Palm carving mold/mildew

Hello everyone! I'm a rookie carver with the hope of becoming as talented as all carvers posting here. I have done 3 tikis so far, but am having a problem with mold on the exposed palm that I sealed with sanding sealer. I realize that the palm log retains alot of moisture, but thought it could still dry out through the top and bottom. Is there a better product to seal with, without molding? I thought I would try asking before I go through the trial and error method($$$) thank you very much. KHK

I use boat varnish and 2 part bar top resin...
Hope it helps!

the tiki will still dry out? do the properties of the varnish prevent the mold? thanks, KHK

even if you varnish the tiki, it will still get moldy. i'm fighting mold on mine right now. I talked to Benz about it, and he recommended a cup of bleach to a gallon of water and brush or spray it on the tiki and leave it on. i ended up spraying pure bleach on one, since the diluted stuff didn't seem to help, since it was a very heavy mold coating.

don't poly coat the tikis if the are wet; let them dry thoroughly, but seeing as you live in FL, who knows if it will ever dry out again!

thanks Palama tiki, so if I were to sell any heads, do you think I should not seal them if it was a fresh carving to avoid complaints? Right now I don't have a large stockpile, so I've been carving as I find a piece. From a fresh cut palm, how long do you recommend it drying? thanks again. KHK

My suggestion would be to sell as-is if it is not completely dry. you may want to ask the customer where the carving will reside; inside or out. if they want to polycoat it, that will be their decision, but i would recommend explaining the situation to them to avoid any complaints down the road. some people like their tikis unfinished and want them to weather and age.

I'm not really sure on the length of time it takes for a palm log to dry out completely. alot depends on how wet it is in the first place, type of palm, the humidity levels where it is stored, etc. maybe someone else could weigh in on that topic.

[ Edited by: Palama Tiki on 2005-07-03 06:56 ]

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 ]

I have also carved some really wet palm logs. I usually deep cut and then pland in the sun because of 2 reasons. Mold doesn't like U.V. light and it also speeds the curing/drying process. Normally I will place the logs on a stand so air can get all around them and I also create a tent out of clear vis-queen to keep more moisture from collecting. The clear Vis-queen allows the Light to get in and air to circulate. But be sure to make a tent no just cover the tiki w/ the plastic because it can actually keep moisture in.

Good luck and Happy carving.

Polynesiac, Palama tiki,Thanatos...thank you all very much for your help/advice. I wish I were a little more computer savy and knew how to post some pictures to share with everyone. I'm a rookie, but I think they get better with each carving, and each one has a personality of its own.

KonaheadKarl: click on the help/FAQ link at the top right of the page for info on how to upload and imbed images; we want to see your work!