They were very ugly and we didn’t have a clue what was wrong or how or if it could be corrected.  On a trip to LaRonge for supplies and while in the lumber yard, I inquired of the desk person about my problem.  From his expression, it was obvious he was not going to be any help.  Luckily, an older customer overheard our plight and asked if we were working with black spruce.  After hearing that we were in fact working with black spruce, he smiled and told us that the cabin he built for himself was of black spruce and every few years it would turn black and all that was needed was a cleaning with Javex.  “What in the world is Javex”, I asked.  “You know, household bleach” he responded.  By this time I knew that Canadians have a few word different in their vocabulary and this was just another one.  So we were off to the grocery store and the purchase of several gallons of Javex.

Back on the island, painting the logs with a mixture of 50 percent Javex  and 50 percent water seemed too simple of a cure for a problem.  Fortunately, it worked like a charm and the black logs would morf into the natural blonde color we stared with.  Again, this was not mentioned in any of the literature I had read about timber processing.