AusBonsai

. I have no words. I do however have a question, Where can I buy some balls so I can try something like this? I don't have the required genitalia at the moment...

And that is all for now folks.
I love seeing those compact bent and twisted pines and Junipers from Europe, Japan and America. As we do not have trees growing where they get shaped by snow and wind naturally, we have to make our own. Hopefully this will look good in the years to come

The tree will rest for at least 6 Months to recover and then i will rewire the branching and position that properly.
its final size now is about 300mm, and this will be close to its final dimensions.
Down from a collected tree about 1M tall 4 years ago, and i have taken off an airlayer as well.

Maybe next year look for a bonsai pot for it to go into and then wait to see if the bark rolls over the groove in the next few years while developing it branching and ramification.

Another few years to go yet.

Enjoy the journey

Ken

Raymond wrote: . I have no words. I do however have a question, Where can I buy some balls so I can try something like this? I don't have the required genitalia at the moment...

Thanks Ray
Just experiment and try out on cheap material and have a go
Or come to the School of Bonsai Show in a few weeks and see me do it on a much smaller scale as a demo

Ken

Actually, I've have seen in books some even bigger contraptions very similar to bend larger trunks. But this is for experts like Ken. I'll hunt them out and see what I mean, if I can find them in the books I have. All Northern hemisphere of course. But Ken you win this one.
Also Ken if you don't mind, where can you get larger MM of wire. The one I have is very fine. And Bunnings have larger mm, but about $30 for maybe l meter. I thought of wrapping Christmas parcel twine and then covering it with this thin wire to ease any cuts. Well done Sire.(Old English, not paternity) LOL

Bush bunny wrote: Also Ken if you don't mind, where can you get larger MM of wire. The one I have is very fine. And Bunnings have larger mm, but about $30 for maybe l meter. I thought of wrapping Christmas parcel twine and then covering it with this thin wire to ease any cuts. Well done Sire.(Old English, not paternity) LOL

Thanks

I get all my Aluminium wire from Ray Nesci in Dural about $15 / 250gm I think
Copper wire from Grant Bowie in canberra. $62 per Kili I think

both can be found online as well, but I prefer to support local Suppliers.

Ken

Thanks again Ken. Now look at the contraptions the Japanese use. One looks like a medieval thumbs screw?This is from
'The Secret Techniques of Bonsai' by Masakuni Kawasumi II and III, Kadansha International Ltd, Tokyo, 2005, bought from Angus and Robertson, $39.95. pp.76. His grandfather designed the first bonsai tools in 1928. Still used today.

The book really I found is not about specific species, although beautiful pictures of the authors. But more into propagation and style. Surprisingly he is a certified Japanese Tree Doctor, but he favors the clip and grow methodology, that his father was fond of. But lots of info on cuttings, air layering, seeds, wiring, as well as soil mixes. This is just one styling method.

Cheers

Pat

Thanks Pat
Essentially the same as my home made one that I used to do the original bend
I have a Smaller commercially made one as per the book too.

I also have bent steel and other cranks to use as bending levers too. also have used wire twists or turnbuckles too
The wiki contains some good links as well
https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... ranch_jack

anyone who has done serious bending will have them, or homemade tools to do these sorts of jobs

Ken

Thanks Ken again, if you have a minute can you advise on my juniper in My first bonsai, c.2009? Just needs some wiring that I will do, the cascade is a bit array.

Cheers

Pat

kcpoole wrote:Steven I assume you wanted his pic for a reason

Nope, just got trigger happy with your camera

Amazing to see such a thick old trunk bent so dramatically Ken.

Regards,
Steven

Great sequence of posts that explain the process very well. Thanks for posting. What side of the bend does the hollow/wire go? And how can you tell when the raffia is on? Do you twist the trunk when you bend it?

Gavin

GavinG wrote:Great sequence of posts that explain the process very well. Thanks for posting. What side of the bend does the hollow/wire go? And how can you tell when the raffia is on? Do you twist the trunk when you bend it?

Gavin

I put the Wire in the back of the trunk and the groove is this Across the bend. that way it shodu be hidden when recovering. I try and remember which side I put it in, but had to really work hard to remember last night Next time I will mark it with a texta before bending to make sure

You can twist as well, and it will happen on its own usually and this one did. a Straight bend seems to be hard to achieve.

Ken