHARLES D Richards]

Thanks Lamar

[Alex Zeller]

Spaulting is one of those things that either you are in the right location and have the right species or not. This is the only picture I have (the wife sent it the day after I gave her the bowl) but it's yellow birch that had sat on the ground for about a year and a half. The outer sapwood that was touching the ground had already started to rot. There's some spaulting going on but not a lot. I guess that's the price I pay for living where the temps could drop to -40 in the middle of winter. The Beech around here just rots while standing.
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