A previous blog post addressed sculpture as an art form and how it relates to Bonsai (https://bonsaiplace.net/2021/03/28/bonsai-as-sculpture-an-art-form/). This blog post will take an more practical approach by making use of photos to describe the process.
Carving is usually done to create or enhance jin, uro (holes), shari (stripped bark) or getting rid of areas where large branches were removed. In this case a large branch, about one inch thickness, had to be removed and it was decided to leave a 15cm piece of it and sculpt a jin (deadwood) out of it.
I use a die grinder with a carving bit to remove material fast and to roughly shape the dead straight branch by making grooves in curves and alternating the depth of the grooves. Once this is done I burn the jin to get rid of wood fibres and then repeat the process with the trusted Dremel and a smaller carving bit.
As mentioned, burning the jin with a butane torch gets rid of the loose fibres, but it also helps to get rid of sharp edges and tool marks. After a heavy torching, the jin is brushed with a copper brush and then with a nylon brush. Sand paper can be used to smooth areas that needs it, but I find that the brushing works well on its own.
To preserve the newly carved jin, I wash the whole tree off and then let it dry and rest for a few days. Lime sulphur or a wood hardener can then be applied. For a darker finish, mix some ash (burnt paper) in water and paint on. Some of the grooves can also be painted by making use of black ink. All fluids should be diluted. Lime sulphur is usually diluted with water 50/50%.
Safety aspects:
- Wear safety glasses during the carving phase.
- Use gloves when using the power tools.
- When using the torch, protect the rest of the tree from the flame by using aluminium foil or a wet cloth around foliage and nearby parts.
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into my possession a year and a half ago. This was carved quite deeply to get rid of and then it was extended upwards to try and get a more natural look. The carving was further worked on today. The large carving at the bottom has weathered well and the shari extending upwards from here was made deeper as well as fine carved with a Dremel. A small carving was done on the back where another large (not as large as the front one) cut was made. This resulted in a hole now going through from the back to the front. It is quite high up near the apex.
done first. The original carving was done with very rudimentary tools. I now have a rotary carver as well as a router that I use for carving. I went deeper today and added a bit more detail to the top. Out came the burner to get rid of all the frilly bits. The bark and branches were protected by aluminium foil. It was finished off with a wire and then a nylon brush.
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