I went to cut a piece of basswood to turn when I discovered some very disturbing evidence.

Teeny tiny pin holes, the largest about 1/32" and little piles of wood powder by every hole.

A web search of wood powder pinholes came up with an instant answer...POWDER POST BEETLE!

The little devils!

All of the solutions to this problem called for chemicals and sprays I did not want to use and since I will be turning them on the lathe, stuff I probably shouldn't breath.

So I experimented...

The first thing I tried was rubbing alcohol...it penitrates real well 'cause it has little or no surface tension and drys withing a few hours.

Well the results were immidiate! Hundreds of little tiny beetles coming out of all of the pin holes staggering and coughing...I was almost sure I could hear them coughing.

I called the pest control 800 number on the web site I found and talked to a tech. He insisted, "yea, that will kill them and they will probably die happy!"

Now that may not kill all of the larvae., but he did come up with a solution the make sure they don't come back.

Since I told them most of the stuff i turn will be under 13" or 14" lone put them in the microwave for a minute or two on high.

It works!

I immediately sent my wife to the local Dollar Store and at 2 bottles for $1 I think $8 just saved $180 worth of wood!

I told her to pick up some Margarita mix too...just in case.

So from this day forward all basswood parts ordered from Roachwerks will be have all the pin holes filled and be microwaved before shipping!

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"I'm a sandman. I've never killed anyone. I terminate runners when their time is up." Logan from "Logan's Run"

http://sandmandecals.com/

"I'm a sandman. I've never killed anyone. I terminate BEETLES when their time is up." Logan from "Logan's Run"

RoachBeetlewerks

LOL!

You could probably charge a premium to contest flyers - that stuff
is now much lighter! Wonder if there is a 'Beetle grade' basswood
or such.

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brianc -- NAR 83726 \ TRA 11640 \ L2

Kind a like your own natural lightening holes drillers!

I actually like and EMBRACE chemicals that kill all but very few essential insects such as honeybees which I hate nonetheless but accept they are needed for pollination.
If I could still legally get it, I'd blast my home/shop area with DDT if I had the problem Sandman has.
Methoxychlor is almost as good, which no longer can be legally produced. Last I checked it was still ok to use up existing stocks. Short of that, Vapona (dichlorvos) is still available if one knows where to get it.
As one could probably guess, I'm not a very big fan of any mamby-pamby"alternative" or "green" supposed pesticide solutions. I like the atom-bomb approach to dealing with bugs !

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

When I turn stuff on the lathe there is a lot of sawdust...hense the name "Sandman".

Unfortunately I have to breath that same air.

Right now my shop smells like a hospital.

Not great but I can breath it.

I may use a bug bomb or two "just in case".

__________________
"I'm a sandman. I've never killed anyone. I terminate runners when their time is up." Logan from "Logan's Run"

http://sandmandecals.com/

I could see how breathing the air full of sawdust created from wood treated by what I call "good" insecticides (that the enviro-whackos call bad) could be hazardous to your health. Use of a good residual insecticide (of which there are hardly ANY around anymore) at all cracks/baseboards/openings inside and out of the structure without actually treating the wood most likely would prevent FUTURE infestations. I definitely would NOT use any of the good old pesticides directly on wood that is to be machined.
While I do not mind casual exposure to what some term "hard" pesticides, I certainly would NOT be breathing them into my lungs in particulate form.

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

Agree GH...

I've had lots of balsa fins and stuff come with those tiny holes in them... never really seemed to be a problem-- they fill well with Elmer's CWF...

At any rate, good to hear your wife saved your wood, Sandman...

Later! OL JR

PS... I preferred Chlordane...

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The X-87B Cruise Basselope-- THE Ultimate Weapon in the arsenal of Homeland Security and only $52 million per round!

CHLORDANE ????
Sheesh !!!
That stuff made DDT seem like powdered sugar; FAR nastier lasting effects to HUMANS than even Dieldrin or Aldrin. Of course the same idiots in the EPA (the absolute FIRST gubmint agency I would completely SHUT down if I was in command) that banned new production of DDT for consumer use in 1972 allowed Chlordane to be produced for consumer use through 1988.
DDT is actually VERY low on human toxicity whereas Chlordane is very HIGH in human toxicity. Boo-F'n-Hoo that DDT supposedly (the data even on that was CRAP) thins eggshells as long as it REALLY kills bugs for a LONG time.
In the 40's and 50's there was actually a COCKTAIL that contained DDT. It was called the Mickey Slim (NOT Mickey Finn) that considted of a pinch of DDT in two jiggers of chilled Gin.
Amazing what bars could legally serve patrons back then, and amazing how STUPID the customers were. Most laws back then were not hell bent on protecting the moronically stupid either nor were there GESTAPO like drinking and driving laws either.
The effect was supposedly like that of drinking Absinthe, which was banned at the time.
While I have absolutely ZERO fear of DDT used properly or even as a dusting powder on humans, I CERTAINLY would not willingly drink that crap to catch some sort of idiotic enhanced buzz.

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

Maybe a local lumber business that prepares pressure-treated lumber would (for a small fee) let you include large batches of basswood and balsa fin stock and blocks in the treatment chamber when they prepare batches of the lumber?

__________________
Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR