Driftwood

[Regan]

Not sure what section to put this in, but what should I do with driftwood collected from the beach before using it with my bonsai?

[Jamie]

if you found it at the beach it most likely is salty as.

you need to boil it in fresh water for a while, say 10 minutes or so, then it needs to be treated with limesulphur and a wood hardener wouldnt hurt either as being in a constant moist place you will probably find it has pulpy bits of wood, and/or could be brittle.
being found drift wood you shouldnt need to carve any detail into it as it should be natural. the only carving you would need is where the tree is going to be mounted to the wood so it is a nice and snug fit.


jamie

[Graeme]

if you found it at the beach it most likely is salty as.
you need to boil it in fresh water for a while, say 10 minutes or so,
jamie

Or just leave it out on the back lawn until this spate of rain has passed. The salt content of the wood wont be that high that it will cause your plant any grief. Lime Sulphur and/or wood preserve is a damn good idea but.

[Regan]

I've got it in a bucket of water at the moment. It does need a bit of carving, not too much though. I've split it a bit, hoping that soaking it will soften it up enough to put some movement into it, then i'm thinking of puting it in the oven to dry it out, we'll see how it goes tomorrow. What sort of wood hardener should I get, and where would I get it, also where would I pick up lime sulpher.

Thanks

[Jamie]

earles wood hardener from that big outlet store starting with B, and lime sulpher same place, soaking it is a good idea aswell, you might find that the water you are soaking it in will start turning a yellow brown colour, that is tannin leaching out of the wood, keep replacing the water until it is clear, by then the tannin will be out and it might even soften the wood enough to help carve


jamie

[Regan]

Thanks Jamie. I'll post some pics when I have something worth showing