Noob + homemade trunk jack walk up to a juniper... hilarity ensues

[amkhalid]

... here is my mickey-mouse trunk jack. Yes, that is a door hinge you are looking at. It is a knock-off of this sort of thing... not that I was too cheap to buy it, but I was inspired to to this work today and didn't feel like waiting...

 

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

Hey in 50-75 years the scars will all heal and it'll look like something in a Japanese bonsai magazine.

 

[crhabq]

Hey Amkhalid,
I got a big laugh out of the thread title. Pretty ingenuous little door hinge trunk jack, too. Hope this turns out ok for you. The shari idea seems to be the way to go with this to rid it of the ugly scars and give it more natural looking scars. May I suggest that you name this bonsai "...hilarity ensues."
As for suggestions on next time suggestions the ones that come to mind are: 1 raffia or vet wrap, then electrical tape. 2 use a large gauge spline to help support the bend and wire it in making the bend in increments. 3 cut a notch and then wrap it. 4 the patience thing, but like the other suggestions I made, I've little actual experience in this myself.
Thanks for the laugh,
Ray

 

[Treebeard]

Well done for getting stuck in there, I like to see people having a go.

With regard to the scar caused by the central bolt head, maybe something similar to the items on this page would help:

rubber chair feet

or even just a square of cork or something.

Chris.

 

[Klytus]

Maybe cutiing out a wedge would have been better!

 

[amkhalid]

Maybe cutiing out a wedge would have been better!

@Ray, thank you very much for the advice... very helpful

@Treebeard, I tried using a couple of softer things to cushion the point where the jack met the trunk but they just kept popping out or breaking from the pressure, so I just ended up using a metal plate to disperse the pressure... not the best choice of course The "U" shaped connection point on the 'real' trunk jacks is key... I'm gonna get my friend to weld up some similar things for me.

 

[Klytus]

You could try multiple notches if a wedge is too much.

 

[Treebeard]

@Treebeard, I tried using a couple of softer things to cushion the point where the jack met the trunk but they just kept popping out or breaking from the pressure, so I just ended up using a metal plate to disperse the pressure... not the best choice of course The "U" shaped connection point on the 'real' trunk jacks is key... I'm gonna get my friend to weld up some similar things for me.

I didn't think, I suppose it would, with a small head on the bolt. My own home made jack had a curved steel plate that was threaded to take the end of length of threaded bar and was secured with a lock nut. A thick rubber pad was all it needed for cushioning. Unfortunately I don't have it anymore, otherwise I could have attached a photo.

Chris.