Some guys like to brag about doing romantic things for their wives.
Well, I made a set of candle holders a couple weekends ago for a candle
light dinner for my wife that night. She really loved the idea and
bragged to all her friends about it.

A few days later, I found out that the pinholes and white residue on the
wood I used were from powderpost beetles. Needless to say, those candle
holders are no longer on the dining room table. Spalted maple can make
turnings look great, but nobody will be impressed if they see bugs
crawling out of your work.



Brad Curfman
http://www.curfman.net

Brad:

At least you have an easy fix. You can put the candle holders in the
deep freeze for about 3-4 days and your little friends will be gone, or
a more risky tact with them being finished is to microwave them on
defrost for about 2 minutes.

I would freeze them to make sure I didn't melt the finish.

At least you found out now.. I had a piece I finished that sat proudly
on display in the bookcase until the telltale signs of bugs relegated
it to the gargage. At the time I didn't know how to remedy those
little buggers so I put thinned white glue in the tunnels. What a
PITA.

Robert

Well Robert, in true COC tradition, I took offense and turned you in to
the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Beetles.

You know nothing about techniques for killing beetles. OTOH, I know it
all. It takes exactly five (5) days, not 3 or 4, in deep freeze to do
this humanely.

(For those who dedicate their lives to fun-free and humorless
woodturning, I didn't really turn Robert in. I like him.)


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

Thanks for the advice. I'll try the freezer, as I currently have them in
a container covered with powdered boric acid.

Fortunately, I found a live beetle when I was turning more of that
maple, so the candlesticks and bottle stoppers I made never had anything
crawl out.

I was using the boric acid as a temporary solution until a found a
quicker fix for the problem. I read that the incubation of these little
pests could be up to 5 years. I definitely wasn't keeping the turnings
in a container for that long.


Brad Curfman
http://www.curfman.net

wrote:
Brad:

At least you have an easy fix. You can put the candle holders in the
deep freeze for about 3-4 days and your little friends will be gone, or
a more risky tact with them being finished is to microwave them on
defrost for about 2 minutes.

I would freeze them to make sure I didn't melt the finish.

At least you found out now.. I had a piece I finished that sat proudly
on display in the bookcase until the telltale signs of bugs relegated
it to the gargage. At the time I didn't know how to remedy those
little buggers so I put thinned white glue in the tunnels. What a
PITA.

Robert



--

Actually, now thatI've thought about it, would freezing really work for
the eggs ? If these pests can take years to incubate, they would go thru
a few winters before hatching. So, the eggs wouldn't be affected byt
freezing.

Any other good quick fixes for this ? Besides the microwave ?


Brad Curfman
http://www.curfman.net

wrote:
Brad:

At least you have an easy fix. You can put the candle holders in the
deep freeze for about 3-4 days and your little friends will be gone, or
a more risky tact with them being finished is to microwave them on
defrost for about 2 minutes.

I would freeze them to make sure I didn't melt the finish.

At least you found out now.. I had a piece I finished that sat proudly
on display in the bookcase until the telltale signs of bugs relegated
it to the gargage. At the time I didn't know how to remedy those
little buggers so I put thinned white glue in the tunnels. What a
PITA.

Robert

"Brad Curfman" wrote in message
...
Actually, now thatI've thought about it, would freezing really work for
the eggs ? If these pests can take years to incubate, they would go thru
a few winters before hatching. So, the eggs wouldn't be affected byt
freezing.

Any other good quick fixes for this ? Besides the microwave ?

You've hit it on the head. Freezing will cause the grubs to go dormant, not
die. Borax is great for those things that walk in it, but that's all.

Depending on the finish, I go for something asphyxiating to take care of
adult and larva. Egg stage probably not a player. Some CA fumes, or
perhaps a good place for ethyl alcohol, as long as your finish is not
shellac. They'll get high and kill each other in traffic accidents....

What did you mean by "Egg stage probably not a player" ?
Is there a way to kill off any eggs that are in the wood ?

Can you seal the wood so that any beetles that hatch in the future will
not be able to bore to the surface ?

Brad Curfman
http://www.curfman.net

George wrote:
"Brad Curfman" wrote in message
...

Actually, now thatI've thought about it, would freezing really work for
the eggs ? If these pests can take years to incubate, they would go thru
a few winters before hatching. So, the eggs wouldn't be affected byt
freezing.

Any other good quick fixes for this ? Besides the microwave ?


You've hit it on the head. Freezing will cause the grubs to go dormant, not
die. Borax is great for those things that walk in it, but that's all.

