Bio Based BoardsIntro

Environmental ramifications of using polymersSurfing and snowboarding are among many forms of popular activities for outdoor enthusiasts that combine the thrill of sport and adventure with a sense of connection with nature. Surf and snowboard enthusiasts often share a vested interest in the protection of the environment that they constantly interact with. http://www.surfscience.com/topics/surfing-lifestyle/life-as-a-surfer/environmental-impact-of-surfing-introductionFor example, during the time in which Rick Lomax worked on his surf science degree, Lomax conducted research to better understand how the carbon footprint of surfboards affected climate change through carbon emissions so that he could develop and compare the performance of plant based surfboards to traditional materials. Lomax has since developed the Surfboard Carbon Calculator TM and launched a company called Decarbonated Consultancy that endeavors to develop extreme sporting equipment that would make the industry more environmentally sound. Lomax was one of many industry experts to present his work on bio based surfboards and surf board life cycle analysis at the InCrops; bio sports conference in 2010. Lomax also presented at the Regional Studies Association SW Annual Conference that year. Interestingly enough, snowboard and ski enthusiasts have also begun to take on a more active role in developing more sustainable alternatives within the snowboard manufacturing industry. Suzanne, an environmental scientist who's interested in environmental impacts and resource conservation created the blog Forever Shred that’s been trending in boarder’s blogs since late 2011. In Suzanne’s e-zine, which she uses to share her evaluation of the use of alternative materials and low impact processing within the ski and snowboarding community, she explores topics ranging from sustainable land management of ski resorts, repurposing recycled materials into the construction of snowboard rails and ski runs http://www.forevershred.com/2011/11/repurpose-recycle-rad-environmentally.html. Suzanne also posts articles related content from other media outlets within the winter sports community that address issues of sustainability in winter sports, such as the BWG magazine article “The Eco Friendly way,” which explores what conscientious consumers should look for when researching technical specifications for an environmentally friendly board http://www.bwgmag.com/blog/lifestyle/keepin%E2%80%99-it-real-what-to-look-for-in-an-%E2%80%9Ceco-friendly%E2%80%9D-board/. Suzanne also posts information that helps board enthusiasts understand specific sustainable design principles that will help them make more informed choices. According to Suzanne’s article, “Snowboard Life Cycle Analysis,”

A life cycle analysis (LCA) is a tool that is used to evaluate the processes associated with material manufacturing, production, disposal, and use. http://www.forevershred.com/2011/07/snowboard-life-cycle-analysis.html

Simply put, an LCA is used to measure the impact a product may have on the environment from the "cradle to the grave". LCA's can be pretty complex. First off, several models exist to calculate impact and there isn't one that is perfect for all industries or needs. Secondly, they each vary on what level of analysis you are interested in and the data needed can often require a lot of time to track down (for example, the life cycle can be based on a whole manufacturing sector itself like the wood products industry or can be customized at a more granular level, specific to the products in a companies particular supply chain). Lucky for us, there are also many ways to find some level of data to enter into the models from a variety of databases supported by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Ecoinvent and software available to purchase such as KCL Eco and SimaPro.These tools can walk one through the LCA, but you have to ask yourself first what your main interest in the data is and therein lies the complexity.

An LCA usually focuses on the following processes:-material extraction (growing and harvesting wood, extracting coal, or ore)-material processing (making plastics or adhesives)-transportation and distribution (trucks, air, boat)-use-disposal (wastes)

As environmental concerns become more prevalent throughout the media, and more and more Americans increase their awareness of the catastrophic environmental and economic impacts that have resulted from the failure address the concerns regarding waste, toxic pollution, public health and over-consumption of energy in sport craft manufacturing and other industries, many industry leaders have begun to work toward determining what steps can be taken toward “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=dyson_mpa http://www.surfscience.com/topics/surfing-lifestyle/life-as-a-surfer/environmental-impact-of-surfing-introduction .”As the need for recognition of trend continues to grow, some industry professionals have begun to acknowledge that better education of these industrial realities must be included with newly innovated products that tout themselves as “green” to distinguish these products from products simply marketed as “green” through the use of marketing tools, a concept commonly referred to as “green washing http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/greenwashingindexcom-teaches-consumers-how-to-spot-greenwashing.htm.” Where the challenge lies is that in order for any products to be definitively green according to industry standards, the products must be made using clean low carbon renewable energy.  The products would need to be developed using natural materials that

are grown in an environmentally sensitive way. And the products would need to be produced recycling and reusing as many materials as possible. And this means that the manufacturing process would need to be optimized to reduce waste and indirect environmental damagehttp://www.surfscience.com/topics/surfing-lifestyle/life-as-a-surfer/environmental-impact-of-surfing-introduction.  As Lomax states about his own industry,

There are so many little changes that we, as surfers, can make to be greener within our sport. The first step is becoming aware of when and how our carbon footprint is being created so we can proactively try to reduce it.

Unfortunately, there are many within the sport craft community who question whether this approach is really possible.  Brook Geery, a columnist from the blog YoBeat snarkily notes,

I don’t know about you, but I am not buying into this whole “green craze” in snowboarding. Sure, we can make fun of wakeboarding because their activity is potentially more offensive to the environment than snowboarding, but when it all comes down to it, snowboarding is just not a “green” activity. We human beings need to feel better about ourselves though, and the snowboard industry seems to be wholeheartedly jumping on the bandwagon of “eco-friendly” products. And what word says “eco-friendly” like bamboo! Let’s be realistic though, riding a snowboard or wearing socks made of bamboo isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be. Sure, bamboo has plenty of benefits for clothing. It’s highly renewable and grows back without replanting. It requires no pesticides, and will grow like a weed just about anywhere. And of course once processed, it’s silky and wonderful and naturally anti-microbial and moisture wicking. So why wouldn’t every one want to use it?Therein lies the problem: everyone does want to use it. From snowboard first layer companies to high fashion, you are hard-pressed to find a line without at least one piece of bamboo in it. Sure it’s easily renewable, but where is all this bamboo growing? Well, the high demand for bamboo in everything from clothing to flooring is causing many Chinese farmers to turn natural forests into bamboo fields. And even though it’s not necessary, many cultivators are starting to use fertilizers that are hardly “organic” to make the fast growing plant grow even faster.

http://www.yobeat.com/2008/08/15/bamboo-hoo-the-greenwashing-of-snowboarding/Geery’s argument is certainly not unfounded; as issues regarding the energy intensive process of petroleum based manufacturing, which is often literally found at the heart of the production of surf and snowboard cores, raise questions over the viability of producing a truly sustainable high performance and affordable sport board. http://www.hpj.com/archives/2012/mar12/mar26/0321Letter1_hmsr.cfm bio based manufacturing stats

Background

The roots of the modern surfboard can be traced to World War II more so than to any one man. Created during the war as insulation for refrigerators and airplanes, polyurethane foam proved to be the perfect replacement for balsa wood. It was cheaper, easier to shape, man-made and abundant, impacting every aspect of our equipment -- from planing hulls to hydrofoiled rails to fiberglass to flotation…

…Preeminent mad surfing scientist Bob Simmons got the foam ball rolling in 1947 when he first began tinkering with the revolutionary new compound. By 1949, he sandwiched a Styrofoam core between two pieces of plywood and added hand-shaped balsa rails. When exposed directly to resin, the polystyrene foam (used in aircraft radar domes during the war) dissolved, so the plywood kept the volatile components from meeting. The concoction was sealed with fiberglass, an ingredient Simmons had known about for some time but was reluctant to use until he determined that lighter was better. He located the materials, built a concrete mold, and blew the foam fixings for his sandwich. Having drastically reduced board weight, he and cohorts Matt Kivlin and Joe Quigg sold over 100 sandwiches during the summer of '49.

