I think I may have woodworm in my legs!

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

milltech

New member
Joined
15 Jun 2017
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Location
Worcestershire
Hi and thanks in advance for the assistance.

I am in Spain and I have a 400 year old-ish Jacobean Table and 8 chairs. We've been away for many months and returned to find the things covered in mildew. Anyway that's not a problem, lots of polishing and house airing going on here.

However in polishing I've notice woodworm holes in the chair legs. Now it seems to me it would be a surprise if ancient furniture did not have woodworm holes so please, (A) How can I tell if they're "live" and (B) how can I make sure they're all deduns in short order?

My late parents and I have owned these things for about 65 years and I can't remember ever noticing stuff before, but probably I never really looked.

John
 
Woodworm need moisture, mildew is caused by damp, so you might have active wood worm.
Do you get any frass from the holes?


Pete
 
Thanks for that. No obvious frass but a torch on the subject makes some of the holes look a bit new. Can't be much nourishment in a 400 year old chair! One can buy a can of spray stuff out here, but as these are pretty much round the feet I was wondering if some form of killer liquid in a bean can might do the trick, one leg at a time? What might one use that won't kill the chair too? (edit: or me).
 
If i ever have a suspect piece its soaked in wood worm killing stuff for 24 hours then applied daily until my dreams of my stored timber turning to dust are gone. I store quite a lot of walnut and this is on a six monthly cycle of treatment for woodworm, none of it has woodworm but its just not worth the risk.
 
Demonwolf thanks for the advice. Would you have a preferred gloop for finished woodwork, I'd rather not damage the finish while I'm soaking it.
 
Once you have satisfied yourself that there are no active larvae waiting to emerge (by killing them, or by patient observation) you could do what I do with old wooden tools. I use sticks of coloured wax. I heat up a small old screwdriver in a lighter flame, and melt the wax into the holes until they are all filled up.
I then know that if I do see a hole on that piece, it's a new one and I have a problem that I need to do something about.
I think this is safer than just telling myself that the holes are probably old.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top