When a piece of wood starts to rot and decay the fungi and mould combines to produce a strange reaction. This phenomenon causes a wonderful array of lines, colours and patterns that stain the wood. This process creates stunning visual effects and is known as spalting. The best examples of spalting usually occur in lighter coloured woods such as Beech, Maple, Birch and sometimes Oak.
When it comes to woodturning blanks, spalted wood is highly prized by all wood turners. Because it is sought after timber, some craftsmen actually try artificially inducing the spalting process to replicate the fantastic patterns. This usually involves placing a piece of wood inside a plastic bin liner along with a small amount of water, beer and Oak leaves. A small piece of rotting or spalted wood will also speed up the process.
Spalted wood is commonly found on the forest floor. If a tree branch has been brought down by strong winds and left on the ground, you can guarantee that spalting will follow fairly quickly. Spalting only occurs in certain conditions for example, where some moisture is present and in certain temperatures. When the wood dries the fungi is killed but the amazing patterns remain.
The only downside with spalted wood is the reduced strength in some cases. This means sometimes it is difficult to work with. If a piece of timber has been decaying for too long, it can be particularly weak. This problem is not an insurmountable one but decayed wood will require treatment with a specialist wood hardener. This will make the piece stable and suitable for most wood turning or carving projects.
Some of the most impressive turned objects you will see are made out of spalted wood. If you do not fancy purchasing spalted woodturning blanks, you can always ask Mother Nature to help you out by collecting some dead wood from the forest floor. This is a readily available source of spalted wood as long as you have permission and don't mind getting your hands dirty.
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