This
video shows the process of replicating a naturally-occuring
area of deadwood on a deciduous tree to hide an ugly man-made
scar caused by trunkchopping.
This
22"/56cm tall Hawthorn/Crataegus monogyna was collected
from the wild in 2003. As a result of chopping the trunk
of the original wild tree to reduce its height, there is
now a large scar. Given its size and the poor callus formation
of Hawthorn as a species, the scar is very unlikely to ever
heal over and so, its appearance needs to be improved by
carving.
The
process of carving that I have developed, as shown in this
video, is to use a drill-bit in Dremel to create hollows
and indentations in the surface of the wood to recreate
those that can be seen on deciduous trees in the wild.
The
wood is carved out with an emphasis on creating depth into
the wood. Care has to be taken to create a 'random' shape
to the dead wood avoiding patterns that are obviously manmade
such as perfect circles or straight edges. Care also has
to be made to ensure that water can drain naturally from
the carved area.
Once
all of the debris from carving has been brushed away, the
newly carved wood is then 'cleaned' up using a small gas
torch.
The
purpose of burning is to remove the burrs and stray fibres
as well as sharp edges that occur after using carving bits;
there are also secondary benefits to burning the wood. Firstly
the wood takes on an aged patina and appearance as it is
burnt, secondly, the process of super-heating hardens the
remaining wood and protects it against rotting in the future.
After
burning, the carved area is then cleaned up using wire brushes.
I will allow the wood to take weather naturally over the
course of the following months but it is possible to stain
it using lime-sulphur and water-based black ink.
One
final word of warning: carving is not always as easy as
it looks, make sure you practice on some old timber or similar
before working on your bonsai!
Related
link: Creating
and Using 'Uro' with Bonsai
Related
link: Carving a Hawthorn Bonsai Video 2
