Need deadwood advice for tanuki

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Hey good evening everyone,

Recently I got some free needled junipers.
Now I want to give tanuki or phoenix grafting a go. To keep me busy for a few days.

I also know that tanuki isn't really accepted and all that. I have no issues with that whatsoever, I just think it's pretty cool stuff and I want to have and make it for myself.


Now, what I want to know is whether or not I should clean this wood to the bare, pale wood, or if the markings, age and leftover strips of bark are something to enjoy.
Personally, I'm leaning on keeping the color as is, and give it juuuust a light lime sulfur treatment before soaking it in preservatives. I could always sand it down later. However, I notice that I'm trying to convince myself to the challenge of cleaning the wood entirely, heavily sulfur it and then preserve. But you can't put pieces back after preservation..

What would you guys do and why?




If anyone is interested, I will proceed this thread later as DIY log.

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[AlainK]

What would you guys do and why?

Good question.

I think that this is a good piece of wood to work with. Maybe carving it a little to make sharper angles, split wood at the tips, but it looks good.

I've thought many times to make a "tanuki", but haven't done it yet.

Whatever, if I did:

1/ I'd make sure the dead wood would stay at least as long as the tree. That means treating the wood, be it with lime sulfur or other. You wouldn't like the tree to rot before the tree develops, would you?

2/ I'd carve the dead wood so the tree would fill in a "hollow vein", not just stick it to the dead wood. The living part will fill in the "gutter" after 2 or three years.

See what I mean ?

 

[AlainK]

Nah, Storms have not gotten stronger nor have we seen a lot of hurricanes recentely
termperature is not going up
There are no more droughts
and it has not gotten warmer
All of these are lies from a global conspiracy that is making billions of climate change avoidence.

Of course these are lies!

Everyone knows it only happens where people live in those liberal *$%ç§ countries where little kids are taught from an early age that science is better than superstition. Those rascals will burn in hell when true believers will make heavens great again. All good people must make the Apocalypse come as soon as possible.

See you there.

I have a thought for my kids, but you know, maybe they should be eliminated for the world to be as great as it should be. But it's hard to wish your own kids death, right?

I think it should be different.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

That was exactly my plan Alain, well.. not the killing my kids part.. But the groove.
What's your opinion about the color of the dead wood? Would you whitewash it like most tanuki junipers nowadays look like, or keep the brownish parts?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Part of the entry groove and feet. I made the forked feet like this so that water can drain and roots can grow in every direction. Eventually, the roots will lock it in place. Then the roots will die because they're cut off when they get too big. That's something for the future to worry about. Right now, the juniper has a lot of feeder roots and a few fat ropes.


Right.. I shouldn't have uploaded this one. But then again, it shows the groove.
The wood was about 20% acrylic at this point. Total weight of the dry wood was +/- 600 grams and I've blasted it with over 800mL of acrylic paint. The wood was first soaked in turpentine to provide deep penetration. The clear coating needs a transporter/solvent to sink in deep. After that, it was heat treated to remove excess turpentine.
And after that, it was coated with paraffin wax to buff it up as well as to waterproof it further. This left the entire piece shiny for now. But weather and sunlight will provide a nice matting effect over time.




Here's a look of how nicely the roots fit through the feet. The bottom of the plant is held in place with raffia. Higher up, it's iron wire with some rubbers holding the trunk hostage in the groove. Coated wires were used to run through the pot and keep it stable.

Now it's a matter of getting through winter alive. If it makes it, and if it looks acceptable, I'll post a picture then. If not, I can always remove the wood and keep a curled juniper.

 

[Ruben Bouwmeester]

Nice project.

 

[Pitoon]

Any updates on this project?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Yep, I threw away the wood and kept the juniper. I didn't like the combination after a while, and despite my best efforts the wood started to rot at the upper ends. The wood was too far gone to make a convincing composition. It kept tumbling over as well, which made it hard to water from a distance.
The juniper is in an oversized pot right now and I'm allowing it to grow freely.

 

[Pitoon]

Yep, I threw away the wood and kept the juniper. I didn't like the combination after a while, and despite my best efforts the wood started to rot at the upper ends. The wood was too far gone to make a convincing composition. It kept tumbling over as well, which made it hard to water from a distance.
The juniper is in an oversized pot right now and I'm allowing it to grow freely.

That's a shame. I'm always on the look out for driftwood. I have quite a few really nice pieces. I think this winter I will work on this piece to make a shohin juniper......could possibly make two out of it.

 

[Pitoon]

Was finally able to upload the picture

 

[leatherback]

Was finally able to upload the picture

why bother with such thin deadwood? You can grow that naturally in about the same time as it will take for a marriage to become convincing.

 

[Pitoon]

why bother with such thin deadwood? You can grow that naturally in about the same time as it will take for a marriage to become convincing.

Becuase I don't want something so dramatic. I'm trying to make something small. Something that will sit in the palm of my hand. Using a huge piece of drift wood just won't look right in my opinion. I guess you will have to see what I envision. I'll take plenty of pics when I start that project.