Simmons soon stepped away from board building and eventually died tragically in 1954. In his absence, balsa remained the core of choice until Whitey Harrison cooked up a polyurethane plank in his barn in 1955. Whitey's creation failed to make waves, but the following year, brothers Dave and Roger Sweet began selling boards with the "new" foam around Santa Monica. Funded by future acting legend Cliff Robertson, their boards were undeniably light and their success was impeded only by their somewhat clunky designs.

Meanwhile, the supply of useful balsa coming into California had virtually dried up, leading Hobie Alter to dive headlong into foam with his glasser, an engineering wiz named Gordon "Grubby" Clark. In a secretive factory in Laguna Canyon, Alter and Clark devised a mold that would create a blank in two halves divided lengthwise. The sections were joined by a wooden stringer, and by the summer of 1958 the foam and fiberglass surfboard was a way of life.

The movie Gidget arrived shortly thereafter, and all of America wanted a part of the beach lifestyle. Hobie was happy to indulge them, branching throughout the surfing world and becoming the first name in surfboards. In 1961, Clark went off on his own to create Clark Foam, quickly becoming the foremost supplier of surfboard blanks. Armed with new molds and processes, he accommodated the '60s surfing boom and retained his advantage for the next 44 years.

http://www.surfline.com/surfing-a-to-z/polyurethane-foam-history_885/The surfboard begins at the blank factory where two chemicals are mixed together to form a rigid polyurethane foam which is poured into a concrete mold. It dries and when removed from the mold it is known as a surfboard blank. Available are numerous blanks of various lengths and proportions to fill the many needs of the surfboard industryhttp://www.harboursurfboards.com/info-surfboard-construction.aspPolyurethane dustUnfortunately, due to the high toxicity and energy intensive processes that go into the production of sport craft such as surf board and snowboards, the same sports that are often believed to provide a close connection to nature and the natural world also leave a very destructive environmental impact upon it. http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/wayoflife/05/27/ost.eco.surfboards/index.html?iref=allsearchhttp://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/16/local/la-me-surfboard16-2010apr16In Joey Santley’s interview with the Los Angeles times, Santley scours the drab enclave of San Clemente known as the surf ghetto, looking for the ever elusive environmentally friendly surfboard (Anton). In the article, Santley, 44, a frenetic surfboard shaper and entrepreneur shared, "A 'green surfboard' is inherently an oxymoron at this point." "Hopefully in the future it won't be."According to the New York Times article about this same neighborhood in Southern California,

A few blocks from the beach, the pungent smell of polyester resin wafts from the surfboard factories that crowd an alley known as the surf ghetto in this Southern California town. Inside warrens of rooms painted ocean blue, young men wearing face masks shape slabs of snow-white polyurethane foam into surfboards, the cast-off chemical dust covering floors and filling trash barrels.Despite its nature-boy image, the American surfing industry often relies on toxic manufacturing processes and generates tons of waste to make surfboards and other products. While surfers have long fought polluters that befoul beaches and oceans, the surfing industry — which has annual revenue of $7.2 billion, according to the Surf Industry Manufacturing Association, a trade group — is also focusing on cleaning up its own backyard.“The dirtiest thing about surfing is under our feet — a conventional surfboard is 100 percent toxic,” said Frank Scura, a surfer and executive director of the Action Sports Environmental Coalition, an organization that promotes green retailing (Woody).

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/business/energy-environment/19SURF.htmlConsequently,

In recent years, a wave of experimentation has sought to detoxify surfboards by utilizing materials that suggest the Whole Earth Catalog rather than the Periodic Table of Elements. Hemp, bamboo, kelp and silk instead of fiberglass. Foam made from soy and sugar. Adhesive resins made from linseed, pine and vegetable oils. But changing the way

surfboards are made has proved to be as difficult as riding the pumping winter swell at Pipeline."Changing the surfboard industry is like trying to turn an aircraft carrier," said Ned McMahon, 54, a founder of Malama Composites, a San Diego company seeking a niche for its soy-based surfboard blanks in the LA times article. "Surfers are supposed to have this reputation for being free-thinking. . . . But they're really just sheep following leaders (Anton)."

Problem StatementGiven the nature of the toxicity of the materials used to make the petroleum based cores, and given the resource depletion and energy expenditure used in mass production of these foam cores, would myco composites be a viable alternative to replace polymer packaging if it were applied as a form of low energy, renewable or “green” sport craft manufacturing? For the purposes of this study, I decided to test this theory based upon hardness testing.Material Science In recent years, a wave of experimentation has sought to detoxify surfboards by utilizing materials that suggest the Whole Earth Catalog rather than the Periodic Table of Elements (Anton). Hemp, bamboo, kelp and silk instead of fiberglass. Foam made from soy and sugar. Adhesive resins made from linseed, pine and vegetable oils.But changing the way surfboards are made has proved to be as difficult as riding the pumping winter swell at Pipeline.

Changing the surfboard industry is like trying to turn an aircraft carrier," said Ned McMahon, 54, a founder of Malama Composites, a San Diego company seeking a niche for its soy-based surfboard blanks. "Surfers are supposed to have this reputation for being free-thinking. . . . But they're really just sheep following leaders (Anton).

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/16/local/la-me-surfboard16-2010apr16In an attempt to gain a better understanding of the performance standards used to measure the suitability and feasibility of these alternative materials in surf and snowboard production, I began my research with an exploration of what materials were already used in board manufacturing. After noting that there were many, ranging from polyurethane, neoprene, Durafoam and many complicated polymer composites, for the purposes of this study I chose to limit the materials in this study to a 1 lb. density polyethylene, polystyrene and the Eco cradle mushroom packaging composite.

