I had some pine milled and areas of it have turned grey and look like there was mould on it. Is there anyway to remove the grey ? If not will it show through if I stain the whole piece with a honey or little darker collared transparent stain? I thought it would be a good idea to let the wood dry inside properly stacked but have since learned that outside in the sun and rain would have been better. I moved it all out and spray it with javex to kill the mould but there is still some grey.
If your pine was milled at greater than 19% moisture content, and if you have attempted to let it air dry in a warm and humid environment, you may get mold.
Depending on the type of spores that create the mold, it may bite deeply into the wood.
My first alternative would be to sticker the slabs and enclose them with a plastic tent. I would include a dehumidifier in the tent, with a hose leading the water out of the tent, rather than using the catch basin that comes with the unit.
If you milled to 4/4 true, you may get away with it. If you milled closer to 3/4, I would skip plane and see how deep the color runs before stickering.
Letting dry outside in "the sun and the rain" would not be a good idea until you achieve less than a 19% mc, which is the mold threshold. Actually, letting them dry in the sun and the rain is only good for rough slabs that will be milled later, and it means that they are under cover to the degree where the sun and the rain do not actually hit them directly.
Certainly do not allow the pieces to dry in the direct sun, as they will twist and warp into an unusable condition in short order.
Tom Watson - WoodDorker tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (email)
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