Hard wood teak pot

Jacos

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Lookie what I found in a local outlet store.
This is a Teak wooden bowl.
Cost me 5€ (5,5$)

If I would put some holes in the bottom : Would this be suitable as a bonsai pot ?
Would it withstand freezing temperatures?

teak pot1.jpg
teak pot2.jpg
 

aml1014

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I've carved a couple wooden pots myself, I just seal the inside with pottery sealer and they seem to last pretty well, bit I've only used them on tropicals not my temperate trees so the pots never see freezing temps.

Aaron
 

Geo

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Lookie what I found in a local outlet store.
This is a Teak wooden bowl.
Cost me 5€ (5,5$)

If I would put some holes in the bottom : Would this be suitable as a bonsai pot ?
Would it withstand freezing temperatures?

View attachment 95655
View attachment 95657

"Teak's high oil content, high tensile strength and tight grain make it particularly suitable where weather resistance is desired. It is used in the manufacture of outdoor furniture and boat decks. It is also used for cutting boards, indoor flooring, countertops and as a veneer for indoor furnishings. Although easily worked, it can cause severe blunting on edged tools because of the presence of silica in the wood.[22] Over time teak can weather to a silvery-grey finish, especially when exposed to sunlight.[23]"
Quote from Wikipedia.
 

Adair M

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It will withstand freezing temperatures. I have some teak benches on my front porch that have sat out there for a decade. They're under a roof, but get can get wet with blowing rain.

But they're not in contact with soil.

I suppose sealing the inside would help, but it's wood. Constant contact with water, soil, and the associated microbes will eventually deteriorate it.
 

Mash

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Coat it with a few coats of teak oil and let it dry before using for extra protection. In the long run it will last longer than any other natural wood in my opinion. It resists water well and is used in boat building. I make custom spear guns and teak is the wood of choice. The oil content in the wood is naturally high so it resists water. That said its not impervious and will age. It ill turn a grey silver color with long exposure to sun and water. That can be prevented by coating it in more oil from time to time. Probably want to remove soil and clean and re-oil it once a year depending on how long you want it to last. teak oil doesn't dry the fastest with multiple coats. So to do it right for a yearly cleaning probably want to plan a couple days. Freezing may crack it but its wood it may crack on its own also depending on how cured it is. Doesn't hurt to try.
 

GrimLore

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Would this be suitable as a bonsai pot ?

Yes, very... From experience in my youth working on some boats there is two ways to treat it and both have a slightly different result. You can use teak oil or teak sealer and both will preserve it very good. The difference is if you use the oil the wood will turn grey over time. If you want to keep the color the teal sealer has UV protection and works quite good.

Grimmy
 

Ironbeaver

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What about having it acrylic stabilized?
 

GrimLore

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What about having it acrylic stabilized?

If you mean coated I would not recommend it. It would be a bit of a mess when it ages and cracks - most difficult to clean up.

Grimmy
 

Ironbeaver

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The stabilization I'm familiar with is done with a vacuum to impregnate the whole thing, basically plasticizing it. It's used a lot for knifemaking handle materials.
 

Jacos

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Thanks for the answers.
I am definitaly going to give it a go, when I have a suitable tree that is.
I'll post a picture.
 

Mash

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Teak is a really stable wood to begin. I have never had a spear gun warp on me yet. I use stabilized wood for my knives as well. I would use teak as is on a knife and not fear it shrinking due to moister like other woods. I think most knife makers would agree if they have worked teak before. That said you can find teak stabilized but its not common. What happens with knives and other woods is you make the scales fit the handles and they shrink or expand and pull away from the metal. The stabilization protects against that by blocking moister. The oil in teak does the same thing. I wouldn't trust stabilization on teak personally. Any wood that I have worked with that's oily and stabilized when you get in the center of the block it seems gummy. The oils in my opinion can re-act with the resin. Wood workers will wipe oily woods with rubbing alcohol before epoxy for this reason. These pics are my work. The handles of the guns and knife are stabilized wood that's not teak. Stabilization works, the handles on these guns have held up for years with salt water exposure. I also run a quick coat of cyanoacrylate over the gun handles as added protection. It is an added protection that leaves the natural look and doesn't crack like epoxy since it is just surface sealing. You could wipe the teak well with alcohol and then wipe with thin wood working cyanoacrylate. It is going to darken the wood. In the end you are removing one protection for another and it is just surface deep. I have never used the sealer Grimmy references so not sure on it. I would avoid coating it in epoxy like other said pain to rework and cracks over time. I always go strait teak oil and re-apply ever couple years on my guns. For a wood pot that gets daily water, with soil contact I would coat it well and redo it every year. It might surprise everyone how long it holds up. Freezing may crack it if the soil can apply enough pressure in the right spots. I would defiantly fill the hole on the inside with some sort of resin based putty that hardens to try and prevent a bad spot for ice to expand. guns.jpg knife.jpg
 

Mash

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One note with drilling and sanding teak. Wear a breathing mask eye protection. The dust/oil can cause an allergic reaction for some people.
 

CWTurner

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However you end up treating it (plastisizer, brush-on protectant, or dipping) be sure to treat it AFTER you've drilled the drainage holes so that the wood there is also treated.
CW
 

Jacos

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Thanks Mash for the elaboration and I agree on the strenght of teak.
I have a teak bench sitting outside winter and summer in all kinds of weather. Its still in Top-condition after 25years.
Far better than any other material.
But anyway I do not intend to use this bowl as a weapon...God forbit.

I have worked Teak and Padouk before for my porch floor. (Padouk is an even harder wood than Teak)
You also need to use a drill for iron, not a drill for wood for these kinds of tropical hard wood.

This one bowl I am going to try without any treatment, I kind of like the grey finish it gets when exposed to the sunlight.
I returned to the store to bought an other one, 5€ is a bargain anyway.
So I will have a 'backup' for this one would it crack due to freezing.
 

Jacos

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Her boyfriend said that I looked the kind of guy who would drink a cosmo, to which I replied,
"Come again?" and then punched him in the forehead with a wooden bowl.
 

ghues

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Then I guess they meant you were a metrosexual kinda guy
Looking forward to seeing what you do with these pots......I'm a wood using guy as we have tons of driftwood along our beaches.
 

AaronThomas

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Nice find! I'd try what @aml1014 suggested (never tried it) Or use a marine grade epoxy to just coat the inside. Regardless of the species... its still untreated wood and will eventually rot.
 
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