Strengthening/finishing Spalted Wood?

[Mike Allen1010]

This isn't really a "finishing" question", per se, but thought this would be the best place to solicit some advice.

I am building a dovetail saw and am using some spalted Tamarind for the tote. Don't know much about Tamarind, except that is very light, almost white color. The dark streaks of the spalting process are visually striking, which is why I picked it, even though I know it's certainly not traditional and not really very structurally sound.

The wood is not very dense and has some voids/small holes, I'm guessing from the Spalting process. Is there some kind of "hardening agent" I can apply that might soak into the wood and increase its strength? I'm looking for something transparent, so as not to obscure the figure.


I'm not sure if there are even products for this but very much welcome any advice or suggestions.

I guess I can go with some kind of fiberglass resin, like that used for surfboards but I was hoping to preserve at least some feel of the wood itself without totally enclosing it in a "plastic" coating. If I can't find anything else that will work, I might have to go with some kind of resin, again any thoughts about this option would also be much appreciated.

Many thanks, Mike

[Dan Hintz]

Search on the term "stabilization" for wood... there are alternatives, but the most common is Cactus Juice (a repackage of commercially available material). Using a vacuum pot, you fill the wood pores with resin, then bake in the oven at low temps to make it rock hard.

[Shawn Pixley]

I've heard good things about the Cactus Juice. I've used Minwax Wood Hardener on spalted maple. It worked okay. But my piece wasn't going to be handled as much as yours.

[Mike Allen1010]

Thanks a lot Dan and Shawn, I really appreciate the advice! I will let you know how it works out.

Many thanks, Mike