Collected privet pics
- Thread starter BRITEart
- Start date
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Yeah..
Send me one.
Other than that.. I would let them grow for a season, and only start working them next year.
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
If you got all but one, I wish you'd come by and get the last one...
Privet are annoying in the yard!Seriously, good base on some of them. They have punky wood and don't do great in a bonsai pot over time (I think they prefer deeper pots...mine seemed ok unless I got them into too-shallow pots). Lots of foliage growth, very little branch thickening. Wire small shoots to get some interesting movement close in, before they become too straight and angular.
klosi
Shohin
Nice collections. I think I would chop first two lower. Privets grow pretty fast, this will be a fun project 
Hope to see them in a few years time.
Never heard of privets having trouble living in a pot. I was under the impression they were almost indestructible.
Hope to see them in a few years time.Never heard of privets having trouble living in a pot. I was under the impression they were almost indestructible.
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
Hope you have a good carving tool! I like the hollow at the base of the last one, but wonder if you'll have trouble with how the wood will rot away down there.
I like the hollow at the base of the last one, but wonder if you'll have trouble with how the wood will rot away down there.
jk_lewis
Masterpiece
Privet rot easily and quickly. I tried wood hardener and epoxy to no avail. The tree (as big as these to start) kept getting skinnier and skinnier and finally wasn't worth the effort (8 years) put into it.
JoeR
Masterpiece
5th one is my favorite! Its unique and has lots of potential.
zachkent29
Mame
I really like 4 and 5!
BRITEart
Seedling
- Messages
- 17
- Reaction score
- 11
Hope you have a good carving tool!
Well I have a dremel wich I started the carving on #6 with. I created the hollow. carving on the back is done, I will post picks later, it turned out well. #4 has a good deal of carving I didnt achieve a very natural look but I like it. What do u guys think?
the research I did suggest pc petrifier does a good job preserving dead wood on privets. I believe harry harrington uses minwax and he claims his are doing well, and his pics seem to back it up. I'm not being argumentative just trying to get a handle on this before my trees get any skinnier. How did you apply and what type did you use?
Thanx... 4 is my favorite
BRITEart
Seedling
- Messages
- 17
- Reaction score
- 11
Hope you have a good carving tool!
I have a dremel wich I used to carve that hollow, actually. I still have more to do to the front but the back is finished I will post pics later. I also started the carving on #5 the trunk on the left I tried to carve to look like it may have been wasted by a bolt from the heavens, actually started as three smaller trunks kinda close together....now it looks as if it was one. More pics to come there too. #4 has a good bit of carving on it but the work there is more abstract, less realistic, but I really like it! I would like to hear what everyone thinks about that one. More detailed pics to follow there as well. #3 I more or less let the bit go where it wanted (into the softer naturaly rotten wood) and then just touched it up a bit I feel it had a very realistic effect. Comments welcome there too. #1 is huge so I just roughed it in with a chainsaw. Im gonna have to find a cheap die grinder for that monster (at least 10" at base)
What product did u use and how did u apply it? Harry harrington has preserved his to last so far I will have to see if I can find out what product he uses. It seems to work for him... for now I am using minwax but have some "pc petrifier" on order. I read somewhere that it works well on privets. Maybe with enough research I can keep my trees from getting any skinnier!
Thanks guys, #'s 4 and 5 are my favorites!
until after I typed it all over again and posted it,
oh well my bad....
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
Well you will get lots of practice carving on these for sure. I would make sure to practice on the back or on something else if you get a die grinder, it's a lot different than the dremel. I'm not sure what to say about the #4 tree, it's got so much going on, it's hard to see. The #3 tree needs more I think, but you can do that over time. If you let the wood rot naturally a little, it's easier, and as you've found more natural looking to let the soft wood guide your carving. There are lots of good Utube carving vids out there...
jk_lewis
Masterpiece
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Nope, he used ovalofolium. But... That wood rots as well. He uses several products annually to keep the wood in good condition.
http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/AT Large Privet Bonsai Progression.html
j evans
Omono
Look great, have fun with them, isn't that the most important point? I'd love to have them. Something different
