AusBonsai

Just want to know, how to treat the live vein part so that they look smooth and reddish brown?
The white Shari is lime sulphur. How about the live vein, polishing, sanding plus oil?
Please advise

The outer dead bark is peeled off to reveal the younger, red bark underneath. I usually use a brass wire brush but I have seen references to using sandpaper in Japan. It is a tedious process trying to get into all the tight spaces and all the smaller branches. I haven't seen any references to oiling the bark though.
Not all junipers have the good red colour underneath and whatever colour you get it soon fades as the outer layers age again.

A wire brush followed by a very light sandpaper works well. As with any woodwork the finer the sandpaper the smoother the finish. You'll need to redo it each time you want to show the tree off but I reckon it's worth the effort as the contrast of the red bark against the green foliage (and possible white jins) is really special.

The Japanese use an oil to finish it but I'm not sure exactly what type. I'm sure someone else will know.

Matt.

old tooth brush works well on the live vein, sometimes the brass brushes can remove the skin covering the cambium, practice on parts of tree you don't mind dying before you get a good understanding of the layers, because the colours change. You will see a red, then purple, the white, then red, sometimes another purple android again before you get to the cambium, depending on how old the tree is.


good luck.

matt