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Thread: black walnut - glittery?

  1. #1

    black walnut - glittery?

    About 10 years ago I acquired 3 black walnut logs from a homeowner. I took the logs to a local guy with a wood mizer and milled and kiln dried the lumber. It's been stacked in my garage for the past 5 years. I started pulling boards from the stack this weekend and have noticed that the boards are sparingly covered in what looks to be a glitter like substance. It's hard to spot unless you look close and move back and forth until the light reflects off a piece. I vacuumed a board and it came right off. I took my hand plane and after several swipes the walnut almost looks like it has microscopic glass crystals in it. I've never seen this before. Is this natural or doe anyone have any idea what this could be? The guy that dried the lumber was just getting started, I'm not convinced he knew everything he was doing, is it possible something was added during to the kiln during the drying process?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
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    10,304
    Or maybe the glitter has arrived during the five years the lumber has been sitting in your garage. Is the glitter everywhere? If it is something which dusted in later, I'd expect to find it more on top boards, and ends of lower boards. And I'd expect it only on top surfaces, not the bottom surfaces.

  3. #3
    It's on nearly every board. When it was stacked in my garage (dried) it wasn't stickered/spaced, which leads me to believe it acquired this in the kiln somehow.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    10,304
    If it is glass or sand, it may dull planer blades. Thorough vacuuming might be a good idea. Or maybe blasting it away with compressed air.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
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    WNY
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    "I took my hand plane and after several swipes the walnut almost looks like it has microscopic glass crystals in it." Sounds to me like it's minerals in the wood. I don't think the guy who milled and dried it had anything to do with it.

    John

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