Depending on the finish, I go for something asphyxiating to take care of
adult and larva. . Some CA fumes, or
perhaps a good place for ethyl alcohol, as long as your finish is not
shellac. They'll get high and kill each other in traffic accidents....

Hello Brad,

I run into this problem frequently when working with spalted timbers and
others who are particularly tasty to borers, beetles and the like. In my
experience, freezing and micro waving were not particularly effective. The
only way I have found to eliminate the bugs/larvae is to soak the piece in
Odourless Mineral Spirits, Naphtha, or Alcohol for several days. It's a
simple matter of chemistry...

I usually use Odourless Mineral Spirits and have found it 100% effective
with a 2-3 day soak. (Note: Do not use regular Mineral Spirits as the smell
will linger for weeks after you remove it from the soaking) Then, simply
remove from the vat and let air dry for a few days and finish as normal. We
have this problem routinely in Texas, not only with PP Beetles, but Mesquite
Borers as well. Since I have been using this protocol (about 9 years), I
have not had one instance of bugs/larvae hatching after finishing.

Since you have already finished these candlesticks, you may want to alter
the soaking solution to suit your chosen finish. In the future, simply soak
them after finish turning and before application of your chosen finish. If
you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Take care and
all the best to you and yours!


On 9/13/05 9:52 AM, in article , "Brad
Curfman" wrote:

Some guys like to brag about doing romantic things for their wives.
Well, I made a set of candle holders a couple weekends ago for a candle
light dinner for my wife that night. She really loved the idea and
bragged to all her friends about it.

A few days later, I found out that the pinholes and white residue on the
wood I used were from powderpost beetles. Needless to say, those candle
holders are no longer on the dining room table. Spalted maple can make
turnings look great, but nobody will be impressed if they see bugs
crawling out of your work.



Brad Curfman
http://www.curfman.net

--
Better Woodturning and Finishing Through Chemistry...

Steven D. Russell
Eurowood Werks Woodturning Studio, The Woodlands, Texas
Machinery, Tool and Product Testing for the Woodworking and Woodturning
Industries

³Woodturning with Steven D. Russell²
Volume #1 CD ROM e-Book * Available for Shipment
Volume #2 CD ROM e-Book/DVD Video * Available for Shipment
Volume #3 Double DVD Video on Bowl Turning * Now Filming, Available Shortly

"Brad Curfman" wrote in message
...
What did you mean by "Egg stage probably not a player" ?
Is there a way to kill off any eggs that are in the wood ?

Can you seal the wood so that any beetles that hatch in the future will
not be able to bore to the surface ?

There is only one narrow window of palatability when eggs are laid in the
wood. They may not all metamorphose at the same time, but should only be
larval and adult stages present by now.

Anything that can eat wood will eat its way out through a few microns of
finish. May gag or barf, but will get out.

Brad -

If the microwave will kill them, why not rough turn your project, then
microwave and then final turn it?

That way, you dont have a finish to melt and the bugs go from the lathe to
the nuker. Plus, any warping by the nuker would be able to be countered by
the final turning.

I believe that microwave radiation passes through wood. However, if the
wood is wet enough, you could get some warping.

Good luck.

"Brad Curfman" wrote in message
...
What did you mean by "Egg stage probably not a player" ?
Is there a way to kill off any eggs that are in the wood ?

Can you seal the wood so that any beetles that hatch in the future will
not be able to bore to the surface ?

Brad Curfman
http://www.curfman.net

George wrote:
"Brad Curfman" wrote in message
...

Actually, now thatI've thought about it, would freezing really work for
the eggs ? If these pests can take years to incubate, they would go thru
a few winters before hatching. So, the eggs wouldn't be affected byt
freezing.

Any other good quick fixes for this ? Besides the microwave ?


You've hit it on the head. Freezing will cause the grubs to go dormant,
not
die. Borax is great for those things that walk in it, but that's all.

Depending on the finish, I go for something asphyxiating to take care of
adult and larva. . Some CA fumes, or
perhaps a good place for ethyl alcohol, as long as your finish is not
shellac. They'll get high and kill each other in traffic accidents....

When living in California and buying Redwood or other craft type stuff for
the house, it was required to have it gassed in a professional company.
Buy a coffee table - and see it next week delivered.

The law there liked pressured gas.
Kinda like tenting a house...

Martin
Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder



Brad Curfman wrote:
What did you mean by "Egg stage probably not a player" ?
Is there a way to kill off any eggs that are in the wood ?

Can you seal the wood so that any beetles that hatch in the future will
not be able to bore to the surface ?

Brad Curfman
http://www.curfman.net

George wrote:

"Brad Curfman" wrote in message
...


