Post #169448 by Polynesiac on Sun, Jul 3, 2005 8:19 AM

It usually takes quite a long time for palm logs to completely dry out (like ALL the way throught the center) somewhere around 8 months or so, I would guess. (depending on the level of humidity and how exposed to the elements your logs are)

I usually get fresh cut logs, put risers under them on my back deck to allow air flow and cover them, or put them in a structure that protects them from the regular weather elements. You can seal the ends if you want...but I think thats really more important to do with other types of wood than palm.

Palm is cool because you can carve it whenever. I usually NEVER wait for it to completely dry before I start carving - I'll wait a few months to let the outside portion dry so that I can see how stringy the palm is going to be.

Once I finish carving, I'll leave it outside for a while covered and on raisers (once again - I've been told to place the tiki face down to allow any cracks to occur on the back, but I've never really had that issue with palm).

WHat I've noticed from my carvings is the deeper you cut,the more likely it is to mold more quickly, so I let the mold happen...remove it with a wood furniture type mold remover (or the bleach combo Palma was talking about)wait....let it remold again, remove it, etc. and repeat until it pretty much drys out. whether or not you cut deep, the tiki will mold a little if it's wet. and depending on how wet it is you get different types of mold too...which is kinda cool in its own right.

Palm will naturally mold if left out in the elements without any type of outdoor protection (like marine varnish - which would allow it to survive for many years) whether or not it is sealed or dryed out.

so...to sum it up I would suggest that if you are super concerned about mold, wait until you feel as though the tiki has stopped molding on it's own before applying stain and varnish. But, to be honest, if it's going to be placed outside it will mold eventually anyway. (it may take many years, but it will happen - it is WOOD after all.)

Be sure to ask the customer (especially if it's a custom carve) because some customers do like the natural moldy look. I have several I've carved and left to rot naturally and they look pretty cool.
hope that helped. feel free to pm or email me if you have any other ?????'s

"Hey, at least I'm housebroken."

[ Edited by: Polynesiac on 2005-07-03 08:21 ]