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Kuroshio · 11-09-2006, 02:27 AM

Hi'ya Grump! How you prep depends on what you want in the long run. I've heard from everyone with experience that boiling will cause rot where if you use some other methods that don’t damage the woods composition then it could last for decades (these involve soaking for months or even years with newly cut wood). Also depends on what wood you have. Hard woods have to be boiled longer than soft woods, and fresh cuts need to be boiled for LONG LONG time vs drift wood that has been in the water for unknown period of time already. I did the fresh cut method and found some wonderful maple in a new construction plot. I boiled for a few weeks, as many as three hours a night sometimes. ( I took days off for my own sanity as well). I then soaked them in tubs in between boils. I used scrubbing brushes to remove any soft spots and the bark as well. That was over a year ago and my wood looks just as good and just as strong today. That’s not always the case though.

What I used as a guide was the tannins that were released during the boiling process. They have a sweet stink and turn the water a red-tan color. That should get lighter and smell less as the amount of tannins in the wood are leached out. Hope that helps some~
Good Luck!!
I should add that my piece of wood is two feet long and up to 8 inches tall.

11-09-2006, 02:27 AM	#25 (permalink)
Kuroshio Little Fish Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: washington Posts: 182	Hi'ya Grump! How you prep depends on what you want in the long run. I've heard from everyone with experience that boiling will cause rot where if you use some other methods that don’t damage the woods composition then it could last for decades (these involve soaking for months or even years with newly cut wood). Also depends on what wood you have. Hard woods have to be boiled longer than soft woods, and fresh cuts need to be boiled for LONG LONG time vs drift wood that has been in the water for unknown period of time already. I did the fresh cut method and found some wonderful maple in a new construction plot. I boiled for a few weeks, as many as three hours a night sometimes. ( I took days off for my own sanity as well). I then soaked them in tubs in between boils. I used scrubbing brushes to remove any soft spots and the bark as well. That was over a year ago and my wood looks just as good and just as strong today. That’s not always the case though. What I used as a guide was the tannins that were released during the boiling process. They have a sweet stink and turn the water a red-tan color. That should get lighter and smell less as the amount of tannins in the wood are leached out. Hope that helps some~ Good Luck!! I should add that my piece of wood is two feet long and up to 8 inches tall. Last edited by Kuroshio; 11-09-2006 at 03:17 AM.