As a newbie I went about collecting logs for turning and waxing the ends
until I could cut them into blanks. Unfortunately, many developed fungus or
mold on the outside and I ended up getting a pretty bad allergic rash from
handling them. I solved that problem by paying somebody else to chainsaw
them into blanks for me, but i'd like to be able to kill the mold on them
before I take them to the bandsaw or lathe.

Does anyone know whether soaking them in alcohol will kill the mold on them?
I figure if I soak each blank overnight I may be able to get rid of the mold
and can then handle the blanks...

Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated...

Chuck

I don't know if alcohol will work but I've used a mild solution of
Clorox bleach and water to kill mold and mildew.

I'd give the blanks a light spraying, using a hand held spray bottle
with a solution of 1 cup bleach to about 3 gallons water.

Bertie

On Fri, 23 Jun 2006 16:56:42 -0400, "caaron"
wrote:

As a newbie I went about collecting logs for turning and waxing the ends
until I could cut them into blanks. Unfortunately, many developed fungus or
mold on the outside and I ended up getting a pretty bad allergic rash from
handling them. I solved that problem by paying somebody else to chainsaw
them into blanks for me, but i'd like to be able to kill the mold on them
before I take them to the bandsaw or lathe.

Does anyone know whether soaking them in alcohol will kill the mold on them?
I figure if I soak each blank overnight I may be able to get rid of the mold
and can then handle the blanks...

Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated...

Chuck

"caaron" wrote in message
...
As a newbie I went about collecting logs for turning and waxing the ends
until I could cut them into blanks. Unfortunately, many developed fungus
or mold on the outside and I ended up getting a pretty bad allergic rash
from handling them. I solved that problem by paying somebody else to
chainsaw them into blanks for me, but i'd like to be able to kill the mold
on them before I take them to the bandsaw or lathe.

Does anyone know whether soaking them in alcohol will kill the mold on
them? I figure if I soak each blank overnight I may be able to get rid of
the mold and can then handle the blanks...

Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated...

You're probably allergic to the proteins, irritated by the spores. Anything
will wash off the spores, and alcohol won't "kill" them, not that it would
make a difference.

Take the bark off, with protection, and wash the wood with water or even air
to get rid of the majority, and turn.

Thanks for the suggestions. I did dip the blanks into a solution of bleach
and water, which seems to have killed off the mold. I'll have to wait until
they are dry to see if I can safely handle them...

Chuck

"George" George@least wrote in message
...

"caaron" wrote in message
...
As a newbie I went about collecting logs for turning and waxing the ends
until I could cut them into blanks. Unfortunately, many developed fungus
or mold on the outside and I ended up getting a pretty bad allergic rash
from handling them. I solved that problem by paying somebody else to
chainsaw them into blanks for me, but i'd like to be able to kill the
mold on them before I take them to the bandsaw or lathe.

Does anyone know whether soaking them in alcohol will kill the mold on
them? I figure if I soak each blank overnight I may be able to get rid of
the mold and can then handle the blanks...

Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated...

You're probably allergic to the proteins, irritated by the spores.
Anything will wash off the spores, and alcohol won't "kill" them, not that
it would make a difference.

Take the bark off, with protection, and wash the wood with water or even
air to get rid of the majority, and turn.

If the wood is small enough and your oven controllable, bake it at
170-200 F for about 4-12 hours. It won't burn (unless the thermostat is
off) and it will kill all the organisms including termites, fungi, etc.
However, it might still give you allergic reactions. Wear a good
respirator all the time. I do this with bowls once they're done if I
suspect there are still termites or fungi growing in them.

Dips and washes might not kill deep inside the wood.

caaron wrote:
Thanks for the suggestions. I did dip the blanks into a solution of bleach
and water, which seems to have killed off the mold. I'll have to wait until
they are dry to see if I can safely handle them...