Background on PolymersAnother way that polyethylene plastics are categorized is through the use of the molecular weight of the polymer chains. (This also determines what types of plastics can be recycled.) Any ethylene plastic with a molecular weight greater than 3.1 million receives the UHMW designation—the weight of the material used in ski bases.

http://fasterskier.com/2009/02/how-its-made-base-material/

Polyethylene ProductionPolyethylene is a form of plastic used in the production of sport craft such as snowboard and surfboards. In snowboards, the material is used on the base on the part that touches the snow surface (ABCs). Many board manufactures believe that the polyethylene base, or P-TEX as its commonly referred, allows the rider to glide faster on the board. In surfboard production, polyethylene was introduced into the industry because its flexibility, light weight and optimal projection for quality control were believed to make it one of the most adaptable and affordable cores for all water conditions (waveblasters). The polyethylene used in foam cores is often made from a 1lb density closed cell foam. http://www.waveblasters.com/glossary.htmlClosed cell polyethylene foam is a strong, resilient and is ideally suited as a material component used in shock absorbing products. http://www.closedcellfoams.com/polyethylene.html This is because the closed cell padding, with its chemically cross-linked structure is designed to to dampen the effects of vibration. Other advantages of using closed cell foams are that foams of this type are manufactured to be more water resistant. The low surface energy of polyethylene also allows it to repel water (hydrophobic). Water wet bases have approximately half the friction of a dry base. While this low surface energy aids in glide, it also repels epoxy and other glues; therefore, to allow the top of the base to hold graphics, the manufacturers must abrade and flame-treat this part of the base to give the bonding agent something to grab onto. Abrading gives the upper side some “tooth,” and the flaming oxidizes the upper surface, giving it higher surface energy (fast skier). The foam is lightweight, shatterproof, easy to fabricate and has excellent buoyancy properties that allow it to be used in flotation equipment. The foam is also incredibly strong, provides resistance to tearing, and is impervious to mildew, mold, rot and bacteria. Polyethylene also has the highest impact resistance of any petrochemical. The greater the weight of the polyethylene, the greater the resistance the material is to deforming and remaining misshapen (fast skier). One of the reasons why polyethylene is preferred in surf and snowboard production is because, unlike polystyrene, closed cell polyethylene does not produce toxic dust which makes it cleaner and easier to machine.In snowboard production the base of the snowboard, or the part that touches the snow surface and allows the rider to glide faster, is typically made of a material made from polyethylene called P-Tex (ABCs). http://www.abc-of-snowboarding.com/whatisasnowboard.aspThese bases are either "sintered" or "extruded" type. Extruded bases are melted and cut to shape. According to Snowboardmaterials.com, the online resource for board manufacturers created by the company Action Sports Technology, Inc.:

Extruded bases are made from polyethylene pellets melted down then forced under pressure through an extruder, which determines the thickness of the finished material. The finished material is usually sanded on one side of the material to increase its surface area (to aid in bonding), and is then also "flame treated" or Corona treated" to oxidize the

plastic and give it better bonding properties. Natural UHMW has very poor bonding characteristics. Extruded base material is less expensive to produce, less abrasion resistant, and tends to hold less wax, and is thus generally slower than a properly structured and waxed sintered base. From a technical standpoint, most extruded bases have much lower molecular weight, higher shrinkage characteristics and more tensile creep than sintered bases. Extruded base (when not colored) also exhibits better clarity than sintered material (snowboardmaterials.com).http://www.snowboardmaterials.com/pages/all_about_snowboard_materials.htm

Extruded bases are believed to be long lasting and easy to repair (ABCs). However, the extruded type of base is the slowest and holds less wax than the other types of bases. Sintered bases, on the other hand, are first grounded into powder, heated, pressed, and then sliced into shape. A sintered base is superior to the extruded base - it's more durable, faster, and holds wax better. Even so, it's more expensive and difficult to repair. 

Although snowboards with extruded bases are very popular for board riders on a tight budget, snowboarders looking for a higher performance board often opt for a snowboard with a sintered base. http://www.abc-of-snowboarding.com/whatisasnowboard.aspSnowboardmaterials.com explains that:

Sintering involves crushing polyethylene pellets together under high pressure. This causes them to melt together and fuse, and the resulting sintered material is generally of higher density, higher molecular mass, and exhibits better abrasion resistance than extruded material. Sintered Base material as a rule has better wax absorbtion characteristics, and ultimately better hydorphobic (water resistant) properties as a result. Graphite and electra bases contain additional graphite additives and cross linking agents added with the pellets during manufacturing. These additives do several things - harden the plastic, decrease friction properties, and conduct static electricity - all making the base slide better in the snow.. http://www.snowboardmaterials.com/pages/all_about_snowboard_materials.htm

After the molecular weight of the polyethylene reaches one million grams per mole, the material is capable of being sintered, a process of molding without melting (Gooch). In order for polyethylene to be ready for sintering, it must achieve the Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) designation, which is the ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials) standard used to meet the performance specifications of this 1 lb density (or 0.94 g/cm3) polymer. http://www.astm.org/Standards/D6712.htm http://books.google.com/books? id=HRgy8iHQtdwC&pg=PA778&lpg=PA778&dq=sintering+polyethylene+molecular+weight+million+grams&source=bl&ots=fwaSGnKdFN&sig=hX7y9QKy1oWiqxdQurhRoMIg22c&hl=en&sa=X&ei=5XaUT525H8Kf6QHooaDgBg&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=sintering%20polyethylene%20molecular%20weight%20million%20grams&f=false

An example of the sintering process would be trying to form a snowball with dry snow. The pressure created by your hands warms the snow, allowing the flakes to deform and lock together. For ski bases, the manufacturers begin in a similar fashion by pressing the powder form polyethylene (120-180 micron sized grains) together, forcing the grains to interlock like snowflakes.

http://fasterskier.com/2009/02/how-its-made-base-material/Bases with a weight greater than 6 million do not have the pore space to accept waxes (fast skier).After sintering, base materials are formed in one of two ways: continuous compression molding (CCM) or scything. DuraSurf is the only base material made using the CCM process.The CCM process uses two titanium belts set horizontally one above the other. The gap between the belts diminishes towards the end of the machine. The manufacturers sift the polyethylene resin powder evenly onto the lower belt; then, the upper belt compresses the resin into a continuous ribbon of base material. The pressure between the upper and lower belts raises the temperature of the material between 400 and 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and the ribbon of base exits the belt press at the finished thickness. CCM can process 100 liters per hour of resin with a varying total yield of usable base.The scything process uses a large ram press—often a meter or more in diameter—to form gigantic puck of base material called a billet. The manufacturers sift the powdered resin into the cavity of the ram mold before the ram, or piston, closes down and compresses the powder. Similar to the CCM method, the compression raises the temperature of the polyethylene, reforming the powder into a solid. The manufacturers then place the billet on a lathe where a blade scythes off ribbons of base material.With both scything and CCM, the manufacturers mix any base material colorants or additives with the resin powder prior to sintering. Carbon black, for example, is a common additive used to darken the ski base and hold wax. Graphite and fluorocarbon powder are also used to give the base materials different properties. The formulas are confidential.

http://fasterskier.com/2009/02/how-its-made-base-material/Polystyrene v. PolyurethaneBoard shaper, Stephen Pirsch, believes that shaping a polystyrene block requires four times the labor of a polyurethane surfboard blank, the board would inevitably be lighter in weight and easier to work with if it comes pre-molded into a polystyrene blank (Pirsch). Polystyrene foam is more widely available than polyurethane foam.  He also believes that although polyurethane surfboard blank is usually easier to shape (because it is already mostly shaped) and will generally give shapers less problems later on, that high shipping costs associated with polyurethane should make frugal minded board shapers consider the fiscal advantages of using polystyrene.http://www.surfersteve.com/polystyrene.htmThis could be because Asia-Pacific dominates the global polyurethanes market, accounting for 40.20% of the overall market in 2010 (marketsandmarkets.com).

