Mold Help!

[Brad_bb]

I'm a newbie.  I peeled my first log one week ago today.  It was a Norway spruce that was blown down in a storm.  I debarked the log as recommended on this site(sticky job).  I put it in the barn and I returned today to find mold growing on it.  Obviously It's dark in the barn and the mold is feeding on the sugars of the sap.  What should i do to stop this?  I don't want it all stained.  Do I spray it with somthing?  I plan to use it as a post in a timberframe if I can.  Thank you, Brad_bb

[BBTom]

I don't know this as a fact, but I guess that 4 oz. of clorox in a garden sprayer of water would kill the mold without causing much bleaching. 

[Don P]

Bleach, diesel fuel (yeah I know), or sapstain preventers will all help to poison the food supply. Schroeders retails the sapstain preventers, sawmill and woodlot usually has some ads too.

Denying moisture is another way, dry the surface faster.

Denying oxygen is another, keep it under water or under a spray. Not really what you want to do here though.

That's the three ways to prevent sapstain.

[Dale Hatfield]

I have heard of some having luck by spraying with a soap solution and let it dry. Never tried
Dale

[Brad_bb]

Help me out.  What is Schroeder's and woodlot, Don?

[beenthere]

Sawmill and Woodlot is a forum sponsor (see left column) and magazine,  and Shroeder is a log-home supply company that sells the sapstain preventer. 

Schroeder supply

[brdmkr]

I would think that a little and bleach and water might help clean that up.  I also made a mixture of solubor (available at  farmer's supply stores) to treat for insects.  I really believe that the solubor solution brightened the wood and helped with the mold, but it may have been my imagination.  If you go the solubor route, do a search on solubor or borates and you should have all the info you will need.

[Furby]

Ok, here's one that I don't understand.
I recently peeled a small cedar post and left it out in the open sun.
No rain and a couple days later it was covered with mold......... on the top facing sides.
The down facing side was clear for several more days until it was finally taken over as well.
Now we have been extremly dry durning this time and it was out in the open under FULL sun.

Not what I expected, any ideas why it happened?

[Don P]

Oxygen, moisture, food  ??? I have a heck of a time trying to beat bluestain during dog days. Guessing maybe the sun drove vapor to the surface harder, it was still wet enough and hotter than the other side  ???

[Furby]

I guess I was thinking the sun would dry it faster, but I can see how it would drive it to the surface faster and keep feeding it.
I also have a small stump from Jeff B's property that I peeled.
That went right inside the house and I've had no trouble with that, so I'm thinking you are right.

[jim king]

We live with 90 degrees and 90 % humidity everyday.  I have a series of these and never have any mold.   All our wood goes in front of these fans until it goes into the kiln.

[Don P]

Nice fanshed  8)
I ran across this article this evening on using bleach and borates for mold control
http://web.utk.edu/~mtaylo29/files/mold.pdf

[ohsoloco]

Mold is really hard to prevent sometimes.  I was really surprised to find mold on some of my stained siding boards that I had stickered (I used Uncle Larry's walnut stain  ;) which is mostly diesel fuel).  Until today it has been so DanG humid around here.  A few weeks ago I threw a tarp over the stickered, pre-stained siding b/c we were expecting rain, and I left it on there for a few days.  Well, I had the tarp down over the sides (duh!), and when I pulled it off there were some boards with quite a bit of green mold growing on the surface.  I know airflow was my problem, but I was still surprised to see it with all of that diesel oil on it.