Bark clean up and pondering

[wireme]

An rmj collected in 2014.

Started scraping of the bark dried to deadwood today, sat and pondered for a bit.
The base is good, the long straight taperless section not so good. Not sure how I will handle it yet. Repot next year and think some more...the live vein is in the centre, then wraps to the back.

 

[iant]

Beautiful trunk base! Is that an Abyssinian in the background or some other furball?
Ian

 

[jriddell88]

There is a spectacular tree in there you have. With little work this thing will be gorgeous. Nice! That second picture !!

 

[MichaelS]

Oh that's good material! Wait wait wait Plan plan plan. Sketch sketch sketch! Keep us posted!

 

[sorce]

I think you can pull that foliage up closer to hide that straight section a bit.

You ever think about cutting off the long extension of the branch?
Seems you can build a nice little tree between the jins too.

Either way.....I love the fact that you find these....and still but Arctic Willows from the Nursery!

Nice Friggin piece!

Sorce

 

[Dav4]

You're going to eventually carve that top piece of dead wood. Reducing that and carrying the carving down a bit to where the live vein is will get you more taper where you need it. Fantastic tree!!

 

[wireme]

Beautiful trunk base! Is that an Abyssinian in the background or some other furball?
Ian

Wow, well spotted!
I believe she is? She was a stray so I don't know the history.
Funny cat, follows us on walks like a dog and will tip over any unattended glass of water within minutes. Only water, everything else is safe. Incredible mouser too, no winter mouse damage since we've had her. Annoyingly vocal sometimes. Incredibly patient with the kid. I've never been much of a cat person but I like this one a lot.

 

[wireme]

Oh that's good material! Wait wait wait Plan plan plan. Sketch sketch sketch! Keep us posted!

I'll have to work on my sketching, I can pull off a pretty good stickman, no, not that good actually. I can see how it would be a valuable tool.

 

[wireme]

I think you can pull that foliage up closer to hide that straight section a bit.

You ever think about cutting off the long extension of the branch?
Seems you can build a nice little tree between the jins too.

Either way.....I love the fact that you find these....and still but Arctic Willows from the Nursery!

Nice Friggin piece!

Sorce

Yep, we could pull the branch right into the trunk or even across it if needed. I have found it easier to picture a nice tree without the extension branch, so far...
Here's a couple pics rotated for consideration. One has the deadwood planted, sort of creates the illusion of a very wide base. Other one more upright.

 

[wireme]

You're going to eventually carve that top piece of dead wood. Reducing that and carrying the carving down a bit to where the live vein is will get you more taper where you need it. Fantastic tree!!

I got myself a die grinder this summer. Haven't waved it a tree yet but spent a lot of hours with it cleaning up old bridge timbers for a house we built. I look forward to deadwood carving.

 

[Giga]

That's a really nice tree, going to be epic once it carved, limed and styled down the road.

 

[markyscott]

Very nice material, Wireme. Don't dig into the deadwood carving too soon. There will certainly be some pieces that need to be reduced, but carving into natural deadwood that you could possibly feature would be a shame. It's really hard to replicate deadwood features that have been aged by a century or two in the elements. Even when you do decide to reduce, it often will look more natural with hand tools than what you might produce with a die grinder. Before you chew into that, try to think first about style and major branch placement. Once you get some clarity on that, it will become much more clear about which deadwood features need to be reduced.

Scott

 

[Dav4]

Very nice material, Wireme. Don't dig into the deadwood carving too soon. There will certainly be some pieces that need to be reduced, but carving into natural deadwood that you could possibly feature would be a shame. It's really hard to replicate deadwood features that have been aged by a century or two in the elements. Even when you do decide to reduce, it often will look more natural with hand tools than what you might produce with a die grinder. Before you chew into that, try to think first about style and major branch placement. Once you get some clarity on that, it will become much more clear about which deadwood features need to be reduced.

Scott

I agree. I wouldn't touch any of the deadwood except at the very top where it was chopped. That stump needs to be taken care of. Personally, I'd use hand tools to split away pieces along the grain to reduce the bulk of the mass, and then see what I've got. It's almost impossible to match the natural weathering of old deadwood so you don't want to get too fancy. Keep it simple...you want people to be drawn to the natural deadwood instead of being drawn to your carving.

 

[sorce]

Amen...

I wouldn't carve it except to that first dead branch up top...

Leave that stub for the curve right...

Sorce

 

[wireme]

Thanks for all the input,, wise words.

 

[faker]

wow! So much potential!

Still a noob, but I wanted to try making one of these:

 

[wireme]

wow! So much potential!

Still a noob, but I wanted to try making one of these:

Thanks man! You're most welcome to make these on anything I post. I have thought along similar lines, a bit more tilt to left, main branch pulled towards trunk.

 

[thomas22]

Here is what I came up with. Great tree.

 

[wireme]

Very nice material, Wireme. Don't dig into the deadwood carving too soon. There will certainly be some pieces that need to be reduced, but carving into natural deadwood that you could possibly feature would be a shame. It's really hard to replicate deadwood features that have been aged by a century or two in the elements. Even when you do decide to reduce, it often will look more natural with hand tools than what you might produce with a die grinder. Before you chew into that, try to think first about style and major branch placement. Once you get some clarity on that, it will become much more clear about which deadwood features need to be reduced.

Scott

Scott, thanks for the input and I agree with what you had to say but... I went ahead and whacked it with the grinder a few times today.
I was tired of looking at the flat cut and I wouldn't want to do this after the repot next spring, too much wiggling of newly establishing roots. Just touched up the top, I imagine the final carving to be much more extensive, later.
Quick job, I'll need more tool variety to do something that I'll really be satisfied with but I consider it easier on the eyes for now. Plenty of wood left.
Meanwhile bark cleaning at the base continues, at a snails pace but continues.

 

[markyscott]

Looks OK wireme. There are a couple of great references about working on deadwood.

The first is the book by Francois Jeker. http://www.stonelantern.com/Bonsai_Deadwood_How_to_Bonsai_tree_book_p/b1deadwood.htm

The second is the books by Cheng Kung Cheng.
http://www.sidiao.com/cart/cart_book.php

I've learned a great deal from them.

Scott