I can spend all day watching Graham on youtube. On most all of his finished work the bark has a dark color. I am sure he uses a wax of some sort to bring out this rich color. I have planned on sending him a e-mail asking him but thought I would bring it up here first. I have attached a picture of one of his trees so you can see what I am talking about.
Graham Potter
- Thread starter Tjbonsai
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Greg Brenden
Mame
Some use crushed walnuts in an old sock. The oil from the crushed nuts wicks through the sock and you rub the bark of the live vein with that. I just buy walnut oil from the grocery store and carefully brush it on. You can also use it on your pots before showing--glazed and unglazed. The oil imparts a nice luster and makes your bonsai really stand out in a show.
Bonsai Basho
Yamadori
Hi Guys
I think you will find Graham rubs in a little teak oil once he has cleaned the bark.
I think you will find Graham rubs in a little teak oil once he has cleaned the bark.
TreeKiller64
Mame
HMMMM, why do we use anything to rub on the wood? I thought it was about being Natural ot life-like or Yamadori? Tell me Pleezzeeeeee!
buddhamonk
Chumono
because it looks better
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
Should be noted, too, that this technique is mostly reserved for junipers. Flaky bark is prized in pines, spruces, etc...but part of the appreciation of junipers is the stark contrast between the living and the dead parts of the trunk. In bonsai this is emphasized by bleaching the deadwood and removing shredded bark and then oiling the live veins...but it is subjective and a matter of personal preference.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
"HMMMM, why do we use anything to rub on the wood? I thought it was about being Natural ot life-like or Yamadori? Tell me Pleezzeeeeee!"
Oh Good Lord. Bonsai should only appear "natural." In practice it is anything but. The thought that this kind of enhancement is somehow "unnatural" when applied to a tree living in a pot for the artistic gratification of humans is ludicrous.
Better get the smelling salts for all those natural fiber, hemp-loving, tree hugger types out there
. Bonsai is an art of forced naturalism. The end results should look effortlessly natural, but the path to those results is littered with unattractive, utilitarian and even bizarrely "unnatural" methods.
The techniques and 'cheats' (for lack of a better word) are as numerous as there are bonsaiists. Those preternatural-looking golden fruits on quince bonsai at the penultimate Japanese exhibitions? Mostly glued on. That spectacular yamadori dead wood? polished and carved with power tools--deadwood on yamadori can rarely be used "as is"...That perfectly placed branch on that Japanese Maple?--cut off of one Maple, grafted onto a host sapling, then grafted onto that spectacular maple--kind of like using a limb from a fellow human to make you look better....Moss? Yeah, right, it grows that way all by itself...
Oh Good Lord. Bonsai should only appear "natural." In practice it is anything but. The thought that this kind of enhancement is somehow "unnatural" when applied to a tree living in a pot for the artistic gratification of humans is ludicrous.
Better get the smelling salts for all those natural fiber, hemp-loving, tree hugger types out there
. Bonsai is an art of forced naturalism. The end results should look effortlessly natural, but the path to those results is littered with unattractive, utilitarian and even bizarrely "unnatural" methods.The techniques and 'cheats' (for lack of a better word) are as numerous as there are bonsaiists. Those preternatural-looking golden fruits on quince bonsai at the penultimate Japanese exhibitions? Mostly glued on. That spectacular yamadori dead wood? polished and carved with power tools--deadwood on yamadori can rarely be used "as is"...That perfectly placed branch on that Japanese Maple?--cut off of one Maple, grafted onto a host sapling, then grafted onto that spectacular maple--kind of like using a limb from a fellow human to make you look better....Moss? Yeah, right, it grows that way all by itself...
Bill S
Masterpiece
I still say you shouldn't rule out comedy writing rockm, loved the answer, agree too btw.
TreeKiller64
Mame
Better get the smelling salts for all those natural fiber, hemp-loving, tree hugger types out there
So what your telling me that I should Cheat like All Hell? Or is what Mr. Naka said that we should quit trying to make our trees to look like bonsai, and not the reverse wrong?
Bill S
Masterpiece
Better get the smelling salts for all those natural fiber, hemp-loving, tree hugger types out there
So what your telling me that I should Cheat like All Hell? Or is what Mr. Naka said that we should quit trying to make our trees to look like bonsai, and not the reverse wrong?
Most of what we do is cheating to some extent, it's creating an impression, and I believe Mr Naka said make your bonsai look like trees, which can be hard to do so we create impressions.
Got grinder?
milehigh_7
Mister 500,000
He is a very good teacher. I totally enjoy his videos.
Oh yea I am also enjoying Walter's videos:
http://walter-pall-videos.blogspot.com
any way back to the question i think lol. making the bark appear clean and a darker colour can be achieved by pealing of the old flaky bark and then you can apply some olive oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil or something similar to a cotton cloth and rub it onto the bark.
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