[somegeek]

I collected this small vine maple today. The area circled in red has some soft wood in it. I used a bamboo skewer and removed softened wood in a cone shape from about 1" at the entrance to a point 3" in. I blasted this with water and got it pretty clean, however now this will hold water. Should I be creating a shari/opening up the bottom side so this will not hold water? The wood surrounding this has healthy bark and is hard.

Appreciate any input.

somegeek

[Enchantra]

If you have a picture that would be great. If we can see it we can give better advice.

[somegeek]

Enchantra, on 06 November 2009 - 07:31 PM, said:

If you have a picture that would be great. If we can see it we can give better advice.

* ahem * "DOH!"

Thought I attached it. See below.

Attached thumbnail(s)

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[Enchantra]

Grab yourself a good Rotary Tool. Some grinding bits wouldn't be bad either. Once you know this collected Maple has survived the collection process fire up the rotary tool. You have the makings there for an entirely hollowed out trunk judging by the rotted trunk lower down that faces the viewer. Hollowing it out won't hurt it as the wood you're getting rid of is already dead. As for your tree still being alive near where the deadwood is, wait for next year and if you have some dieback, work that into your design.

[somegeek]

Enchantra, on 06 November 2009 - 08:36 PM, said:

Grab yourself a good Rotary Tool. Some grinding bits wouldn't be bad either. Once you know this collected Maple has survived the collection process fire up the rotary tool. You have the makings there for an entirely hollowed out trunk judging by the rotted trunk lower down that faces the viewer. Hollowing it out won't hurt it as the wood you're getting rid of is already dead. As for your tree still being alive near where the deadwood is, wait for next year and if you have some dieback, work that into your design.

Thanks, Enchantra.

How long until I know this tree has survived the collection process? I'd like to clean up the rotted material asap. The wet season is upon us in the NW. My dremel is ready, though I'll need to get a bit or two for carving wood.

The lower down face to the left is dirty but solid. I'll probe it a bit tomorrow with a skewer to verify.

The bottom of this tree(surface under potting material) has very good bark as well. I removed this from a rotted log surface in a clear cut. I should have gotten pictures before potting it up. Far as I can tell, the only place with softened material is the location I pointed out.

somegeek

[Enchantra]

somegeek, on 07 November 2009 - 12:04 AM, said:

Thanks, Enchantra.

How long until I know this tree has survived the collection process?

AS soon as it leafs out in the Spring and pushes some new growth you will know it survived.

Quote

I'd like to clean up the rotted material asap. The wet season is upon us in the NW. My dremel is ready, though I'll need to get a bit or two for carving wood.

The lower down face to the left is dirty but solid. I'll probe it a bit tomorrow with a skewer to verify.

Personally I'd let Mother Nature do her worst and rot some of that for you right now. And there is nothing that says you cannot carve into that lower left area and hollow out the trunk. If the tree is healthy and strong it will take the carving of that area just fine.

[somegeek]

Enchantra, on 06 November 2009 - 09:16 PM, said:

AS soon as it leafs out in the Spring and pushes some new growth you will know it survived.



Personally I'd let Mother Nature do her worst and rot some of that for you right now. And there is nothing that says you cannot carve into that lower left area and hollow out the trunk. If the tree is healthy and strong it will take the carving of that area just fine.

I'm a bonsai newbie so I may be looking at this differently. Would the hollow trunk be more a common direction for this kind of subject matter?

What sort of preservative needs to be applied once the trunk is hollow to prevent further rotting?

somegeek

[jkl]

MinWax wood hardener, available at all Lowes and Home Depots and other stores where paints and stains are sold.

[somegeek]

jkl, on 07 November 2009 - 07:53 AM, said:

MinWax wood hardener, available at all Lowes and Home Depots and other stores where paints and stains are sold.

Thanks, jkl. Should I be drilling a hole all the way through to allow for drainage then?

Here's a few more pics. Have this tilted at the moment so that cavity does not fill with water.













For this winter, I'd like to get this into the ground I am thinking.

somegeek

[jjbacoomba]

I was thinking hollowed too. Looks like you will have alot of work to do, but the results will be awesome.

[jkl]

Quote

Thanks, jkl. Should I be drilling a hole all the way through to allow for drainage then?

I think so. But first take the Dremel with a wire brush and get rid of ALL the rotted wood. Make sure the exit hole is large enugh that it wou't get clogged with leaf litter, soil, etc. Eventually, I suspect you will want to open the hollow all along its length, rather than having a tube.

[Will Heath]

This is a nice piece of material with many possibilities for the future. If it were mine, I would just leave it alone for a year, let it grow out new roots, new branches, don't trim or prune, just let it recover for at least a year. Then you will have a healthy, strong piece of material to start working on.


Good find,



Will