The market in Europe accounts for 35.59% of the overall market while North American market accounted for 19.96% in 2010. Asia-Pacific is the most attractive region for the polyurethanes market, being driven by the robust economies of China and India. Owing to their availability (rigid as well as flexible foams), polyurethanes, similar to the other plastics, are widely used across a number of industries in applications such as construction, electronics, and packaging.Polyurethanes are produced by reacting isocynates with polyols. MDI and TDI are key isocynates used as raw materials. As MDI and TDI are highly toxic materials, the polyurethane industry is highly regulated as well as heavily dependent on crude oil dynamics.

A polyurethane surfboard blank is the molded foam core that results from mixing MDI isocynates with the polyol catalyst that makes it expand in a mold which can be cast for faster shaping and easier surfboard production (harboursurfboards). Surfboard blanks come in the following two versions: 1. A rectangular shape,(no outline or rails) with a stringer glued in, and the rocker planed in. 2. The outline, rails and rocker molded in, and a stringer glued in (Pirsch). The stringers are one or more strips of wood that are inserted to make the blank rigid enough to shape and strong enough to resist breaking. These stringers are pre cut to a lengthwise curve known as the rocker (harboursurfboards).http://www.harboursurfboards.com/info-surfboard-construction.aspHistorically, MDI has been predominantly used to manufacture polyurethane foams used in surfboard blanks.

The largest application for MDI is rigid polyurethane foams which account for 56.05% of the global consumption of MDI. China is the largest market in Asia-Pacific and one of the leading countries in terms of production as well as consumption of MDI, TDI, and polyurethanes. China accounted for 20% of the global market and over 50% of the Asia-Pacific market in 2010. Cheap raw materials, labour, and land coupled with a moderately stringent regulatory framework have enabled China to emerge as the global leader in production .

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/mdi-tdi-polyurethane-market-381.htmlAs a result, Pirsch advocates that polystyrene makes for a suitable option for foam board cores when economics force the board shaper to vie for a more affordable option or there is no local foam distributer present (Pirsch). Ironically, the surf culture in other parts of the world has grown in popularity through the recovery of polyurethane from old appliances because in those places, this method was the most affordable.

During the late 80s and 90s the only surfboards in cuba where left behind buy generous foreign surfers , the U.S embargo and the small cuban salary led to a determined surf culture . Boards were made by stripping old refrigerators for their foam then the pieces would be glued together to form a blank. The board shape would be copied from a board that had been left behind and the outline cut out with a saw. The boards form would be

shaped using an old "cheese grater" then smoothed with sand paper. Fibreglass would be scrounged from local boat yards and these heavy off cuts would be glassed on in pieces & sanded off to a smooth finish. This method can still be found in cuba today by young surfers wanting to surf their own boards (HavanaSurf).

http://www.havanasurf-cuba.com/surfboard-shaping.htmlMushroom compositeEco Cradle, a mushroom composite made from agricultural byproducts and mushrooms by the company Ecovative Design, was created by the company’s founders to replace toxic petroleum based foams with a material that is more environmentally responsible and less energy intensive. The developers of this material inoculate agricultural waste with mushrooms, or mycelium in order to use its natural biological processes to create a composite material. http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/pure-genius/ecovative-the-new-plastic-is-made-from-mushrooms/5717According to the company’s website

Ecovative’s materials start on a farm, with the parts of plants that cannot be used for food or feed and therefore have limited or no economic value. We strive to utilize only renewable, regional raw materials. A patented process cleans and prepares a blend of agricultural byproducts, and inoculates it with mycelium. You can think of this process as planting the mushroom tissue. There are never any spores involved. This inoculated mixture is filled evenly into forms in an automated process. Then, the real magic happens. The mycelium grows indoors in about a week without any need for light, watering or petrochemical inputs. It’s like a vertical farm for mushroom materials. The beauty of this process is that we grow the shape you need. Every cubic inch of material contains a matrix of 8 miles of tiny mycelial fibers! At the end of the process, we put the materials through a dehydration and heat treating process to stop the growth. This final process ensures that there will never be any spores or allergen concerns. Many of the materials and chemicals that are commonly used come from non-renewable fossil fuel resources. However, cheaply extracted petroleum and gas supplies are a thing of the past. Our landfills are filling up, and even when we recycle things properly, it requires a lot of energy only to yield a lower grade material. The future lies in using rapid renewables that can also be returned to the earth at the end of their use (Ecovative).

http://www.ecovativedesign.com/about-our-materials/how-its-made/While the material is currently being used for shipping, insulation and car parts, the compression, fire proofing and buoyancy tests conducted by the company, indicate that the product may have some useful application in the sport craft industry.

In the manufacturing process, according to chief scientist Gavin McIntyre, a waste agricultural material, such as buckwheat hulls or rice hulls, is inoculated with the fungal spores and poured into molds. The molds are placed under carefully controlled conditions for five to ten days, during which time the fungal mycelium (root-like fibers) grow throughout the agrifiber matrix, literally growing the rigid foam. After removal from the

forms, the Greensulate material is treated to stop the mycelium growth and sterilize the material. The company claims that in a wall system, the insulation will remain inert as long as it's kept from getting soaked. A number of different fungus species are being tested by the company, including one that produces a mold-resistant foam that meets the ASTM standard C-1338. The finished Greensulate insulation contains no VOCs, no chemical flame retardants, no plastics or other artificial materials. It is all natural, and unlike some biobased materials, does not use a food product. While the product achieves R-3.0 per inch today, "we believe we can get the R-value higher, said McIntyre. While stable and inert in use, Greensulate breaks down fairly quickly in a compost bin (Wilson). http://www.buildinggreen.com/live/index.cfm/2011/1/6/Greensulate--A-fungusbased-insulation-material-thats-grown-rather-than-manufactured

The advantage to using this composite material is that the material can be composted when no longer needed. While this would not eliminate the toxins used in fiberglass resins, the material recovered from the core, in addition to the reduction of energy used to grow this composite would result in a product that is much safer and environmentally friendly.

