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[Phil Tomlinson]

Here's a pic from a turning forum of a 'silver maple' bowl.  The wood was put in a bag with leaves, 'miracle grow' and 'horse biscuits'(?) for a year

Nice bowl.  Horse biscuits are usually made from apples, carrots and sugar or honey with a little flour to hold them together.  Not sure what all that would contribute to the process...?

[Canuck]

I did get more info on how he 'spalted' the bowl blank; he placed the blank with some decaying leaves etc...in a black garbage bag for almost a year then removed it cleaned up all the 'slimy' residue then soaked it in DNA(denatured alcohol) and let it dry for a month before turning it into the bowl shape.

[Robert Yarger]

Guys, don't know if it will work or not, but fungus is supposed to be a sponge for any toxins or minerals in its environment.  You might try adding copper or iron filings to the bag.  The fungus might absorb it and suck green or orange trails in the wood.

[Kerry Verne]

You don't just chuck it up in the lathe and set it spinning to get all that stuff off?

[Canuck]

Hey Robert, I think that the 'Spartle' had some of that color in it?

[Robert Yarger]

It did, but being the idot that I was, I just assumed at the time that spartle was another name for burl and that the minerals were absorbed from the base of the roots. 

I think there was even some blue in there in some places.

Wonderful and pretty stuff.

[Canuck]

I still have some 'small pieces' if you ever need any, pretty incredible stuff.  I may have some 'stabilized' eventually, I tried turning some into a pen but could not successfully turn it without self destructing

[Robert Yarger]

Lovely stuff, but I will probably take a break from it for a while.  I shattered about 8 of those dominoes by just beveling or sanding them, and had to search my shop for the little pieces that flew off and glue them back on.  In the end, it was worth it, but they are not very structurally strong, unless you infuse them with epoxy.

[Canuck]

Hey Robert, I was initially confused as to how the 'spalting' occured as well, I suppose it could occur naturally, and I have seen 'burls' with natural 'stains' also.  Just so you know a lot of 'burls' are not from the knarly root area of the tree, in fact many are bulbous growth on the trunk of the tree and are harvested without damaging the tree itself

[Robert Yarger]

Does spalting occur on all wood types.  9 years ago, I made a cat food feeder out of mahogany (quite exotic for a cat).  4 years ago, I placed it outside as a plant stand, and just left it out.  I looked at it today, hoping to find some spalting that I could use for a project.  There was none.  To my surprise, it also had no rot, and no bug bore holes.  Aside from a slight patina from age and elements, it is just as robust as the day I built it.

I know that some woods like cedar weather very well, and I must say that mahogany should be added to that list. 

[Canuck]

Yeah, I don't think all woods will 'spalt' some have natural 'decay' inhibitors, mahogany as you've noticed but one that springs readily to mind is Teak, I have a bench that sits out front of my house in all seasons in all elements and aside from some 'graying' looks just like it did the day I put it out there over three years ago!

[Fritz Hoddick]

For anyone interested in natural staining of wood by saprophytic fungi will find this iteresting.
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/jul2008.html
Btw, there's a whole field of dying wool with fungi that could apply to wood as well.

Kerry, I've not noticed the white dusting of powdery substance on Padauk before but it sounds like what I've seen on aromatic cedar.  It sounds like its the oils in the wood crystalizing their way out through the surface of the wood.

[Kerry Verne]

I haven't checked the humidor I made, I might be able to take a pic of it. It seems to take months to become noticable.