Actually, now thatI've thought about it, would freezing really work for
the eggs ? If these pests can take years to incubate, they would go thru
a few winters before hatching. So, the eggs wouldn't be affected byt
freezing.

Any other good quick fixes for this ? Besides the microwave ?


You've hit it on the head. Freezing will cause the grubs to go dormant, not
die. Borax is great for those things that walk in it, but that's all.

Depending on the finish, I go for something asphyxiating to take care of
adult and larva. . Some CA fumes, or
perhaps a good place for ethyl alcohol, as long as your finish is not
shellac. They'll get high and kill each other in traffic accidents....





----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
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Arch wrote;

Well Robert, in true COC tradition, I took offense and turned you in
to
the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Beetles.

Thanks Arch. That would explain the spotlights outside and the
helicopter circling my rooftop.

I keep hearing the hostage negotiator saying "Throw out the rough
turned projects and come out with your hands up and no one gets hurt".

I think the dog just gave up...

They offered him a cookie...

Ninny....

Robert

wrote:
Brad:

At least you have an easy fix. You can put the candle holders in the
deep freeze for about 3-4 days and your little friends will be gone, or
a more risky tact with them being finished is to microwave them on
defrost for about 2 minutes.

I would freeze them to make sure I didn't melt the finish.

At least you found out now.. I had a piece I finished that sat proudly
on display in the bookcase until the telltale signs of bugs relegated
it to the gargage. At the time I didn't know how to remedy those
little buggers so I put thinned white glue in the tunnels. What a
PITA.

It's been suggested in the the past to put such wood in a container with
ammonia vapors. Don't think that would hurt the finish, but a few days
in there outta pretty much do 'em in I'd think...

....Kevin
--
Kevin Miller
http://www.alaska.net/~atftb
Juneau, Alaska

Hi Brad

If freezing would kill bugs, than why do we still have all those bugs up
here in Canada, I assure you it does freeze here, every winter, for
weeks if not months on end !! and yes we still do have bugs, all kinds.

I have used different stuff, and they work, gunk, gasoline, paint
thinner, diesel fuel etc., just dunk your turning in it, it works, the
smell disappears when the solvents etc. are evaporated, and yes you do
take the normal precautions, like when you fill up your mower etc., no
smoking and all the rest of the regular precautions.

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

Brad Curfman wrote:

Some guys like to brag about doing romantic things for their wives.
Well, I made a set of candle holders a couple weekends ago for a candle
light dinner for my wife that night. She really loved the idea and
bragged to all her friends about it.

A few days later, I found out that the pinholes and white residue on the
wood I used were from powderpost beetles. Needless to say, those candle
holders are no longer on the dining room table. Spalted maple can make
turnings look great, but nobody will be impressed if they see bugs
crawling out of your work.



Brad Curfman
http://www.curfman.net

On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 10:52:05 -0400, Brad Curfman wrote:

Some guys like to brag about doing romantic things for their wives.
Well, I made a set of candle holders a couple weekends ago for a candle
light dinner for my wife that night. She really loved the idea and
bragged to all her friends about it.

A few days later, I found out that the pinholes and white residue on the
wood I used were from powderpost beetles. Needless to say, those candle
holders are no longer on the dining room table. Spalted maple can make
turnings look great, but nobody will be impressed if they see bugs
crawling out of your work.



Brad Curfman
http://www.curfman.net

Brad, I've read all the posts in this thread to date and I'd like to offer
my own observations.

While I respect the winters our Canadian brethren get, I'm also aware that
they do not often go from 70 degrees or so to 32 or less in a matter of
minutes. That only happens here in Michigan. ;-)

Living things that are able to survive temp. extremes need some time to
adjust to them. Tossing wood in the freezer doesn't give them a lot of
time to get acclimated. The cooling down period in the forest actually
begins mid-summer.

I toss my really nice pieces in the freezer then thaw them in the
microwave on high long enough for the wood to steam (at least). Some time
back I noticed smoke coming from a piece in the nuker. Closer examination
(when all had cooled!) indicated that a bug of some sort had met a
particularly grisly fate.

Keep the wood cold (and the beasties dormant) until you are ready to nuke
them thoroughly. There aren't many places to hide in a microwave and there
isn't much that can live through temps of 200 deg F or more.

The solvents probably work, (so would soaking the wood in DDT ... and for
the same reasons) but you end up with a drippy piece of wood to contend
with and the vapors have got to go somewhere when they leave the wood. I
do my woodworking in my basement. I do what I can to minimize volatile
fumes. I don't machine wood tht I know to have been recently
soaked in toxic liquids. It's a symbiotic thing. My brain needs me to use
my repirator and my respirator needs me to use my brain.

Bill