How to deal with woodworm

[bart1927]

I discovered a small problem with my recently purchased HMV 163. At the bottom, near one of the legs, I found several tiny holes, possible from woodworm. Of course it's possible that the animals are long gone, but I don't want to take any chances. I vividly remember the HMV 101 I once bought that was literally crawling with carpet beetle larvae. I contacted the seller, and his response was very relaxed: "just pour some petroleum in the holes, or HG Woodworm detergent." Would that do the trick, or should I contact a professional exterminator?

[Curt A]

If you don't see any fresh wood dust, they are probably long gone...

[Jerry B.]

If the worms were active, what is the best course of action? Thanks, Jerry

[Lucius1958]

Eric Reiss mentions the problem of woodworm in The Compleat Talking Machine:

"The first thing to do if you discover worm holes is to make very certain that the worms are dead. I've heard a lot of different methods for determining their state of health, but it is easier and quicker simply to buy one of the sprays or liquids available and kill them once and for all. Follow the directions on the back of the can. Generally this means that the machine must sit for some weeks or months packed in a plastic bag. Since the life cycle of a wood worm is about 30 months, the machine really ought to sit for three years and then be examined for any new holes. However, the makers of many modern treatments claim that the wood is safe after just a few days."

-Bill

[CarlosV]

What I did when I bought a gramophone with woodworm holes was to buy woodworm poison and a large syringe and systematically inject the woodworm poison in each hole. In some cases the liquid would travel inside the wood and end up exiting from another hole. After that I filled the holes with wax of the same color of the veneer (crayon works but you have to mix different colors by melting two or three together), then rolling a thin thread with the fingers, sticking it down the holes and leaving a little tail outside. Then I placed a soldering iron near the wax tail, so it melted and sealed the hole nicely. With a well matched color you can polish it after it solidifies, and it will be hardly noticeable.

[epigramophone]

Another method of filling the holes is to ram in a cocktail stick and cut it off flush with the woodwork, then stain to match the existing finish.

I once heard of a vintage car owner who used this method on the worm eaten frame of a coach built body, but found it expensive in view of the large number of Dry Martinis which had to be consumed .

[Marco Gilardetti]

I second the seller's opinion that you're probably safe. As you see, the woodworms attacked a piece of wood that connects parts in a hidden position. Perhaps this is not even the same wood with which the rest of the machine is made (probably cheaper, or softer, or second choice). This happens very frequently (to have different woods side by side, one destroyed by woodworms and the other untouched). Anyway, most probably the wormwoods are long time gone and the furniture of your gramophone is no longer under attack.

However, it is still important to seal all of the holes with the specific stick wax for furniture, otherwise you will not be able to detect new holes, should there still be any wormwood in there (or should wormwoods come back in the future). Also, although the holes are a result of wormwoods leaving the wood, some say the holes are also an almost ideal path for them to penetrate back inside the wood the next time. For both reasons, the holes are not to be kept open.

Before closing them, in any case I would inject as described by Carlos a specific poison in each hole. Some people inject plain petroleum, but specific products (which are anyway petroleum-based, hence why someone use petroleum) claim that they permanently poison the wood, so the wood is protected even in the future. I don't know if this claim is indeed true, however I always use one of these specific products, just to be safer.

The attacked part in your gramophone seems hidden and unfinished, so fortunately it will be an easy work with no aesthetic issues.

[bart1927]

Thanks for all the tips. I bought some HG Woodworm killer and injected it into the holes with a syringe. I couldn't insert it completely, so perhaps I need a thinner one. I also sprayed the area. I didn't spray the complete bottom of the gramophone, just the area around the leg, where the holes are.

After that I'm going to use stick wax to fill the holes, and perhaps also apply a coat of lacquer, because I get the impression that wood worms don't really like finished wood, because most holes are at the bottom of the gramophone (also a few under the motor board). Since in the description for the wax it said that you can't put any lacquer over it, I guess the proper order is first apply the lacquer, then fill the holes with wax.

Because of this whole woodworm affair I also looked at the bottom of the HMV 130 I've had for years, and to my surprise, also found a few holes there. It's been sitting on the same table for 6 years, and I never found any "sawdust" on that table, so I guess these were are (also) very old holes.

[Marco Gilardetti]

Yes, that's true, woodworms don't like lacquer and other chemical compounds. They have a protective effect. However, keep in mind that woodworms don't carve the wood from the outside to the inside. A female finds an access to the inner bare wood (typically a crack, or a join, or previous holes as we discussed earlier) and lays the eggs. Later, the larvae spring up and start to dig the wood from the inside to the outside, finally escaping (not entering!) through the unfamous holes that do such a great damage to our beloved grams or radios. As a side note, this is also why when you see the holes, the attack is already over - and the damage is done. Thus, the best strategy is not to leave cracks or joins exposed (or bare wood in general).

Usually you first close the holes with wax and smooth it, later you cover everything with lacquer to match. In this case, however, as the repaired area will not be in sight, you can also do the contrary if it makes you feel safer (but I don't think it will really make any difference).

The "tunnels" digged by wormholes are very whirling, not straight, and that's why you couldn't always insert the needle of the syringe completely. Switching to a thinner needle won't change things very much. This is also why the previous suggestion of filling the holes with toothpicks is very rarely feasible IMHO.