Members Rellik2 Posted July 20, 2007 Members Share Posted July 20, 2007 I was reading about spalted wood, and I didn't realize that what causes the spalting is the fungus that sets in during the natural decay of the wood (most often maple). I also found out that it's dangerous to work with spalted wood due to the fungal content, which is awakened from its dormancy by the moisture in the lungs... Now, I'm completely ignorant of all wood-related matters, so this is probably a stupid thing to ask, but would owning a guitar with a 1/16" spalted maple top on the body be dangerous at all? What if you ran it into a wall and generated some dust or something... I also read that spalted maple is softer than other maple, so that's something I'm concerned about too. It's all probably nothing to worry about... but I would have just moved on from the spalted to something else if spalted didn't win hands-down for looks :thu: any cherry burst or black with gold hardware or white or silver burst just can't compete... don't you agree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mazi Bee Posted July 20, 2007 Members Share Posted July 20, 2007 Those things have such a thick hard gloss poly coating that I think you'd have to go out of your way to bash it enough to expose raw wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KarateSchnitzel Posted July 20, 2007 Members Share Posted July 20, 2007 wouldn't worry at all....one you'd have to destroy the guitar..two you aren't working with it.... and 3rdly..... do you panic when you break rotten wood.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rellik2 Posted July 20, 2007 Author Members Share Posted July 20, 2007 Ok, I'm satisfied placing my order now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr. Steve Posted July 20, 2007 Members Share Posted July 20, 2007 Woods typically go through a kiln as part of the drying process. So, anything previously alive in or on the wood does not survive this process. Your guitar is completely safe and if you ever decided to make a guitar yourself using spalted wood (ie:Maple, etc.) you would be safe as well. Don't forget that Birdseye Maple, Mahogany, etc. is formed due to the wood being diseased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members axegrinder Posted July 20, 2007 Members Share Posted July 20, 2007 sure it's dangerous...toxic as all get out. Now don't go blabbing it to the workers in asia who are breathing the dust. shhhhh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StompBoxLover Posted July 21, 2007 Members Share Posted July 21, 2007 Birdseye Maple, Mahogany, etc. is formed due to the wood being diseased. Hi Mr. Steve, can you please elaborate on that?or point me to a good website about this and similar topics? thx,SBLfighting his own ignorance since '73 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hoddy Posted July 21, 2007 Members Share Posted July 21, 2007 No...but it's ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarNed Posted July 21, 2007 Members Share Posted July 21, 2007 I ain't touching no spalted wood. I don't want no fungus growing in my lungs. I ain't gonna depend on no poly coating nor (not very hot) wood-drying kiln to keep spores offa me. Spores are bad. Spores kill. I saw a movie once where spores got into people. They became crazy, and had growths on their bodies and they ate human flesh and acted weird. No way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members coachE Posted July 21, 2007 Members Share Posted July 21, 2007 Spalted wood won't hurt you. I turn it all the time on my lathe when I make pens and bowls. I have the AGile Spalted Maple A-2000 just for that reason. But I do wear a respirator when I turn wood spalted or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Attila Posted July 21, 2007 Members Share Posted July 21, 2007 Those things have such a thick hard gloss poly coating that I think you'd have to go out of your way to bash it enough to expose raw wood. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted July 21, 2007 Members Share Posted July 21, 2007 I'm a physician an have never heard of a respiratory infection from working on spalted wood. Some hardwoods can irritate the lungs if their sawdust is breathed in though. The woods have chemical irritants in them like poison ivy.Cocobolo and Amazon Rosewood are two species known to do this, and of course allergic reactions have been reported. A fungal species that lives off trees would probably be adapted genetically for that host and wouldn't survive with a human as a host. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jerry_picker Posted July 21, 2007 Members Share Posted July 21, 2007 I'm a physician an have never heard of a respiratory infection from working on spalted wood. Some hardwoods can irritate the lungs if their sawdust is breathed in though. The woods have chemical irritants in them like poison ivy. Cocobolo and Amazon Rosewood are two species known to do this, and of course allergic reactions have been reported. A fungal species that lives off trees would probably be adapted genetically for that host and wouldn't survive with a human as a host. Well doctor... You may want to take a look at PubMed and run a literature search at the NLM using the key words "lung wood fungus". About three dozen abstracts come up, some of which are quite pertinent. It appears that wood-borne fungal allergens causing hypersensitivity pneumonitis is a real concern. Also, the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville recently reported finding fungal abscesses (i.e. infection) in the lungs of a pulp mill worker: http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/reprint/118/5/1503.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hal 9000 Posted July 21, 2007 Members Share Posted July 21, 2007 don't go in the woods...they're ALIVE!!!!:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jerry_picker Posted July 21, 2007 Members Share Posted July 21, 2007 don't go in the woods...they're ALIVE!!!! :eek: It's what's ALIVE in the stuff that's dead that you have to be careful of... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Willeh Posted July 21, 2007 Members Share Posted July 21, 2007 I wont sleep tonight, the tree's outside is staring at me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrperson Posted July 21, 2007 Members Share Posted July 21, 2007 I wont sleep tonight, the tree's outside is staring at me hahaha:thu: thats funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AndersonTech Posted July 21, 2007 Members Share Posted July 21, 2007 Rule of thumb: Always wear a respirator when working around dusts, mists, or vapors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted July 21, 2007 Members Share Posted July 21, 2007 I'm not worried about it, as IMO spalted maple is the ugliest guitar wood I've ever seen....no offense.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Minitruth Posted July 21, 2007 Members Share Posted July 21, 2007 Guitarcapo's latest avatar is giving me spalted wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flori Posted July 22, 2007 Members Share Posted July 22, 2007 ALL his avatars give me spalted milk! Where does he find them?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zappa74 Posted July 22, 2007 Members Share Posted July 22, 2007 Guitarcapo's latest avatar is giving me spalted wood. is that a minitruth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted July 22, 2007 Members Share Posted July 22, 2007 Well doctor... You may want to take a look at PubMed and run a literature search at the NLM using the key words "lung wood fungus". About three dozen abstracts come up, some of which are quite pertinent. It appears that wood-borne fungal allergens causing hypersensitivity pneumonitis is a real concern. Also, the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville recently reported finding fungal abscesses (i.e. infection) in the lungs of a pulp mill worker: http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/reprint/118/5/1503.pdf "hypersensitivity pneumonitis" is another name for an allergic reaction and NOT and "infection". I mentioned this as a possiblity in an earlier post. Maybe I should cut and paste it again since you missed it. Those abscesses in the pulp millworker were a secondary infection and not a primary fungal infection. (I.E. when they cultured the abscess it wasn't living fungus but strep) Even then it was so rare that they wrote up this isolated case in a medical journal. Nice try though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaleH Posted July 22, 2007 Members Share Posted July 22, 2007 The only time it is harmful is when your cutting the wood and you breathe the sawdust. Many types of wood are toxic if you breathe the raw sawdust from cutting and sanding. You should always wear a mask if there's a lot of dust in your shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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