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Stabilizing Worm-Eaten Wood
By Mark Singleton

Further to the posting by Cecil Grace [040311 MMDigest], worm-eaten
wood can indeed be a problem.  When faced with this bug in the past,
I have resorted to a quick, cheap and easy method of adding "New
Strength" to old and fragile timbers: "P.V.A."

My answer is to take a syringe with a course needle, and to inject
a rather diluted medium into the flight holes; the tinder dry wood
accepts it readily.  I then inject a slightly thicker, but still
diluted medium.  When completely dry, the difference can be
substantial.

A cautionary note: as with all such tips, please experiment first.
A piece of scrap heavily-wormed timber should be opened to expose
the beetles labyrinths; the correct dilution can then be gauged on
the absorbency factor.  Ideally the solution will run readily and
penetrate remaining material.  Good Luck.

Mark Singleton



(Message sent Tue, 16 Mar 2004 10:25:24 EST , from time zone -0500.)

Key Words in Subject:  Stabilizing, Wood, Worm-Eaten