wormy wood?

[susieq]

I just started a new project in basswood and have discovered a lot of worm damage in this piece. Any ideas on where to go from here? Can I stick it in the microwave and cook them?...lol. it's a very dry piece of wood so I don't think moisture would make it explode I hate to carve something only to have it destroyed slowly by worms over time. Anyone ever deal with this? if so, how?

[doris]

hi susieq, i would start over on a new wood, if the worms are so many they made channels already. it does not look so great on a piece, on some pieces its aceptable, but mostly i think it makes disturb the feeling. so, if you are not too far in the work, i would restart the project with a new wood.

[bama20a]

1st post ever,but I love to read it often,So hello all.
As far as your wood,you can place it in the oven,If's it not to large, Heat it to around 133 degrees or more,For around 3 hours.That will kill any of the worms-bugs,As well as any eggs that may have been laid.
Hope this may help,

[susieq]

Thanks Doris,
but I am not worried about the current damage. My stuff is painted so I can fill the holes, no problem. They won't show. My worry is that the bugs might still be active and continue to do damage into the future....

Thank you bama20a,
I will consider doing that...the piece would fit in my regular oven or even my microwave which was my first thought. But I am not sure if the microwaves would go all the way through the wood and kill everything... The regular oven for a few hours, sounds good. I might toss my santa into the oven tonight after I am done carving for the day.

It had occured to me also that once my work is finished, painted and sealed up, it might cut off the air to them but I know from experience that even antique (and I mean hundreds of years old) furniture can have active worms living in them for generations. We had an antique shop when I was growing up, after dad got out of the military. We had some truly ancient wood furniture with wormy damage. I wish mom and dad were still around so I could ask them what they did for it...

[Keoma]

one worm hole...toss it!

I have dunked pieces in oil and weghted them down. They all drown Then I let the chunk drip for a while and then can get back at it.

[susieq]

toss it? Ack! No way...... I will heat it in the oven, probably warmer than what was suggested in a previous response, for several hours.... The carver's screw that is inserted into the bottom ought to act as a conductor for the heat, into the middle of the piece as well..lol. cook their little hinies, I will....

As for soaking it in oil, it would take a lot of oil and then I probably couldn't paint it afterwards unless I used oil paints. If it was to be left natural, that would be different. So, going to pre heat the oven...oh darn....I forgot about the glue joint right up the middle. It's not a solid piece of wood, it's two pieces glued together...hmmm, I am sure that makes a difference..now what? anyone know the effect of high heat on Titebond wood glue?????

[Doug Ridley]

Microwave it!

[susieq]

Hi Doug,
Thank you. That was actually my first thought about this situation. I went ahead and put it in for 5 minutes, 2 1/2 on each side.... do you think I should do it longer?

I also went out and spread some boric acid around on the shelves where this wood had been stored. This was not kiln dried. It was given to me by an old friend who brought it from Maine. It's real nice wood. I have used a lot of it without ever seeing a hole but I hit a bunch of wormy spots on this project. I was up on the ladder getting into the top shelf where this stuff had been sitting, digging through it to see how much of it might be wormy. Most of my projects fit in a microwave though...lol. But I don't want that stuff spreading through my store of wood so back out tomorrow to spread some more boric acid around. I was on line looking googling this and it said that boric acid was a good treatment.

[Callynne]

My first thought was to 'oven cook' it too. I asked the hubby though and he agrees with Doug and said you should microwave it.....the reasoning being that a microwave cooks from the inside out, so everything will be killed from the center outward.
He suggested heating it on high for 25 seconds, and keep heating it until it's warm to the touch on the outside. Makes sense to me! Good luck! Deborah

[Callynne]

Looks like we're posting at the same time!! Brave woman, five minutes to start with!!! Was the wood very warm when you took it out? If so, the inside of it would be very hot....they should all be dead!! Deborah