http://www.buildinggreen.com/live/index.cfm/2011/1/6/Greensulate--A-fungusbased-insulation-material-thats-grown-rather-than-manufacturedhttp://inhabitat.com/ecovative-teams-up-with-ford-to-create-compostable-car-parts-from-mushrooms/

http://www.ted.com/talks/eben_bayer_are_mushrooms_the_new_plastic.html

MycologyIn order to best understand how the myco composite works it makes sense to understand the basic principles of the mushroom life cycle, in addition to understanding how mycelium functions and grows. Fortunately, one does not have to be a professional mycologist to understand the basic principles of mycology, or study of mushrooms. http://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/grow-mushrooms-failure.htmlDepending upon the actual type of mushroom, there may be vast differences in the actual process of mycelia growth, but most edible mushrooms share similar patterns of growth. For instance, most mushrooms produce spores and drop them onto the ground or are transported through the air in order to reproduce. The spores act as seeds used to spawn the next generation of fungi. Once the spores are released and make contact with ground moisture or humidity in the air they can begin to germinate and produce the roots or “seeds” of the mushroom known as mycelium. What you need to knowMycelium, or mycelia as it is known in its plural form is the vegetative part of the fungus that consists of branching threadlike root structures known as hyphae. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycelium Mycelium is essential in the process of decomposition of plant material. One of the primary roles of fungi in an ecosystem is to decompose organic

compounds and mycelia are a pivotal component in its contribution toward the production of organic matter in the soil and the release of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. The mycelia colonize and grow in a larger ring-like mass and spread rapidly searching for nutrients and moisture as it consumes the substrate or soil it has inoculated. What you need to knowThe threadlike mass of hyphal structures is sometimes called shiro and grows outward in a radial pattern often described as a “fairy ring.” Fungal colonies of mycelia can be found in many substrates forms. A single fungal spore cannont reproduce sexually until it joins with a compatible homokaryotic mycelium to form a dakaryotic hyphal structure. From that mycelium, fruiting bodies, such as mushrooms can them form.

The leftmost figure shows a spore (the black dot) with the short germ tube growing out from it. The next figure shows the scene a little later, with several branchings having occurred by now. The other two figures show later stages in the expansion of the mycelium. Notice how, by repeated branching, the mycelium eventually assumes a circular form as shown in the rightmost figure. That figure also shows that while the hyphae show a very marked outward growth, there are also cross-connections between the outward growing branches. The cross-connections between the radiating hyphae make it easy to move nutrients quickly around the growing mycelium, taking them to wherever they are most needed. http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/mycelium.html

It is through the mycelium that a fungus absorbs nutrients from its environment. It does this in a two-stage process. First, the hyphae secret enzymes onto or into the food source, which break down biological polymers into smaller units such as monomers. These monomers are then absorbed into the mycelium by facilitated diffusion and active transport. Wiki

The combination of generally radial growth, with branching hyphae growing out from behind the leading hyphae, means that a

mycelium can explore and exploit a large area. As the mycelium exhausts the food sources in one area and expands outward in a circular fashion, there's no benefit in maintaining the inner mycelium. So the fungus cannibalizes the inner mycelium, extracting whatever nutrients it can from there and moves them to the outer, growing regions. Whatever cannot be recycled is shut off from the growing region and allowed to decay, so that the mycelium actually grows as an expanding ring, not as an expanding disk, and the accompanying diagram shows this.

If you've seen mushrooms growing in fairy rings in a field, this ring-like mycelial growth immediately suggests the cause. http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/mycelium.htmlWhen spread on logging roads, the biopolymers left behind in the process of mycelia decomposition can act as a binder, holding new soil in place and preventing washouts until woody plants can be established. wiki

Once the mycelium has grown enough to break through the surface it is exposed to sunlight and initiates the next process of growth were the actual mushrooms will begin to form.  The temperature of the environment and the amount of light exposure will determine when the mushrooms will being fruiting and each species has its own perameters for growth.  Once these specific settings are achieved pinheads will start to form. Shortly after the pinheads will grow into fully mature mushrooms with stems and caps, the caps will stretch out and open revealing the gills underneath.  The gills are were the spores are collected before being released and are held in by a thin layer of mushroom skin called the "veil".  Once the mushroom cap grows large enough it will tear the veil releasing the spores and repeating the entire cycle.

 What you need to knowSubstratesWhen attempting to grown mushrooms, choosing a substrate or substance in which to grow the mycelium is a very important decision. Many different kinds of materials can be used for indoor inoculation and spawn cultivation. From logs to straw to coffee grounds, you always have a variety of cultivation choices. http://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/mushroom-spawn.htmlA substrate is inoculated with mycelium through the use of mushroom spawn. Spawn is just a smaller amount of nutritious material upon which the mycelium can begin to grow before it’s ready to colonize a substrate.  For more information on mushroom spawn see this page. For the purposes of this study, I will be using a grain substrate in order to meet the criteria for sourcing locally grown materials. Cereal straws such as wheat, rye and oat all make a good base for mushroom growth. They are easy to get and fairly cheap. A big advantage of straw is that it can be used to grow many types of mushrooms. Most mushrooms have no problem breaking down the plant fibers of straw, making it a versatile substrate. A disadvantage of straw is that it should be prepared first, especially if you’re growing mushrooms indoors. Straw is laden with other microbes, and if you don’t get rid of those tiny competitors, the mushroom mycelium may not have a chance to grow. Straw is treated by a variety of methods, usually heat pasteurization. http://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/pasteurize.htmlGrain spawn is sterilized grain that has been inoculated with spores or a sterile culture of mycelium. Many types of grain can be used with rye and millet being some of the most common. Other choices are corn, wheat, and different cereal grains. Grain spawn can be used to create sawdust spawn, more grain spawn, or inoculate all sorts of pasteurized substrates such as straw. A big advantage of using grain is that it’s much more nutritious than sawdust making it ideal to create more spawn or to inoculate indoor substrates. A disadvantage is that it’s not as good a choice for inoculating outdoor beds, as the grains are often a big target for birds and rodents. http://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/mushroom-spawn.htmlNutrient absorption and Mycelial growthIn a substrate, if there is a fairly uniform distribution of nutrients in a benign environment, radial growth is very efficient since it allows the fungus to make the most of the available nutrients.

