Spalted timber is timber that has rotted to a varying degree, and we must start hardening spalted timber prior to using it. If it is not hardened cutting tools will proabbly tear at it, and it will have insufficient durability for long term use once finished.
Hardening Spalted Timber
Spalted timber is sometimes hardened by using a vacuum chamber and an epoxy resin. This can work very effectively, but may take time for the resin to penetrate, and large pieces are unlikely to fit in any vacuum chamber.
As Smiths Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES) is very thin and it penetrates all rot quickly it is ideal for this task. It’s ability to find rot that is not visible to the naked eye is due to it’s unique solvent blend.
Hardening spalted timber is ideally done by immersion, ideal if you are treating pen blanks or similar. The process may be performed under vacuum, but this is not required. If the piece is too large to immerse fully then application of CPES with a paint brush will be fine. Keep the timber saturated until it stops absorbing resin.
Once the timber is hardened (following a full chemical cure of the Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer) then it may be worked.
Finishing can be by lathe, planer or sanding. The timber will withstand work from any sensible tool.
A Found Art Piece to Cherish
Click the image below for a larger image.
Wood Nymph – Close up and Personal
Professor Paul Fowler, of Sunken Wood , contacted us when he had a magnificent piece of Beech to treat.
The stunning and carefully bookmatched heavily spalted beech from Scottish Wood was carefully jointed into the 918mm by 460mm piece below.
Hardening the spalted timber was done with Smiths CPES prior to working it.
Bark inclusions were then filled with a casting epoxy (Flow Cast EcoPoxy) which of course is totally compatible with CPES.
Final finishing was done with 400 grit paper, followed by 2 coats of well buffed in Osmo Polyx Gloss. A coatine of graphene ceramics from Black Forest Wood Co. gives more durability.
Prof. Paul Fowler writes of Wood Nymph:
Finished!
We at Sunken Wood are really pleased. Here is Wood Nymph mocked up as a table blessed with bright Aberdeenshire sunshine. I think this Found Art should beautifully grace a wall rather than carry cutlery however.