# black-line spalted red oak from ROB3232



## phinds (Jul 26, 2013)

Here's another of the pieces that Rob contributed to my site. This is an outstanding example of the fact (well, I've READ that it's a fact) that black-line spalting is always either the area right at the edge of a large, growing, area of fungal intrusion into the wood, or a border between two such areas. In this piece there is a large light-tan area which is the fungal intrusion into the wood, surrounded by the black-line area. The area of fungal intrusion is not the least bit punky and as you can see in the 3rd pic, it fine-sanded just as cleanly as the rest of the wood. Punky, or even just naturally soft, wood does not fine-sand very well.


[attachment=28172]
A face grain closeup

[attachment=28173]
end grain shot

[attachment=28174]
a small section of a fine-sanded end grain closeup


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## Kevin (Jul 26, 2013)

Paul, you have to catch it j . . . u . . . s . . . t right but the fungal areas are not always soft or punky. Especially in sycamore and hackberry I have caught them just right quite often. More so in syc because hack has a very narrow window. Red oak has a comparatively big window.


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## phinds (Jul 26, 2013)

Kevin said:


> Paul, you have to catch it j . . . u . . . s . . . t right but the fungal areas are not always soft or punky. Especially in sycamore and hackberry I have caught them just right quite often. More so in syc because hack has a very narrow window. Red oak has a comparatively big window.



Oh, yeah, I've had plenty of both punky and not. Actually I think I've had firm wood more often than not but enough about my sex life.


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