However, nutrients are not always uniformly distributed and the surrounding environment is often hostile. These factors are major influences on the pattern of mycelial growth. If there's a significantly higher concentration of nutrients in one area, then the mycelium would grow preferentially into that area, with less growth (or perhaps even none) into other areas - especially areas with a hostile environment. In an area rich in nutrients, the mycelium will branch often and grow slowly, so maximising the amount of nutrients it can extract. By contrast, in an area low in nutrients the hyphae grow more rapidly and with little branching. Moreover, in many cases the bulk of the mycelium doesn't grow as individual hyphae - but as bundles of hyphae. Some bundles are simply

fairly loose and unstructured aggregations of hyphae, with no differentiation in the functions of the component hyphae. The opposite also occurs commonly, with a definite structure to the bundle and marked differentiation in the nature of the hyphae making up the bundle.

http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/mycelium.htmlPaul Stamets suggested that because mycelia mats have the potential to remove chemicals and microorganisms from soil and water through the process of mycofiltration, I decided to use the material for this study. This was partially due to the potential that the disposal of waste from myco composite production could play in the bioremediation of landfills and its ability to be composted made it seem like a much more suitable material for petroleum based foam in industrial applications. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myceliumhttp://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/mycelium.htmlEben Bayer, the founder of Ecovative Design LLC noticed that the mycological process might be able to provide additional industrial applications such as the myco composite his company uses for alternative packaging, he and his college roommate Gavin McIntyre developed a method to manipulate a network of mycelia into molded shapes using this patented method.Intriguingly enough,

Petroleum products and pesticides, typical soil contaminants, are organic molecules, i.e. they are built on a carbon structure. This means that these substances present a potential carbon source for fungi. Hence, fungi have the potential to remove such pollutants from the soil environment, unless the chemicals prove toxic to the fungus. This biological degradation is a process known as bioremediation.

The Challenge with attempting to cultivate a sample composite on a home or local scale is that without experience in mycology there is a large room for error in the cultivation process particularly when it comes to exposure to fungal contaminants.

Contamination: Evil Green MoldIf at any time during incubation or growth stages you notice a green spot forming this is not a good sign and you should consider the experiment over.  Green spots are the first sign of contamination called "green mold" or trichoderma.  This is very common and happens to the best mycologists and is really part of the experience.  It is harmless to us but will be the end to your experiment in most cases.  There is some techniques to prevent and remove this green mold contamination, click here to read the article about green mold trichoderma.

The Mushbox Casing Kit - Full Walkthrough

ContaminantsHere are 8 factors provided by a mycologist/ growers forum that must be considered for local growers hoping to cultivate their own mushroom composite.

1. Too little Moisture – Mycelium needs a moist environment to thrive as the fruiting bodies are primarily composed of water. If the humidity level is too low, the mycelia will not fruit.

2. Too much Moisture – “Too much moisture can lead to a soggy substrate, mold and standing water. Standing water encourages bacterial growth and mold two things that compete with your mycelium.” So it is important to keep your mycelia and substrate properly drained to keep standing water from generating mold

3. Sterility—if the substrate is not sterile enough, the mycelium will lose control of its environment and become contaminated with other micro-competitors. These could range from bugs, mold spores and other microbial toxins, that could produce a very unhealthy culture. This can be combated by keeping a very clean and sterile growing environment, pasteurization of the substrate and suitable mycology equipment.

4. Air exchange – Although mushrooms don’t need as much oxygen as humans, without any air exchange, carbon dioxide levels will build and stunt thr growth of your mushrooms.  If you are growing mushrooms in a sealed environment, opening the container or creating some form of sterile air exchange could keep the mycelia from “bruising” or turning a bluish green color (different from green mold in that it does not have an added yellow fuzzy tint). The challenge is that exposure to fresh air in a non sterile environment could expose your culture to a variety of other contaminants or lower humidity levels.

5. Mismatched environment – For optimal growth, each mushroom species should be paired with a substrate that is conducive to meet each species nutritional requirements. Wood loving species may not cultivate well on straw, and the temperature of cultivation for some species may be particularly sensitive to its growing climate. Also, the substrate must be nutrient rich in order to give the mycelia the nutrients it needs to survive and spread.

6. Bad Spawn – old spawn or spawn that has been traveled a great distance may not be as robust or may fail to produce mushrooms. “It’s no secret that you should hae the healthiest spawn possible to increase your chances to successfully grow mushrooms.” This may mean only purchasing spawn from a reputable company or being sure to use your spawn as soon as possible so that you don’t lose it, if you’re cultivating mycelia from a locally-grown culture. Spawn that sits around will eventually weaken, create waste and possible contaminate.

7. Lack of Research/ Understanding of Mycology – understanding how mushrooms reproduce simplifies the growing process and improves your chances of success.

8. Patience – Mycelia take time to grow and produce mushrooms. Some strains like morels, may even take years. If the grower takes the time to enjoy watching things grow and to understand “the rhythm of the mushroom life cycle” the grower will eventually learn what techniques can be used for success in their mushroom cultivation.

http://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/grow-mushrooms-failure.html

So as you can see, due to the complexity and level of expertise needed to cultivate a uniform, contaminant free and uniformly dense material, for the purposes of this study to use the composite produced by the company Ecovative. MethodologyFor the purposes of this study, I intend to test the hardness of the materials used for the production of foam core sport craft; in this case, closed cell polyethylene foam (1lb density), closed cell polystyrene foam ( 1 lb density) and the myco composite. I will cut 2” squares of each material and number the samples to record the data in an excel spreadsheet. This will be done by scoring the foams with an exacto knife midway through the foam sample and breaking the foam free. Then I will randomly take readings of the hardness of the “raw” foam samples (foam without cured fiberglass) and use the Brinnell hardness tester to record the hardness of the raw foam. The Brinnell hardness will be taken along three randomly placed spots indicated by a black mark using the soft brush tip of a Copic brand rendering marker (to avoid any potential compression of the sample). Then the data for each location will be located in the spreadsheet.Afterward, each square will receive coats of fiberglass mesh and resin to emulate the hardness of the fiber glassed surface of an uncompressed foam board.* The cured foam samples will then be tested with a Rockwell hardness tester in order to determine the hardness of the fiber glassed foam samples. The resulting data will also be included in a spreadsheet. Production of the myco-compositeIn my attempt to produce a locally grown myco composite for the study, I went through the following processes:

Hay pasteurization Spore printing Liquid culture preparation Inoculation Mycelia incubation Fruiting

Unfortunately, the mycelium from the sample turned a a mysterious bluish green color that I could not conclusively determine was the contaminant green mold nor identify the actual cause. Several of the mushroom grower forums identified the discoloration as “bruising” but I could not find very much documented information to determine how to resolve the issue of bruising. I did, however, read suggestions indicating that the level of moisture or oxygen might affect the bruising of the mycelium. But to be on the safe side, for the purposes of this study, and due to an increased likelihood of uniform grain density, I used the eco-cradle myco-composite for the purposes of this study. However, you may check the appendices for more information in order to understand any of these aspects of the mushroom cultivation processes.

Performance Data:

Testing toolsIn order to test the hardness or rigidity/ resistance to force and penetration, I decided to test the initial hardness of the foam using a Brinnell hardness tester using the “B” scale. After fiberglassing and curing the resin on the foams I later applied a Rockwell hardness tester, which applied a larger amount of force on the samples using the “B” scale. The results of the tests were as follows:

Glassed & Cured SamplesBecause of the inconsistency of how the fiberglass resin was applied, the following methodology was applied to the samples; the following methodology was applied to ensure the greatest accuracy. Column A – denotes the point on each 2” x 2” square that held the thickest layer of fiberglass resin.Column B - denotes the point on each 2” x 2” square that held the thinnest layer of fiberglass resin.Column C - denotes the center point on each

2” x 2” square. Column D – denotes the point of most uniform consistency in the application of the fiberglass resin.

