The Blue Stain Attack and Its Effect on The Mechanical Properties of Five Light-Colour Woods

Abstract

The processing of light-color wood often has problems due to blue stain, which can reduce the quality and economic value of the wood. This research aimed to evaluate the intensity of blue stain attack on five light-color woods and the effect on their mechanical properties. Pine, rubber, jabon, sengon, and gmelina logs with an average diameter of 30 cm were turned into 3 cm thickness disc samples for staining fungal test; 2 cm × 2 cm × 30 cm and 3 cm × 3 cm × 6 cm samples for bending and hardness tests respectively. All the samples were exposed to the environment above ground on a rack for six weeks. The results showed that the highest intensity of blue stain attack was found in pine wood (84%), followed by rubber wood (80%), jabon wood (65%), sengon wood (36%), and gmelina wood (27%). The mechanical properties (modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, and hardness) of all wood-attacked blue stains did not significantly differ from their control samples.