Danteswake
Yamadori
So on a nature hike I came across a simple piece of driftwood. Do we clean them or are they good to go? I found others that I'd actually need a chainsaw for but small find small question. 
Central Florida Driftwood
- Thread starter Danteswake
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Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
Soak the salt out of it if you intend to use it with a Phoenix.
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
Any wood used with our reptiles we have baked in the oven. But that was wood not from the sea. The salt water would concern me.
Danteswake
Yamadori
Just before adding this to a plant I noticed this. Even after letting it bake in hot sun for days. Research shows this, Rosellinia Necatrix. A fungus.
hinmo24t
Masterpiece
nice! i have had a piece of driftwood from horseneck beach i brought home about 8 years ago. it was nice and dried out and has been
above my bedframe (instead of antlers, for instance) mounted for years. never smelled, and turned into a conversation piece
love me some driftwood! and Florida. ive been collecting seaglass for decades
above my bedframe (instead of antlers, for instance) mounted for years. never smelled, and turned into a conversation piece
love me some driftwood! and Florida. ive been collecting seaglass for decades
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
Baking in the sun won't do anything that I'm aware of. I did read a bit...some do boil them to remove the salt. But it's still not guaranteed safe for fresh water aquarium use. Makes me question how safe it is with plant life. You can't water a plant with water softener...the salt will build up in the pot and create the plant from taking nutrients. The reason I bake mine for the reptiles...it kills any pests that maybe lurking inside the wood. Again mine is coming from rural woods from streams. So no salt.
Pitoon
Imperial Masterpiece
Lightly sandblast it clean then soak, but i'm sure you can find better pieces.
Here are some of my pieces I've found along the bay. One day they will be tanuki's......I think......I hope
hinmo24t
Masterpiece
very nice. you into blue crab down there or? someday ill get down there for some waves (assateague, sp?) and dive into a picnic table of old bay crabs
Pitoon
Imperial Masterpiece
Nope, I don't eat crabs. My son and I were at assateague a couple weeks ago, windy as hell that day and lots of waves. I'm on the western shore.
And you live in Maryland?
HENDO
Shohin
+1 on the boil method. I have done this multiple times with Bald Cypress knees and the bonus is that it allows you to scoop any old crud off of the surface. If using for a tanuki then you can apply the appropriate preservative to your liking, or if decorative apply a good oil to make the grain pop. The grain on my oiled BC knees looks like deer fur, very cool.
That piece look a wee bit small... I think you need to break out that chainsaw:
Pitoon
Imperial Masterpiece
Lol, I got orders to come here when we left Italy.
It was either take the orders or loose the job........... I took the orders!
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
Very cool!
Danteswake
Yamadori
Thanks everyone! I will try to clean it up and make it pop. I love these pieces of wood and may as well get to the proper maintenance required.
Danteswake
Yamadori
Hey Hendo when you say appropriate preservative to my liking are you referring to color or brand? If you have a brand it would point me in the right direction. - John
HENDO
Shohin
It really depends on what your plan is for the wood.
If you want to try a Tanuki / Phoenix Graft, I've outline my personal process here in the link below - however I think you could find a more suitable piece for this purpose. The clear epoxy a lot of people here in Houston use as a preservative is Smith's CPES Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer, the warm weather formula. I apply lime sulphur beforehand to get a bleached look for junipers. I've also used India Ink to darken the lime sulphur for carved areas on Bald Cypress bonsai:
Tanuki ("tree-over-driftwood") bonsai...Q's on practical setting-up of such composures, as well as species & "type" Q's
So I've got 2 pieces of really cool deadwood, quite sure they were previously owned&used by some kind of caged bird, at any rate they're incredibly durable timber and once it crossed my mind (tanuki) it wouldn't leave, so I've got 2 pieces of this cool wood (IE, will be making 2 specimen), I've...
If you are using the piece otherwise, for some other type of display, you can use an oil treatment. Here's a boiled Bald Cypress knee with linseed oil:
Here's a hand carved Bald Cypress dugout pirogue treated with green tea, untreated area on bottom side:
Danteswake
Yamadori
Holy smokes! Ask and you delivered! I was thinking Juniper. A thousand thanks.
Katie0317
Chumono
Where do you find seaglass in Florida?nice! i have had a piece of driftwood from horseneck beach i brought home about 8 years ago. it was nice and dried out and has been
above my bedframe (instead of antlers, for instance) mounted for years. never smelled, and turned into a conversation piece
love me some driftwood! and Florida. ive been collecting seaglass for decades
Pitoon
Imperial Masterpiece
I've found some down at the Keys and around Fort Myers
Katie0317
Chumono
TBH, there's not that much seaglass around like there used to be. In St. Martin I was on a beach and could have filled a gallon sack in an hour. It was crazy and beautiful.
Also, at some old school very tacky shell shops on the side of the road in Florida beach towns...Some of those shell shops have old driftwood for sale. We have a place in St. Augustine and there's a truck that drives down the beach most mornings and a guy throws driftwood into his truck after the tides been out, usually after a big storm. I never understood what he did with it but people do all kinds of things....Building furniture with it is popular and selling it to the tacky shell shops is another...
Also, at some old school very tacky shell shops on the side of the road in Florida beach towns...Some of those shell shops have old driftwood for sale. We have a place in St. Augustine and there's a truck that drives down the beach most mornings and a guy throws driftwood into his truck after the tides been out, usually after a big storm. I never understood what he did with it but people do all kinds of things....Building furniture with it is popular and selling it to the tacky shell shops is another...
