Wet Wood!

[swan91]

So i wanted a branch for my new super awesome enclosure.. and i found a bough of a tree that had fallen off from a big storm a few months ago.. so i decided to cut it with a handsaw.. it took a while.. but i finally cut it.. it looks pretty dry on the outside.. and where i cut was quite dry.. but i just hosed it down and put some disinfectant on it.. its WAAAAY too big to submerge in anything smaller than a pool.. its about 2m long. and 15-25cm in diameter.. i wanted to clean it up a bit and proceded to sanding the outer layers with some rough sandpaper.. and its green? so im assuming the branch is still alive.. somehow.. how do i make it dry out and die faster?

 

[Defective]

a bon fire???

 

[sacred_DUC]

throw it in backyard to dry out first, i leave my timber for about 6-12months to dry out don't think it's good to put green timber in cages.
i just was timber in cage with F10 when it;s dryed out.

wouldn't try to sand the timber too much more roughness the better to help with shedding

 

[Virides]

To help it dry faster you can put inside a mini shed (painted black). This will act like a kiln. Ensure it is not completely sealed though as you want the moisture from the branch to escape. This would be the only way to speed up the process without using a fire which obviously has a greater chance of burning what you want to keep "natural looking".

 

[xmickx]

what will happen if the branch is st ill green or not completely dried out

 

[liney]

Try leaving it under the eaves of your house but facing the sun for a month or so- helps with drying out or on a verandah, somewhere out of the rain but in the sun/heat. They have a bit of moisture when green and some bugs still alive but better off drying in sun or shed for a month or two. Sometimes when branches dry out fast the bark splits nicely and peels off leaving a niced textured branch.

 

[swan91]

To help it dry faster you can put inside a mini shed (painted black). This will act like a kiln. Ensure it is not completely sealed though as you want the moisture from the branch to escape. This would be the only way to speed up the process without using a fire which obviously has a greater chance of burning what you want to keep "natural looking".

thanks for that! ill give that a go.. once i find someone to help me carry it.. would a small tin garden shed work? it gets quite warm in there... well when its summer..

 

[Virides]

thanks for that! ill give that a go.. once i find someone to help me carry it.. would a small tin garden shed work? it gets quite warm in there... well when its summer..

Yes this would work. You don't have to paint in black necessarily, but you do want to make sure it gets quite hot inside. All materials have a spontaneous combustion threshold and as long as you are under this you won't be seeing fire. There is no standard for woods for the SCT, but I would imagine having internal temps of about 60-90deg would aid in the drying of the wood. The main point of the shed is to keep the wood dry. If left outside, dew/frost/rain will replace evaporated moisture which sets back the whole process.
I would tie the wood up close to the roof on the inside and you can use a thermometer to determine the ambient temperature of the shed by dangling it in the centre. Then place the thermometer about 100mm from the roof on the inside and record this temp. You can then infere a linear temperate change from the ambient temp to the peak temp and adjust the branch from this. This way you can customise where the wood is placed and what you are comfortable with temp wise for the branch.