[Colin_Partridge]

Hi gang,
I recieved a beatiful maple burl last year from a freind of mine I debarked it and put it into a plastic garbage bag and stored it in my garage. Today while cleaning out my gargage I found the carving. No cracks it is a beautiful burl but it smells really bad. No green mold but it has that smell you would expect if you opened a old trunk full of clothes after a few years. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions how to get rid of the smell and also is there any danger of the mold spores? I always get the greatest advice here, the smell is so strong I have washed my hands twice and I can still smell it stong.
Thanks in advance
Colin

[Ashbys]

Colin,

Sounds like the plastic bag drew moisture. And from the way you described the smell sound like mildew, which likes low light. If it is mildew, the easy way is to move it out into the bright sunlight ( or a dry room with very bright light) for a few days. Should clear it up as least as far as the smell is concerned. Then , get a mildew cleaner and wash it. I know adding water is not something we like to do on dry wood , but the spores will remain. If it has not effected the wood, yet should need just a light cleaning as the mildew spores are mostly surface.

Just guessing my friend , but sounds like it to me.

Ash

[Irish]

Colin,

You might try Murphy's Oil Soap to remove both the mold/mildew and the smell. Murphy's is great for dirt and staining and the oil will coat the spores so that they no longer have an air source.

Susan

[Ashbys]

I have never used Murphys on wood, but I know it works on mildewed leather. Good thought Susan .

Ash

[Irish]

Ash,

Many years old, at a yard sale, I came across a wood desk that was perfect size for my son's room. The only problem was the desk was black ... I honestly thought it was stained black. So I get it home, get out the Murphy's and started in thinking I was just going to clean up the dust that it had collected over the years. I was working on the front deck and the wash water began to run down the legs onto the deck ... the water was black. So I scrambled to move the desk to the walk. Eventually with lots of Murphy's but little elbow grease I had the most beautiful pecan colored student's desk that you have ever seen!

My son who had thrown a huge snit at the yard sale about not wanting 'that dirty old thing' in his room was just drooling to snatch it up and get it happily settled under his window.

Now? Personnally, for me, when it doubt use Murphy's.

Susan

(Oh - that black desk cost me $5 and the Murphy's cost about $5 ... so that's a ten buck pecan desk )

[Kenny_S]

Colin,

I don't know if this will work on your wood or not but my mother built a cedar chest when she was a senior in high school and was handed down to me when she past away. The smell of stuff being stored in it was terrible. I sanded down to clean cedar and got the aromic cedar smell back. Now, I believe it will go away the longer stuff is stored in it but my son or daughter will have to worry about that.

[Just Carving]

Colin,

Err on the side of caution--wear respiratory and skin protection, and use a dust extraction system if working inside when doing anything with that wood. Also use a good disinfectant soap when cleaning up. Bleach does have value in that area, but it is tough on the skin. Hydrogen peroxide has been said to destroy bacteria, virus, mold, and fungi. Also good for stinging like heck when you cut yourself with Rick's sharpened tools!

Also, watch what clothing you wear and where it goes--especially if someone else does your laundry. You might not have a problem, but the same allergen might bother someone else.

I don't know if you have the beginnings of spalted wood, but check the link below.

http://www.dnr.ohio.gov/forestry/Ind...paltedwood.htm

It mentions maple as being one of the woods that spalting occurs in. It also goes into the possibility that the more often and the longer you're exposed to the mold or fungi, you increase your chances of a reaction. The allergic reactions from my EMS experience as well as my own experience with allergies can range the gamut of cold like symptoms, i.e. runny nose, sneezing, headache, etc., a rash or burning of the skin, an asthma attack, and if you have a hidden allergy that is severe, you could risk what's called an anaphylactic reaction. In short, your airway closes up. This is comparable to the severe reaction that people with severe allergies to peanuts suffer.

I have already run into problems with pine, and a little bit with basswood--and these woods were drying inside a building for a substantial amount of time--the basswood for years. So, I limit my exposure to the pine, and I am still testing the waters with basswood. I have found that poplar doesn't bother me. So, I have an out if I need it. I won't even think about carving found wood because of my allergies to mold. So, even if it is just a small amount like what might be found in something that's been stashed away like in an old trunk, or in a basement, my eyes swell, the head goes bonkers, and I can forget about seeing straight for a bit, never mind doing anything critical like carving with sharp tools.

I'm not an expert on any of this. I am relaying tidbits and my own experience. But working with moldy wood is definitely worth checking into to be sure.

Bob

[AlArchie]

Best bet I've found for removing and killing the "mildew bug" is a good soaking in a strong lime soultion. Not the fruit lime or lye, but plain old garden lime. We used that to get the old canvas pup tents back to a livable condition when they were mildew contaminated, and it worked great. You'd probably have to soak the burl a bit longer, and maybe add a few drops of plain dishwasing detergent (no-bleach type) as a surfactant. run it through several rinse soaks and then I'd set it out in the open air for a while to dry. If it has been seasoned or kiln dried, a water soaking will dryout rather quickly.

I have an old trunk that still smells a bit after years of being open to the air. Can't use the lime treatment because its tin-plate covered and would rust up terribly....anybody got any ideas on that one?

Al

[kaiserb]

Colin,

From my days painting houses: when ever we ran across mildew we would mix up some TSP Tri Sodium Phosphate. It is available at Home Depot and other such big box stores in the paint dept. Mix it up with water and scrub it on with a bristle brush. Wash it off and let it dry.

Additionaly if there is discoloration you can pick up some Oxcilic Acid (Deck Cleaner) and bleach them out.

[Ashbys]

Al,

Is the entire trunk tin plated? If it is , not a lot you could do, outside of remeoving the plated metal so you could get into the wood inside.

Ash