How should I start…? I built a coffee table out of solid mahogany and when it sanded and ready for finish we noticed a few splotches of light greenish speckled stuff on 2 of the boards. So it was sprayed with an alcohol based stain to even out the color. It worked great. The green disappeared but with a mild stain that no one would notice it looked like part of the figure in the wood. About 2 months later (yesterday) I looked at a head board that had one coat of varnish on it and to my horror there it was again! But more green, same splotches and larger and more pronounced then before. Maybe the finish enhanced the green. At first I thought it might be a sticker stain but the size and shape was not like a sticker. Today I was milling for 2 mahogany bow-front chests and noticed the same “stuff” in the wood. This mahogany is very dense and very figured. The “mold” seems to run with the grain and all the way through the board.
All the mahogany is stored in the same bin. I think it might be a fungus because the alcohol seems to have gotten rid of it on the raw wood. One more thing… We got some cheap African Mahogany that is still in the rough and seems to now be covered in this “stuff”. (In the same bin) It does not look like any thing else besides the mahogany has been affected.
If anyone know what this is or how to “treat” the problem any help would be great!
Lee
Replies
Lee,
How dry is this timber? Seems to me that moisture is supporting the growth of a fungus- wouldn't be there if the timber is dry....
The lumber is dry. But it has been wicked humid and hot this summer. This crossed my mind but I noticed the fungas in the spring before the humidity started to rise.
The only way to stop this continuing problem is to lower the humidity where the wood is stored so that the spores stop growing. Also, you need to be sure there is air circulating around the wood. When you wrote "All the mahogany is stored in the same bin" did you literally mean a bin? Doesn't sound like it's stickered.
You can do a search on killing mold spores and get quite a bit of information. Sounds like you might need to get the humidity down, clean all the lumber, and blast any and all dust out of the area (hopefully carrying the mold spores with it) and run a good filtration unit to clean out as much as possible the particles that are left. Then keep the humidity lower in your storage area. Jon Arno, MHRIP, posted some temp/humidity info on this, I'll see if I can find it.
I live in the Northwest where it's very humid, but not hot. No location listed in your profile, but it sounds like it's probably hot there? Anyway, as long as I use the woodstove 3 or 4 times a week in the shop during the rainy season and dry out the air in there, I don't have any mold problems, but if I let it go, during the holidays for instance, the mold will start growing.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
The humidity in the room is 30% at all times. (climate contol for the room we store the lumber) It is not really a bin... The lumber is stored vertical against the wall with 2x4 dividers. I don't sticker the wood until it is milled. With the inventory we have it would be impractical to sticker the wood horizontaly. The bins are 13'high x 5' wide and 5' deep. Tiger maple, hard maple, soft maple, mahogany, walnut, poplar, cherry, curly cherry, random domestics and random exotics that would be a small warehouse if it was stickered. The other room is horizantal storage for lengths over 13' and all of the veneers. This stuff is strange. Never seen anything like it before in my life. It must be a fungas, I think. Might fumagate the room but trying to find something that won't kill the dog. She hides her bones back there. <G> Oh yea I live in New York.
Hmmmmm, new details...not obvious solution! Yikes.
Personally, before I fumigated, I'd try to get someone to identify the stuff. Through a regional extension or something like that. I agree with the fungus/mold idea. I have no idea if fumigation works in that type of environment or not.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Edited 8/6/2005 1:33 pm ET by forestgirl
I don't think you could have a fungus at that Rh level with dry lumber. I don't think it will grow in wood under 20% MC.
I have seen white calcium spots filling the open pores of mahogany before. Usually in some of the darker / denser stuff. Have you looked at it under magnification yet? If it is not something like that, I think your lumber may have been contaminated by some sort of non-drying chemical that soaked into it some time earlier.
I found Jon's post on humidity and temp, here it is:http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=13882.23forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
careful with fumigants as you end up breathing whatever you put on your wood eventually..... my 2 cents.... aloha, mike
Lee: Not to be paranoid but could such a mold be hazardous to humans (or pets)? Importing wood or any organic material from exotic places around the world could have pathological consequences. Many spores would survive wood drying temperatures / humidity levels; they are tough little buggers. Anyone have a story of such an occurrence? KDM
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duke, wood molds are very bad to breathe. They go stright into your blood stream and can cause serious brain infections. Spalted woods and the moldy dust accumulating in our shops are really bad for us. Clean up regularly and minimize your risk. I have a story and it isnt good. FWW has details a few years back as well. aloha, mike
Anyone know of resources for more details on this subject? Pathology is another hobby of mine (so hard to get specimens these days :) ) seriously I like to read medical books but haven't found anything specific about disease caused by woodworking. KDMKenneth Duke Masters
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