How to spalt hackberry

[woodman58]

I just picked up 5 hackberry logs totaling 400BF. Is there a way to make the logs spalt before I cut them? How long does it take? Should I seal the ends? And finally should I put them on the ground or up off the ground? Thanks woodman58

[ARKANSAWYER]

Here they say in the warm part of the year to fell the logs in the morning and do not saw till after lunch and the logs will be stained.  This is pretty much true if you are looking for white boards from Hackberry.  They will grey or bluestain in just alittle bit.  To get a good spalt take the logs and just skin the bark is several places along the log and around it.  Do not seal the ends!  Find a shady place in the woods and pile them up loosely and on the ground.  Do not saw till after August.  It spalts fast and easy but can go south pretty quick.  Now is the best time to get logs for spalting.

[maineshops]

i have spalted aspen quickly by standing a short log on end in a shady damp place and putting molasses on the top and covering it with a black plastic bag. don't know how long  it would take on a long log. The molasses part simply makes for a good story. the idea is that the little critters that cause the staining will rush to the top to get the molasses? well that's what i heard anyway.

[Kansas]

To get good blue stain, we let them lay for at least a month in the summer. Spalt is trickier. There is a fine line between spalt and rot. Depending on the time of year, we wait a couple of months,  then try a few. I would not seal the ends, and keep them spread out.
I always meant to try and green cut and dead pile some of it just for testing. I would like to think there is a better way to try and get more consistent spalt and blue stain. Just haven't had time to figure it out yet. Maybe someone else on here has.

[ljmathias]

I believe it's Arkansawyer that has perfected the on-purpose spalting and he's given out some hints over the years but no "formulas" to speak of.  I think he's keeping that information as a trade secret...   The only spalted wood I've cut (and that turns out to be several dozen logs over the last few years) came from natural processed logs- dead trees standing works great for hickory, white oak spalts good if it's laying around for a couple of years, and I've even gotten some yellow poplar spalt but that was mixed in between some sound and mostly rotten parts of the log.  Got some really nice spalted white oak that also has bird peck grain in it- weird combination but I like it.  Just got to find time to make something with it (and about several thousand board feet of other lumber I'm "saving" for special projects... )

Lj

[metalspinner]

Woodman58,

Here is a very good article discussing spalting and the various fungi you will need.  It should give you a springboard to get started.

https://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesArticle.aspx?id=32485


https://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesArticle.aspx?id=32484

[wesdor]

I have some boxelder working in a spalting experiment at this very moment.  They are intended for turning and are only 3 feet long.  I have 7 of them standing on end in a shady spot.  My information says to leave them for 3 months, but I'm planning on looking at one of them in late May. 

A fellow told me (in all seriousness) that it works well to pour a can of beer on top of the wood.  These are in a real shady spot, but I'm also thinking of putting a black plastic garbage bag over the top.

My guess is that Boxelder and Hackberry would be rather similar (but I've been wrong lots of time before)

Will let you know how the experiment turns out.

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Spalting is best left to professionals.    There are some good ways to get it and you had better be ready to trash some otherwise good wood.  It is more art then science.  The key is starting with green wood, keeping it wet, and keeping it warm.  Putting logs in a shady place piled up works on the large scale operaton.  I have a few tricks that I keep and if you ever come to the yard you will learn that there are some places people do not get to visit. 
  Spalt is rotting wood.  To rot wood you need moisture, warmth, and fungi.  The fungi are in the air and on the bark already so you just need moisture and warmth.
  Hackberry is a wood that can go from lightly spalt to mush in just a week or so.  Basswood and soft maple are just as bad.  Sickymore and $&^#@*&^%$elm are not as bad.  Hard maple is a bit more work and time consuming but can be done.
  If you saw a log and it is not quite good enough it can be dead stacked and wetted then covered with some hope of better spalt.  Do not be surprised if it goes to mush when you forget to check.  The spalt will stop when MC gets below 30% or temps get below 50 degrees.  You can spalt in a kiln.  The higher the temp the faster the spalt if the MC stays up.

[low_48]

I like to add oak leaves and miracle grow to the pile, and cover with black plastic. Wet it down to keep moist. I spalted some buckeye very successfully that way.

[rph816]

I've just gotten lucky.  I'll try to post some pics of spalted hackberry that I have.  It's amazing, but we really just cut it up at the right time.  I agree that sycamore and maple are easier as they seem to spalt readily but not turn to mush so fast. 

Ryan

[red oaks lumber]

on them hot high humidity nights  if yer all listening you  can hear this god awful howling and grunting going on . what this sound is, its arkie working his "professinal" voodoo spalting magic, back in those spots off limits to common folks.
 ive never had luck trying to spalt, just wrecked good wood.

[Okrafarmer]

Now you've told how to do it-- can you show some results pictures? Some of us newbies are curious and would like to at least know what we could strive to attain to after we've mastered some of the more basic tenets of lumbering! 

[woodman58]

I cut one of the smaller logs 2 months ago. It was only spalting about 2 feet in. I will post pics when the rest are cut.