David R Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Dig Your Own... Seems how we don't have many big rivers or beaches covered in driftwood up here in Northland I've taken the liberty of getting my own 'drift' wood straight out of the ground. Its a little more work than wandering the coastline picking it up but can yield some stunning pieces. Here's how I spent my Sunday morning; Found a suitable stump in the Manuka on my in-laws property (trust me, they don't all look this good!); Removed the tree part, dug/pried it out of the ground, then scratched off as much dirt as possible to make it lighter; Dragged it back down the hill on a furniture trolley, it only just fits in the back of the ute; Attack it with the water-blaster to unearth the beauty; Many guys moan about their wives constantly hassling them about the hobby, I guess I should consider myself lucky that mine likes to get involved! After about 40 minutes with the water-blaster its clean; This piece will be the main feature in my new tank, well worth the effort I think! For now its drying out under the house so it hardens and I can check for any rotting patches before soaking it. Not sure it this stage is necessary or if you're better off just keeping it wet and submerged, but to me it seems better to let it harden before putting it back in the water. Fresh pieces like this may leach a heap of tannin, especially if the tree is still living when you cut it down, but after a month or two of soaking in a large body of water (pond/lake/stream would work, I'm lucky my folks have an unused swimming pool!) most of it seems to be gone IME. If you want to have a go at it you'll want a spade, trowel, crowbar/similar for levering and scratching, axe for chopping roots in the ground, and a saw. Having something with wheels to help carry large pieces is a big help too, and obviously knowing someone with a stand of Manuka who doesn't mind you chopping down/digging up the odd one is fairly important (don't go trying it on the local council reserve!). The above also works for branches as well, and they're certainly a lot easier to get and clean, but don't usually have as nice a shape as the stumps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Li@m Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Driftwood Envey !drool: I'm so gonna that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 awesome, but seriously "you don't have decent beaches in NORTHLAND" dude, you seriously gotta get outa the house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted November 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 awesome, but seriously "you don't have decent beaches in NORTHLAND" dude, you seriously gotta get outa the house :facepalm: we have the best beaches in the country for everything except driftwood, we just don't have large rivers flowing thru areas of native forest as do the driftwood hot-spots like Wanganui, Ohope, SI west coast etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 hrmmm... I would have thought that since the high amount of hardwood forest in your area, less driftwood would come to shore. who cares, thats one awesome piece of driftwood and a great idea for an one who wants "That" bit off wood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 That's amazing. It's so beautiful. But I have to ask, just how big is this tank it's going into? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 im also interested if fresh manuka has an antibacterial property in the tank??????? That's amazing. It's so beautiful. But I have to ask, just how big is this tank it's going into? what??? beautiful that the missus is helping??? dude you rock..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 im also interested if fresh manuka has an antibacterial property in the tank??????? what??? beautiful that the missus is helping??? dude you rock..... My bf never helps. "Babe, water change" "Sorry, I'm busy scrubbing the toilet" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 what?? your BF scrubs the toilet?? weirdo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted November 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 :sml1: yeah she helps out with the fish from time to time, not quite as passionate (obsessive/addicted/crazy) as I am, which is a good thing really, but still interested and supportive. I couldn't handle having a woman who was anti the things I love, I guess thats [one of the reasons] why I married her... We have plenty of hardwood forrests up here, I think the main reason we don't get as much of it is we don't have the big rivers to carry it down from the hills. Places like Ohope, Wanganui etc that have loads of wood on the beaches all have good sized rivers that flow thru the forests and presumably pick it up when they're at their peak over winter. lmsmith the tank is going to be ~1750L, link in my sig has more details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 what?? your BF scrubs the toilet?? weirdo No, he tells me he is but actually he just plays PS3. Sigh. :sml1: yeah she helps out with the fish from time to time, not quite as passionate (obsessive/addicted/crazy) as I am, which is a good thing really, but still interested and supportive. I couldn't handle having a woman who was anti the things I love, I guess thats [one of the reasons] why I married her... We have plenty of hardwood forrests up here, I think the main reason we don't get as much of it is we don't have the big rivers to carry it down from the hills. Places like Ohope, Wanganui etc that have loads of wood on the beaches all have good sized rivers that flow thru the forests and presumably pick it up when they're at their peak over winter. lmsmith the tank is going to be ~1750L, link in my sig has more details. I'm super excited to follow the build thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
critter_crazy Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 !drool: What an awesome piece!!! Man I wish I knew someone with a property I could pinch some from! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxxnz Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 :sml1: yeah she helps out with the fish from time to time, not quite as passionate (obsessive/addicted/crazy) as I am, which is a good thing really, but still interested and supportive. I couldn't handle having a woman who was anti the things I love, I guess thats [one of the reasons] why I married her... We have plenty of hardwood forrests up here, I think the main reason we don't get as much of it is we don't have the big rivers to carry it down from the hills. Places like Ohope, Wanganui etc that have loads of wood on the beaches all have good sized rivers that flow thru the forests and presumably pick it up when they're at their peak over winter. lmsmith the tank is going to be ~1750L, link in my sig has more details. Howddi David" that is a nice piece of work you got there ..i love the fact that the timber is tanning looking! would it stay like that in water condition in long term? I pickup my big piece frm stone waterworld, but time go it seem to looking soft and brittle! ohh boy i getting the feeling iam going to chop down one tree on one Hill now hahahh :nilly: its called the neutral balance in our life" i remind myself as a good position because when youre sinking deep the wife is there to pull you out! :happy1: thxs god for making women, and thxs my parent for making me! :slfg: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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