Test Results The individual data for the polyethylene sample shows the variable hardness at varying fiberglass consistencies. The squares in yellow show places where the fiberglass actually cracked during the application of the Rockwell hardness testing but the results did not seem to favor a particular thickness for these occurrences.

The data for the polystyrene data showed some weakness at the thickness of the resin applied on the sample center. This is more than likely due to the large amount of clumping that occurred from application of the 2” x 2” polystyrene square, but could also have resulted from the method of application of coating the squares with resin in an aluminum tray.

Please note in the photograph from the mushroom sample that the hardness of the material was taken after a fair degree of buckling, although the glass was only penetrated in one of the samples. This could mean that the composite would first need to be compressed into a uniform density in order to maintain a resistance to shock or mechanical properties not addressed in this study.

Conclusion:This data shows that in the areas with the most uniform consistency of fiberglass application that there is very little difference in the hardness of the mushroom composite from the other foams. Where the sample does differ, however, is in the weight and density of the sample.

References

Appendices

Grain Pasteurization

It’s important to use straw and not hay. Hay often contains the tops of the plant with the seeds still attached, which will easily contaminate with green molds if used. Straw is also prone to green molds, thus we pasteurize before inoculating with our mushroom spawn. Even with proper pasteurization, as shown in this chapter, straw will naturally begin to contaminate with molds within two weeks or so if not fully colonized. Therefore, it’s important to only use aggressive, fast colonizing species/strains with straw, and to provide the correct conditions for colonization to ensure the project is fully colonized within the 2-week time frame you have available.

http://www.mushroomvideos.com/Straw-Pasteurization

Spore Printing (as provided by

This is probably the hardest and most frustrating part of cultivating mushrooms. This step is necessary if you want to continue to grow mushrooms without continuing to buy new spores every time you would like to inject new jars. I have successfully avoided buying new spores for 3 years at this point.  For this process you will need 1 mature mushroom, a sterile piece of paper, and an appropriate container.

Picking the right mushroom is often a tricky process. You must be learn to watch the mushrooms grow, observing every detail of their growth. They start out as pinheads, then develop a large dark red head, next the stem becomes elongated. At this point, the dark red head will start to lighten and the cap will start to open. This is the point at where I pick the mushroom if I am going to consume it. For spore collecting purposes, you must let the mushroom cap open up and turn almost completely flat. This is where you must watch carefully. In nature, the cap will open and the mushroom will drop millions upon millions of spores into the air. The wind will carry the spores away and they will land in a suitable environment for growth. Your goal is catch these spores on a sterilized piece of paper, so you may manipulate them as you choose. You have approximately 12 hours from the time the cap flattens out until the mushroom will

drop it spores, so careful observation is the key. Getting the mushroom at the right time is important, but just as equally important is keeping the spore print sterile.

    1.    You will need to sterilize either a note card, or my favorite, a piece of manila folder. Simply wrap            the chosen piece of paper or folder in aluminum foil.

    2.    Put it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 3 to four minutes.   Make sure not to            scorch the paper.

    3.   Now you must sterilize a container with a lid that seals completely. I use a casserole dish. The           dish is completely glass and seals when closed-this is important. Your container does not have           to be glass, but it should be able to seal. Put the closed container in the oven at 400 degrees           Fahrenheit for at least 30 minutes. This will sterilize the container.

    4.   Let the card and the container cool completely before proceeding.

    5.    From this point on, I recommend either washing your hands in alcohol, or wearing gloves and            washing them with alcohol before handling the mushroom or the container.

    6.    Once you are ready, pick your mushroom. Wipe a pair of scissors off with rubbing alcohol, and            clip the cap of the mushroom off. Try to remove as much of the stem as possible.

    7.    Unwrap your sterilized piece of paper and place it into the dish. Do this quickly as you do not            want the card or the open container to be exposed to the open air very much. It is impossible to            avoid all exposure, yet try as hard as you can to limit this.

    8.    Now, Open the container one last time and place the cap of the mushroom on the paper.  Do not            press down on the cap, just rest the mushroom on the paper.  You do not want to damage the            gills of the mushroom.       9.   Immediately close your container.  I recommend sealing the container by placing pieces of tape           around the closed container.  This will help avoid any accidental openings.

    10.    In about three days, sometimes sooner, you should see a dark purple ring under the cap  These             are spores. After the spores drop, wash your hands with alcohol and open the container one last             time and remove the cap from the paper, then close and seal the container until you are ready to 

            make a spore syringe. You may dry the cap you used to make the print; it is still good, but not             great.

    11.    You must wait at least three days before using your spore print; this gives the paper time to dry             out. Here is a picture of an excellent spore print. This process took me a number of tries to get             just right, so be patient.  

Liquid Culture Preparation

MAKING A SPORE SYRINGE

In order to keep growing your own mushrooms you will need to learn to load your own syringes. All you need is a spore print, a syringe (10 ml or larger works best), a razor blade, an alcohol burner, and some sterile water.

    1.    Start, by sterilizing water, simply place about 4 to 6 oz of water into a Mason jar. Put a hole into            the lid of the Mason jar. The hole is important because if you forget, the jar will pressurize shut            and when you force it open, air will rush in, possibly carrying contaminants.  Wrap the jar in            aluminum foil.

    2.    Put in the pressure cooker at 15 psi for a full 60 minutes. Donut skimp on the time at all.

    3.    Let the water cool down, it should take at least 2 hours.

    4.    While waiting for your water to cool, you must sterilize your syringes. Make sure the syringes            are closed and have no liquid in them at all. Wrap the syringes in            Aluminum foil, and prop them above the water in the pressure cooker. To do this I simply turn a            couple of extra mason jars upside down and lay a rack that came with my cooker across            the jars. The idea is to allow the wrapped syringes to experience the heat of the cooker without            getting them into the water. Cook the wrapped syringes at 15 psi for 10 minutes.

    5.    When they are done, let them cool, everything should be cool within 2 hours.

    6.    Gather the spore print, the wrapped syringes, the sterilized water, and the razor blade all in front            of you.       7.    Wash your hands thoroughly with alcohol. Cut the tape on the spore print dish, so you can easily            access it.

    8.    Working quickly, wipe the razor blade off with alcohol, then unwrap and open the sterile water.

    9.    Quickly grab the spore print and with the razor blade, scrape all the spores off the print into the            water, then quickly close the jar up.

    10.    Unwrap a syringe, heat the needle as you did while inoculating, then open the jar with spores             and water insert the needle and very slowly fill the syringe with spore water.

