Rmj, how much tree to use?

wireme

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Seeing your thread again with fresh eyes and where and what you done with it since last... did up a quick virt just to show perhaps a path forward. This time for me, I actually think the long right jin should be shortened and the left one kept, with a slight angle adjustment in the planting.

View attachment 83212
Stacey, killer virt man, thanks! I like what the angle change does for the awkward section of trunk at this years chop site. I'll most likely carry on with what I've started for now, a time frame thing, now it is very close to being able to fine wire into a design, at least once, then we'll see, may well head for your virt in the future. Something to consider is the base, I think the widest available spread is close to the current angle, the soil can be lowered. Hard to see but I can expose from my finger to the straw stick in the pics. image.jpg image.jpgimage.jpg Then as for the jinn it may be lacking in movement and taper but the weathered texture is pretty good, good enough that I hesitate to remove it too quickly anyways, thanks again, great design image. image.jpg
 
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Stacey, killer virt man, thanks! I like what the angle change does for the awkward section of trunk at this years chop site.
No problem... Often it is easier to work with what you can't change and make it look good, then adjust what you can, to comply. Yes, deadwood can be manipulated and bent, but not only is it a pain, but one always risks the deadwood breaking and loss altogether. Seeing that with this tree it is an essential part of the tree and it's design. I would suggest then you start here and figure a path forward... everything else can be changed.
 

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No problem... Often it is easier to work with what you can't change and make it look good, then adjust what you can, to comply. Yes, deadwood can be manipulated and bent, but not only is it a pain, but one always risks the deadwood breaking and loss altogether. Seeing that with this tree it is an essential part of the tree and it's design. I would suggest then you start here and figure a path forward... everything else can be changed.
The deadwood front left can be easily adjusted for angle, steam bent into position. Currently it is guy wired upwards from its natural resting position. I also consider bending it down along a similar but opposite angle to the large jinn and the descending branch, could add some dynamics. The large jinn is what it is I think, either carved down or designed around but moving or bending seems a bit much. Really in person it seems less overpowering.
 

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Here it is today, just started growing for the year, looks nice and healthy.
I plan on fully wiring out to the fine tips midsummer this year. Lay it all out nice and pretty.
Looking forward to it, that will make it only my second or third tree progressed to the point of getting fully wired. image.jpg
Found an older shot, from the first post collection repot a few years ago, that's what I started with, shrunk'er down a bit looks like. image.jpg
 

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I put some of the pics from this thread together to see the progression easier.
image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg

I am actually pretty impressed with myself! (Maybe because I'm looking at my phone screen, you guys with full monitors may feel differently!)
I can't say if I'm on track to finding the "best" tree the material had to offer or not, if such a thing exists. In any case I'm happy with how it's shaping up, not bad for dirtbag bonsai I figure.
 

wireme

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I like it.
Sorta screams, WIRE ME! :D though it is in pretty good shape now.

Yeah I know, working on it, sort of. There is this to know about me- I'm generally pretty good at doing shit once I get doing it but I'm really bad at getting my shit together to actually do the shit before hand. Sorry bout all the shits. So any way the work is cobbled together with scraps of inappropriate wire, spit and glue so far.
I started with just 2 gauges of alu and guy wires. Today I annealed a couple gauges of copper scraps on the propane burner, ran out of propane, twisted some non annealed on there..,
It's a bit of a mess that way for sure, would be pretty hard to wire out properly with all that previous mess in the way. It should probably all come off and be restarted.
And then there is time, this weekend the car broke down, the mushroom culture fridge shat the bed and the kitchen tapset blew a hose and flooded the basement. Had to deal with that. Not complaining, life is good but it sure can get in the way of bonsai sometimes! I could be wiring by headlamp right now I guess...enjoying a beer in the backyard instead.
Aaron is picking up a set of Gremel wire for me at nationals, saving international shipping for me. Maybe next year I'll see what I can do with a full rack.

Glad to hear you like it.
 

