# Funky smelling spalted maple



## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Anyone ever run into spalted wood with a funky odor? I have 2 bowls that I turned a while ago that now that I brought them put for sale, they stink. :-(. They smell sort of mildewy. Anyone else ever experience this?


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## wildwood (Jan 25, 2011)

yes had some gum that laid on ground in woods for almost two years, bowls smelled prettu funky.


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## Bonanza35 (Jan 20, 2011)

I made a bowl from a cottonwood that had what I decided was a bacterial disease. It smelled horrible but looked kinda cool. That was in July and it is dried, finished with several coats of *** and still has a mild odor. Nobody else seems to notice it though. Hopefully yours will smell ok when it dries.


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

This wood was dry and it seems to be getting stronger rather than milder.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

I have a ton of spalted red oak that smells like really strong asiago cheese when you cut it... Only when working it though, after a sealing coat of any form - no more smell.

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## Biscobob (Jul 25, 2011)

sawdustfactory said:


> Anyone ever run into spalted wood with a funky odor? I have 2 bowls that I turned a while ago that now that I brought them put for sale, they stink. :-(. They smell sort of mildewy. Anyone else ever experience this?


The smell is from whatever type of fungi caused the spalting. I have some aspen that was spalted by Oyster mushrooms and it has a sweet anise smell to it exactly like the mushrooms do. If the wood is dry and then sealed the smell should go away, if this is green or wet wood the smell won't go away till it dries and the fungus dies.


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## Midlandbob (Sep 5, 2011)

Moldy or otherwise known as spalted wood does get it's unusual small from the mold and the pigments they make. Be careful as the mold is a sensitized and good respiratory protection is warranted. 
The active molds usually go dormant at less than about 20% moisture content. Getting and keeping it dry prevents or stalls the growth. Eventually, the noxious stuff is kept covered by most finishes. Cyanoacrylate glues also can be used to seal in the fungus and firm up the punky spots.
The results can be very attractive especially as decorative parts of projects.
The smell can be interesting.


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## Biscobob (Jul 25, 2011)

Midlandbob said:


> Moldy or otherwise known as spalted wood does get it's unusual small from the mold and the pigments they make. Be careful as the mold is a sensitized and good respiratory protection is warranted.


That is a very good point to make. Sawdust is bad enough, but the sawdust from spalted wood contains some of the fungi that was growing on the wood also. There have been documented cases of workers in commercial mushroom operations that have had the fungi start growing in their lungs. We breathe fungal spores into our lungs everytime we take a breath and for healthy people it is not a problem, but in high amounts and for those with compromised health they can be deadly.


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