Replies

1. 
   fdampier5 | Jun 10, 2003 06:21pm | #1

   clean off the mold and wipe bleach on it (I use Hilex but any grocery store brand will do) 

1. 
   10fingers | Jun 11, 2003 01:20am | #6

   Thanks everybody for the suggestions to get rid of the mold.   I scraped and put bleach on the slabs.  I will have to joint and surface them before I use them, so I don't think the bleach will hurt.  I have an a/c unit in my shop and won't have a moisture problem this summer.  I live in North Central Texas in the middle of nowhere.  My shop is 12x16 and about 14' tall with a gambrel roof.   Half is open to the top and half of the upper is for wood storage.  My daughter helped me insulate and sheetrock the interior.   If I had a recliner, tv, and a fridge for beer, I might not come out.

   I think my problem with the walnut was caused by my heater in the winter.  I have a electric oil radiator for heat.  I had the heater near the walnut stacked near my bench.  I think the heat and moisture in the walnut was enough to cause the mold.  I will put the walnut up on the storage loft and sticker it better.

   thanks again,

   Chuck

2. 
   RoyinMD | Jun 10, 2003 07:38pm | #2

   Chuck,

   What Frenchy said! and check your ventilation, air flow and exhaust.

   Enjoy, Roy

3. 
   BertJ | Jun 10, 2003 07:56pm | #3

   You might consider a dehumidifier for your shop, if you store your lumber inside. It will keep rust off your tools, too.

   BJ

1. 
   GrouchieGrum | Jun 10, 2003 09:20pm | #4

   Keep a fan going... Mold hates air circulation...

4. 
   jonsherryl | Jun 11, 2003 12:39am | #5

   Chuck,

   The molds and other fungi that spalt and decompose wood can't metabolize, if the wood's moisture content is kept below about 20%MC. (to be safe, shoot for something under 18%, since moisture levels may vary a bit within the board.)...So, if you keep the wood dry, the problem goes away...unless. of course, it has already spalted the wood or weakened the wood tissue to the point it's no longer structurally sound.

   Also, you don't really even need a moisture meter to monitor the MC...since, with the exeception of areas in the South and Southeast (Florida and the Gulf states)) and the Coastal Nothwest, thoroughly air dried wood that is kept away from precipitation normally maintains an MC range that seldom exceeds about 18%.

   ...As for using bleach to sterilize the wood...doubtless that would work in terms of its antiseptic power, but I'd be a little leary about it bleaching some of the color out of the wood...And in the case of walnut, that's not necessarily a good thing. 

   
   

   ---

   Edited 6/10/2003 5:44:14 PM ET by Jon Arno

1. 
   fdampier5 | Jun 11, 2003 08:30am | #7

   Jon,

     I've done it to some of my black walnut without any noticable color change or grain motting.

     The bleach that Hilex sells in grocery stores is too weak to have any noticble color change