Spalted English Walnut

[Dakota Kid]

I have some spalted english walnut. It is stabilized (dried), but untreated(no hardener). It still has it's hardness, but is as light as a feather. I came from my walnut tree in the yard and has been air dried for 2 years. I made a few keep sake boxes with it, but don't see myself using the rest.

I have planks about 1/4"- 3/8" thick.


I also have blocks, some as large as 2.5" x 2" and down to 2" x 1"(or less)




I'm open to offers. I guess I'm low on feathers for fletchings. I am in need of leather for handle wraps. I'll always take a stave or billets preferably osage which is sparse in my area. I have some more interesting wood I'll be posting as soon as I chop it up into pieces.

[Blaflair2]

I don't think that is spalted. Dead standing? I have some English walnut looks exactly like that

[Dakota Kid]

The dark streaks are caused by exposure to fungus so I assume it's spalting. It's not like the jet black lines found in maple because it's a different wood and isn't as susceptible to the fungus. It was cut green. Then I stuck one end in the dirt and leaned them against my shed and left them there all summer & fall. Then they came into the basement and dried for 18 months or so. If the stuff you have looks like this and it was standing dead when you found it, I'm guessing it was exposed to the fungus and darkened as a result.

Take a look at the close up. I guess you could call it partially spalted, but that looks like spalting to me. I have other wood from the same tree air dried indoor right after cutting and it looks white compared to this stuff.

[Dakota Kid]

Here's a piece of ash or maple not really sure. I'm leaning toward maple. In either case, I assume this is considered more of a classic spalting.

[Blaflair2]

English walnut has dark streaks in the grain

[Blaflair2]

This is a board of it

[Dakota Kid]

It is dark if it's heartwood. That is a pretty piece of walnut heartwood BTW.
These came from a 5" branch. There was no heartwood to speak of, which was a disappointment. All of the dark color came from fungus, which was an effort to make the plain wood I had a little more appealing. You can see it a little better in this photo.


It's blueish grey and purple-ish. Look at the end grain. You can see it looks like staining not a definitive separation of sap and heartwood. Trust me I wish it had this color when I cut it. I suppose next to mature heartwood it is't that impressive. To witness the change however, made it more appealing I guess.

[Blaflair2]

Spaying is the black lines

[Dakota Kid]

The black line spalting(like in your board) is one type referred to as zone lines. The lines are actually a build up of mycelium produced by the fungal colony. These zone lines occur as a result of the colony attempting to barricade itself and protect it's resources while in the presence of other colonies.

The type of spalting in the wood I have posted is known as pigmentation or sapstain. It is more common because it isn't as host specific as other types of spalting. It can range in color from blues and purples to reds and oranges depending on the fungus and the wood.

Walnut is not typically receptive to spalting of any kind. I assume it will only occur in the sapwood, as the commonly spalted woods are all white hardwoods.

Wikipedia is pretty cool. You should check it out sometime.

[Blaflair2]

I still think spalted is spalted and fungus is fungus. Either way wear a mask

[Dakota Kid]

Spalting of any kind is caused by fungus!!! You are entitled to think what you like, but you'd be wrong(and stubborn apparently).

And yes, I wear a mask.

[Blaflair2]

I'm not stubborn. From my experience and opinion any time anyone talks about spalted wood it is the kind that I showed. I understand it is a fungus. But what u are showing doesn't constitute sparring in my book. Yes it is a fungus, yes it has some color change.

[Dakota Kid]

To limit oneself to your own opinions and experiences pretty much defines the word stubborn.

Did you read that wikipedia article yet? Or better yet do a google image search for spalted wood. On the first page of results you'll see examples of spalting without zone lines(pigmentation/sapstain). I'll admit the majority of the results show wood like yours with the zone lines, but other types are represented.

This isn't "your book" by the way so pretty please with sugar on top, stop telling me I'm wrong. You don't have to call it spalted if you don't want to. By the way this was posted on the trade blanket not the discussions forum. I'm pretty sure you never had any intentions of making a trade. Next time you feel the need to discredit someones offering remember these words of wisdom, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." At the very least, if you wanna call someone out as wrong, check a resource or two first and make sure they are in fact wrong.

PS. I think your auto correct is changing the word spalted/spalting in all your posts.

[mullet]

Awww, come on boys, play nice.