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So the jinn has been shortened by a few inches. Not by choice, a bear crawled over the fence and broke it off. Just another thing to add to the list of misfortunes that can befall a bonsai collection eh? It was kinda funny being awoken to cries of "bear in the bonsai"!
I think he broke this when I chased him out. First time for that, almost a 7' fence too. That was a couple weeks ago, I didn't notice the broken jinn until now. A few other trees got knocked down but no real damage.
Anyways, got a shorter jinn now.image.jpg
 
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Djtommy

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Bear crawled over the fence... That's not something you hear everyday..
Though, in japan seems bear encounters and accidents seems to happen more often then before
 

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So the jinn has been shortened by a few inches. Not by choice, a bear crawled over the fence and broke it off. Anyways, got a shorter jinn now.View attachment 120079
Everyone's a critic! He may have saved you the effort. Either way, nice progress! It would be nice to see a slightly longer shot to get a better sense of the proportions of the jins to the rest of the tree.
 

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Everyone's a critic! He may have saved you the effort. Either way, nice progress! It would be nice to see a slightly longer shot to get a better sense of the proportions of the jins to the rest of the tree.

All I've got is the phone for a camera for now. I stood further back and zoomed in though, is that a long shot?image.jpgimage.jpg

Thanks for the comment on progress! I'm satisfied, interior structure is all nearly set where I want it for now. The crown is set up nicely for development now. I'm not quite satisfied with the positioning of the descending left branch but it's close, next year I can tune it up, got a good gauge of copper now. Otherwise fine wiring and a bit of growth in a couple spots and I'll call the first styling done. Maybe from there it will have a lot more change down the road but you know.. It'll be something.

I still liked the jinn long. Don't like the funny direction change and pigeon breast below the trunk chop so much, bringing some foliage out in front there and it's better. It will stay in this pot for at least one more year.
 

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lYou ought to be thankful it was not your arm or worse.

I'm really not reckless around the critters but I do try to put some fear into them when they come around my place. The biggest thing is to make sure there are no attractants, food garbage around. I've got chickens, maybe he smelled them. Chicken food comes in nightly now. I set up a can of bearspray with a tripwire in the chicken run. Sure enough he tore through the wire and triggered it. Got a snoutfull I bet, we'll see if he comes back. Screwed some 2x6's across the wee ones window too just in case. Slow him down enough for us to hear him anyway if he tries the come through a window trick.
We have these visitors every year at this time, this guy is more persistent than most.
 

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Bear crawled over the fence... That's not something you hear everyday..
Though, in japan seems bear encounters and accidents seems to happen more often then before

It happens. I'd much rather live in a world where this danger exists than a world where these animals no longer have habitat to live in. Big grizzly was spotted a couple kms away last week too. Scary yes but also great.
 

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All I've got is the phone for a camera for now. I stood further back and zoomed in though, is that a long shot?View attachment 120158View attachment 120159

Thanks for the comment on progress! I'm satisfied, interior structure is all nearly set where I want it for now. The crown is set up nicely for development now. I'm not quite satisfied with the positioning of the descending left branch but it's close, next year I can tune it up, got a good gauge of copper now. Otherwise fine wiring and a bit of growth in a couple spots and I'll call the first styling done. Maybe from there it will have a lot more change down the road but you know.. It'll be something.

I still liked the jinn long. Don't like the funny direction change and pigeon breast below the trunk chop so much, bringing some foliage out in front there and it's better. It will stay in this pot for at least one more year.
The proportions are easier to see now, but I had in mind a little bit less of a close-up. The branch structure looks good, though it is a little hard to see through the foliage. Once the foliage pads are wired, should look pretty awesome! It looks like you might want to create more of a height difference between the top jin and the apex, before the bonsai bear comes back to do it for you!
 

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The proportions are easier to see now, but I had in mind a little bit less of a close-up. The branch structure looks good, though it is a little hard to see through the foliage. Once the foliage pads are wired, should look pretty awesome! It looks like you might want to create more of a height difference between the top jin and the apex, before the bonsai bear comes back to do it for you!

Not sure what you mean, you're suggesting lowering the apex more?
 
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