[Skulli]

Quick question for those who know the properties of wood better than I:

I found a silver maple tree about 3" at the base that had a radical "S" curve down low where perhaps it was forced to grow around some immovable obstacle at some point.

I carved it into a personal walking cane (I have a bad back) and the "S" has become a very realistic neck and head of my carved snake-stick!

Problem is, at the fat, curvy end, the innermost rings of maple are VERY dark in contrast to the near pure white of the entire rest of the wood, and a hollow center is in the midst of the darkness. This part ended up being the bottom chin area of my serpent and I used homemade wood filler to fill the hole and sanded it all down as normal.

The question is, is that dark center ring area with the now filled hole, wood rot of some kind? Once finished and sealed in polyurethane, will something horrible happen to my hard work somewhere down the road?

Please advise, and thanx so much in advance,

Jim

[Skulli]

Uh-oh...I was just searching Google and found an identical photo like my wood situation. Apparently, it is indeed wood rot....sooooooo, now what? My stick is 1/2 finished. If I just carve/burn on and seal right over the damage, will the stick keep on rotting? Help!

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

after you get it carved the way you want it, there are several chemicals available that will harden and stabilize rotten wood....if its still half way solid, even cyanoacrylate (profession woodworker crazy glue) will work....

[Skulli]

Originally Posted by Hi_Ho_Sliver

after you get it carved the way you want it, there are several chemicals available that will harden and stabilize rotten wood....if its still half way solid, even cyanoacrylate (profession woodworker crazy glue) will work....

Thanks!

I also just read about using antifreeze (glycol) and applied 2 doses to the bare area and am letting it soak overnight...then I'll try my Zap-A-Gap cyanoacrylate as you suggested.

[Linda L]

Wow, I think we must be from the same planet---the one with beautiful maple that looks like it would make a good snake stick! Not a good planet to visit!

Do a search in the Forums for "Can this Be Saved?" It was my disaster that sounds much like yours. My grandson broke the staff the first day, and he was bring VERY careful. I spent the day today reaming out as much of the center as I could and plan to fit a dowel in with epoxy. ly, it will have to be a decoration for his room now.

I was advised by a fellow carver that Big Leaf/Western Maple has a characteristic of being pithy in the center and dries quite brittle. Mine also had the "worm burrows" that I thought added character---they don't, only made it weak. Tried using Gorilla glue to glue the resin ball on the top, and it expanded and pushed out one of the "worm holes" several inches down. Should have known then that the entire center was bad.

Really sorry to hear about your stick, like you, it was a lot of work, but I learned a lot in the process---first, NEVER promise a carving until it's done, you never know how it will turn out, and two, never collect down or dead wood for a cane/stick. They inevitably have begun to decay.

Best of luck goes out to you, I hope you can save it. If not, it will be a nice display hanging on the wall!

Linda

[AlArchie]

If the rot hasn't gotten so bad as to weaken the outer growth rings, there is a product called "GIT ROT" available in marine supply stores (marine, as in boats, not as in Semper Fi) It is a thin two part epoxy that you mix up and brush onto the damaged area. The stuff permeates the damaged wood fibers and strenghtens them way stonger than the original wood. It's some nasty stuff to work with, though and I'd suggest you wear neoprene gloves and a respirator if you decide to go that route.

A similar product is made for building materials and I believe it is called "Sill Stop" or some such moniker.

It is quite effective for what it's designed to do. I repaired a wood hulled boat with some dry rot and it lasted for at least 10 years till I sold the boat.

Al

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I have heard some bad stuff about using anti freeze......don't sand it or burn it! and not even sure about handling it? you might want to do a little google research on that, I 'm sorry I can't remember where I read all that...probably on here ha ha

[AlArchie]

Here's a link to that GitRot stuff

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com...rot&match_type=

Al

[Skulli]

Thanks everyone. The stick was actually an entire live tree, approx. 3" at the base where my snake head's curve begins. The rot was only in the very center, about 3/8" in diameter. It doesn't go all the way to the end of the tree, but stops somewhere further up, not far, I hope! The wood there is very hard, not spongy. I superglued it after the antifreeze treatment. I'm making the stick for my personal use, so no angry customers will be involved, thankfully!

After carving, still unfinished, the wood continues to dry indoors and after several weeks, I'm seeing no deterioration...unless like in Linda's case, it's worming it's way furthre INSIDE the stick. One website suggested that the rot will grow dormant with less than a 20% moisture content in the wood. I'm almost there, I imagine, and am hoping once I seal the entire stick with polyurethane, no more moisture will get back in....hoping and praying, anyway!