    11.   Repeat this until you are out of syringes or solution. I usually use one spore print to fill about            50 ml of syringes.  Some people claim this is an absurd waste and that you could actually get            about 500 ml of spore solution out of one healthy print. I do this to cut down on my chance of             contamination, which is your greatest enemy in this whole process. You will never be able to            completely avoid doing away with all contaminants, so the idea with my process is to outnumber            the contaminants. Using such a high concentration of spores has given me phenomenal            success. Your newly loaded syringes will work best after three days, they need to adapt to their            new watery home. The syringes will last about six months.

One spore syringe can be made into gallons of liquid culture. One spore print, agar culture and mushroom tissue can also make gallons. Liquid cultures are economical, as 1cc from a spore syringe can supply you with a large volume of liquid inoculant which can be used on many jars/bags. Also if the liquid inoculant is a clone (generated from sectored agar or mushroom tissue), then each jar should show similar growth speeds and maturity.

Liquid cultures are normally at a 4% dilute solution of various sugars and other nutrients in water.This would be 4 grams of sugars per 96 ml/cc water. (Water weighs 1 gram per ml/cc.)

Medium

Some nutrient sources are:

Karo (You want the clear one that has the red label; "Light with Vanilla". DO NOT get the dark Karo, such as the one containing brown sugar)

Honey (Non-organic has been known to work, but organic honey is highly recommended.)

Corn sugar

Light malt extract (or extra light. The lighter the better, because it will make it easier to observe growth in the jar.)

Dextrose (glucose)

While only the above are recommended, because they have been tried and tested, other sources have been successfully used, such as organic maple syrup.

Materials:

A small, clean glass jar with a metal lid - I use an empty salsa jar -

A pot with a lid -

Some clean tongs -

Some foil -

Some disenfectant spray with a high alcohol content and some paper towel - 

And some honey (the clearer the better - not 'cloudy' honey) -

Method:

Punch a hole in the lid of the jar with a nail with a hammer and nail - 

Fill the pot with cold water and submerse the jar and lid in it - 

Bring this to the boil (never drop the cold jar straight into boiling water or it will crack). The purpose of this is to partially sterilise the water and the jar - 

Set a timer for 30 minutes, crack a beer and go and check www.shroomery.org 

After 30 minutes, clean the tongs and the bench top you are going to use with the alcohol spray and paper towel. Use the tongs to lift the jar out of the boiling water and place it on your bench -

making sure you keep the jar 3/4 full of the boiled water. Be careful - its hot! - 

Add a tablespoon of honey to this. Work on using a tablespoon of honey for every 250 mls of water you have - 

Use the tongs to take the lid out of the boiling water, then using a tea towel (hot!) put the lid on the jar. Leave the pot of water still boiling on the stove - 

Tear off some foil and crumple it tightly over the lid of the jar. At this point in time I like to put a 'dot' on the foil with a permanent marker pen above the hole that is in the lid, so I can remember where the hole is - 

Place this jar back in the water thats still boiling on the stove - you want the water to come about half way up the jar - if need be, just tip some out of the pot - 

Place on the tight fitting lid - 

Reduce the heat to a low simmer, set your timer for another 30 minutes then crack a beer and go and check www.shroomery.org

When the timer goes off, turn off the stove and DONT PEAK - just leave it with the lid on the pot to cool overnight. Inside the pot is now a sterile environment and opening the lid is an invitation for contaminates.

Inoculation: 

With a spore syringe - 

The next day when its cool, simply remove it from the pot to a pre-cleaned bench top and have your spore syringe ready - 

Flame sterilise or alcohool swab the tip of the needle then peel back the foil on the jar to expose the small hole you made in the lid. Insert the syringe and inject 2CC of spore solution - 

Replace the foil. 

With a spore print - 

Ok - this is a little less sterile but I prefer it because it allows you to start the culture directly from your own prints and cuts out the step of making a spore syringe (a step which only adds another chance for contams to enter anyay) - I always use this method and I have not had one contamination problem yet. 

Close all windows and doors, clean and sterilise your bench top as best you can your with the alcohol spray and paper towel and wash your hands well. If you have gloves - use them.

Get ready your LC, your spore print and a sharp knife on your bench top -

Flame or alcohol sterilise the tip of the knife -

While this cools, crack the lid of the jar slightly - but dont open it completely , and get your spore print ready. 

Once the knife is completely cool, use it to scrape up some spores. Holding your breath, in one smooth motion, scrape up as many spores on the tip of the knife as you can.

Lift the lid of the jar open *just a crack* and insert the tip of the knife, dropping the spores off into the solution - a little tap on the glass will help them fall off, and you should see some land on the top of the liquid -

Replace the lid.

After inoculation: 

Place your finger on the 'dot' over where the hole in the lid is and shake well, until the mixture is slightly frothy. This is for two reasons:

1) To distribute the spores in the solution and 2) To aerate the mixture to engourage growth.

Label with the date and strain etc. and incubate this in a dark place at 29C or 82F, giving it a gentle swirl once a day to encourage growth.

After a few days you will notice some small strands of mycelium forming, and it will be ready completely after about a week. You will notice the liquid will become much lighter as the mycelium uses up the nutrients in the water, and will come to a point where it will stop growing -

To use simply agitate it slightly to loosen up the mycelium, peel back the foil and insert a sterile syringe to suck up as much mycelium as you can - use this as normal to inoculate any substrate. 

One can inject larger amounts of this than you would normally (like 2cc at each injection site) for dramatically sped up colonisation times.

I firmly believe once you try this method you will never inoculate with spores again!

http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/5238137

Live Spawn CultureLive spawn is an actual live chunk of mycelium already growing.  You can extract a sample of this mycelium and create a liquid culture, or simply add your sample to a new substrate and allow it to colonize.  Creating a totally new chunk of mycelium. Live spawn products at Spores101.com

Direct spawn transfer to new substrateIf you already have a sample of live spawn mycelium instead of a liquid culture syringe you can do a direct spawn transfer to the new substrate.  This method is a little more tricky and has more room for error but you can eliminate all of those factors with experience and lots of technology / equipment.  However this explanation does not include a glove box, or

flowhood and is simply describing the details, this is not meant to be a reliable and guaranteed method. First you need to extract a sample or chunk of the live spawn mycelium.  There is many ways you can do this but the best method is to use a scalpal and tweasers.  Cut off a chunk of the spawn mycelium and grab it with the tweazers and simply drop it into the new substrate.  Shake or mix it up and incubate, it will colonize much faster than a spore syringe or liquid culture as live spawn mycelium is usaually much more active. It is important to have as little time exposed to the outside environment as possible during the transfer.  You don't want to allow any contaminates to get into your existing spawn or into the new substrate during the extraction and transfer so you can use a glove box or flowhood to reduce the risk of contamination. http://store.mushbox.com/Liquid-Culture-and-Live-Spawn_b_4.html