Stabilizing a Spalted Wood Bowl

[Doug Reesor]

I have a piece of Spalted Elm that I rough turned and getting ready to finish. I know I have seen about stabilizing this wood with CA glue somewhere in this forum but need a refresher on how exactly is the best way to do it? Do you have to cover the entire piece with glue or simply the softer spots? Is there some other better stabilizing method?

I turn a piece of black walnut with a soft spot in it and got a flat spot during sanding (beginner's mistake) so I don't want to repeat the error.

[Curt Fuller]

If you just soak the soft spots with CA you can sometimes see a difference in the color of the wood. Put some on the soft areas, sand it, and if there is a distinct difference you might have to do the entire piece to even it out.

[Tom Keen]

CA is an expensive way to stablize something as large as a bowl. And, agreeing with Curt you will probably end up with some discoloration that wont be apparent until the finial finish is applied.

On really soft spalted stuff, I would do the best I could with sharp tools (avoid scrapers), power sand with some 80 grit paper to smooth as much as possible and then use a couple coats of sanding sealer to fill and stablizise before you finish sand.

[robert hainstock]

Min wax has a wood stabilizer that might help too. You really need to soak the area, or better yet Pressure inject the stuff into the punky area. Good luck.
Bob