Alpineart's Blog

This has been a project and a half , to make another vertical rock for an Ishitsuki i have planed for . The basic material is Hebel panel / Aerated concrete , Its light weight and is easy to carve , I have basically designed the rock and set about gluing it together with a construction adhesive and allowed to cure over a few days . With the panels secured together  i have drawn the outlines of the design and then begin to cut away the access material using a sabre saw for quick removal to give the rock a basic starting point to work from . This is where the die grinder in in a league of its own , with a high speed steel cutter attached i begin carving the material out and basically shaping the rock With the basic shape carved , i have changed the cutter to a tungsten tipped carver and a rotary file  for less effort and a cleaner more detailed finishto its present form , being extremely careful of the reinforcement rods in the concrete  panel material . It is time consuming and definitely worth the effort to create a unique piece custom made for the purpose and design in mind . After around 20 hours of carving and shaping its ready for the colour to be applied. I have chosen basic black as the highlight and applied  it to the high spots to allowing the features carved into the panels to be outline to a greater depth  . This is then brushed and rubbed over to blend the colour into a more natural looking texture . With the colour finished off to the desired colour , it’s simply a matter of applying several waterproofing coats and allowing it to dry . This will now be allowed to weather for a week the tested to see if it needs more waterproofing as the less agent used the more natural the finish is . I’m extremely happy with the result of this project , now all i have to do is decide which species of flora will grace the rock .

Cheers Alpineart

This trainer is in need of  a good quick  trim after it has flourished over the last 2 weeks  and is well and truly overdue for that much needed trim back into shape to aid ramification  , along  with a plan to layer to lower plaited fusing branches off at the same time , thus creating another unique trunk . I have basically trimmed it back to the first and second leaves depending on the strength of the growth and removed most of the upward growing shoots or branches . This can now grow on it merry way trimming as each new shoot elongates , basically pinch and grow for the rest of the season . With the tree finished i move onto the layering again choosing the open pot method i have employed for some time . I find it easier and quicker to set and maintain rather than the sealed plastic wrap method . The success rate in the pot has been proved superior in my area with deciduous , pines and junipers , i have had limited success on the few natives , but the ease of setting and maintaining means i won’t be using anything else over this method With the layer i have combined both the ring bark and wire tourniquet method just to be sure in case the callous grows over either method . The pot is filled with my bonsai mix with a handful of chopped spagnum moss added to retain moisture . With a good watering and a wire applied to hold both the pot and the apex of the branch being layered Now its off to the bench and on to the next trainer .

Cheers Alpineart

Well most of these are growing well so i thought i had better do some simple training rather than leave them to grow leggy and require way to much cutting back in order to pre train them . I have had to move them from there current position as the onset of the hot weather will see the radiant heat kill them off . In the process of re-housing them into a cooler area i have taken a tough approach to this particular trunk and compressed the branches that will be used for the jin and shari material and at the same time manipulate the foliage into o more desirable position for the future finished tree . The lower branches have been cut back to remove the rough cuts from the chainsaw when collected . The remaining longer branches are very thick so the sash cramps , steel pipes and wire was  used to manipulate the thicker pieces into and closer to main trunk at the same time elevating them to create numerous jins above the rear of the proposed canopy .No need to pad the branches as all will be stripped and carved . This has taken quite a bit of time setting and re-setting the cramps numerous times to compress into position to get the right placement . After which the foliage has been manipulated to form a neater canopy . At this point only a couple of lower branches with foliage have been trimmed back for the purpose of jinning at a later date . I have used basic hook and hold wiring as it is much quicker and very little damage to the new growth is sustained . This will recover from the minimal movement and of course it will be trimmed back in a month or two depending on the time frame as there is much to do around here with almost 50% of the last year being lost due to the bike accident and the leg still requires more surgery . As for a trainer its well on its way . It is now 30% more compact Out with 1 and in with another , i have managed to relocate 4 big trunks however i have only had time to work the one over . i have made a couple of basic trolleys to aid the lifting and moving as I’m unable to carry the weight on my leg . I simply slide them on and off into their new location with the minimum effort , These  others can be studied while trimming and training other more urgent works . With all of the trunks out of harms way i will tackle a couple of deciduous tree’s that require some serious trimming for the next stage of development.

Cheers Alpineart