Cap, suvel. Harvesting, drying, properties.

The author of this material is a great specialist in the artistic processing of wood (and not only wood), already familiar to us from Sergei from the Moscow region. Today Sergey will reveal a secret to readers quick drying such rare and interesting materials as burl and suvel. The information is very rare and useful. Reading...

So first, let's define some concepts.
KAP - (aka a witch's broom) is a benign formation on a tree, which is a bundle of thin twigs growing from a drop-shaped (most often) growth. When cross-sectioned, it has a texture with pronounced knot cores. It is difficult to process due to the strongly frizzy texture and huge amount knots. Extremely beautiful, durable, perfectly sanded and polished.
Separate numerous areas have a mother-of-pearl tint. It has no great industrial value, but is highly valued because of its beauty. If it is used in industry, it is only in the form of veneer for furniture finishing (mostly exotic wood burl is used), as well as the production of small items such as caskets, cigarette cases, women's hairpins, small jewelry (birch burl). Use on knife handles is considered good taste, and also appreciated by wood carvers for its unique texture.
It is impossible to find two identical pieces of burl, even halves of a sawn burl have a different pattern, the growth is so heterogeneous. It grows on many trees (linden, alder, birch, maple, oak, etc.), but the most valuable and beautiful is birch (from those growing in our latitudes). The build-up is usually small, maximum the size of a volleyball or a large plate.
Cutting some kind of pattern on the cap does not make sense, since the texture clogs everything.
The photo shows a birch burl. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a cut of exactly a birch burl (I took these pictures next to the local police station and, as you understand, they wouldn’t give me anything to cut down there ... But I contrived and found a burl of ash, most of the burls are similar in texture and differ only color and size of knot cores.

SUVEL - (aka svil) As the name implies, the outgrowth got its name because of its structure (twisted structure, that's putting it mildly). Suvel is a drop-shaped or spherical growth on a tree (there is also an annular variety, it covers the tree trunk around the perimeter), it usually grows 2-3 times faster than the tree itself. When sawn, it has a texture similar in pattern to marble and mother-of-pearl (this is the main sign of difference from CAPA, in the future do not confuse suvel and burl).
The presence of mother-of-pearl stains on a polished tree creates a beautiful iridescent picture that glows from the inside. The twist is also poorly processed, like the burl, but not as hard. The size varies from a walnut up to 1.5 meters high (I myself saw one on a birch) and up to 2 meters in diameter (an annular suvel completely covered the tree trunk). In the Vatican, there is a font much more than a meter in diameter, carved from a single piece of suvel. He himself once sat in an armchair carved from suveli. Holds fine thread perfectly, but it is not recommended to cut the suvel. It is better to sand and varnish (impregnate with oil). The product will only benefit from this.
The most valuable is the root or butt streak. The presence of dark veins and well-defined twisted annual rings. This is a fairytale. BEAUTIFUL, that says it all. The barrel suvel is distinguished by a finer texture and a finer "frosty" pattern. And lighter wood. In terms of strength, the butt suvel is slightly superior to the stem one due to the structural features of the tree trunk. Suvel is strong, beautiful, easily polished and polished. Well-dried and processed, it begins to "glow" from the inside (with proper impregnation with oils, the tree becomes like amber and even a little transparent). Usually has a color from pale yellow to pinkish brown to quite ocher brown. It all depends on the conditions and drying time. Cap has the same colors.
Photos:

As you can see, the cap does not look like a suvel at all.

Chaga is a mushroom (not to be confused with a tinder fungus !!!) and we do not need it for our purposes.

So, how to dry. I must say right away that the "steaming" method is suitable for small pieces of wood. Somewhere in the half of a football ball or a small log.

1. We cut down the growth. We do this with a sharp saw. Otherwise, you will be tormented by sawing, and the tree will begin to shaggy. We do not clean the bark. Do not forget to cover the cut on the tree with oil paint or wax, or something similar.

CUTTING THE GROWTHS IS DESIRABLE IN THE DRY SEASON, IDEALLY - AT THE END OF AUGUST, THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER, BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF Sap ​​Flow.

2. We take an unnecessary pan (bucket), and throw a piece of wood there. The pan is precisely unnecessary, since during the cooking process a very tricky broth is formed, which is then very troublesome to wash. It is better to clean the piece of wood from all sorts of rags of birch bark and other fragile and dangling tails. still fall off.
I consider the birch growth as the most accessible and beautiful, the rest of the growths are cooked using the same technology. The log is accordingly cleaned of any debris and fragile particles. We pour water. It is convenient to do this with a faceted glass (it contains 250 ml). Water should cover the piece of wood by about a centimeter or two. The tree naturally floats up, but let's press it to the bottom and see everything. It doesn't matter if you pour water, cold or hot - it will boil anyway. You can throw a piece of wood into a saucepan no matter how much it is a pity, the volume of a separate piece of wood is important and not the total volume of wood.

3. We take table salt, which is not a pity. We don't make soup. Pour 2 large tablespoons with a top of salt per liter of water (who will count glasses of water ??? Huh?). It is possible and more, no matter how much it is a pity, it's okay, it's impossible to overdo it.
The main thing is that the water should be sugary salty. You can use clean sea water (just clean, otherwise it will be disgusting to smell like mud).
Salt will draw juices from the tree, but the tree will not saturate.

4. We find sawdust of resinous wood species. Spruce, pine, the easiest to get. We take a saw: and forward. We need two powerful handfuls of sawdust (we rake the sawdust with both hands). It is sawdust, and not shavings from a simple hand planer.
The shavings will come from an electric planer (you can get it at the nearest sawmill or cut it yourself). I always use them. They are quite small and are usually plentiful and easy to obtain. The more resin in the sawdust, the better. And the smaller the sawdust, the better. We fall asleep in a saucepan. It was possible to take a saucepan and more! Sawdust will give the suveli a pleasant ocher color. From soft pink-yellow to ocher-brown. And also resins will add strength to wood and show texture.

5. When the water boils, reduce the fire and leave it simmering for 6-8 hours, maybe more, as long as you have enough patience.
If the saucepan is large, then you can not turn down the flame, let the water boil and bubble. But you need to watch that the water does not boil away completely. Salt, sawdust, temperature and time will do their job. Add water as needed. During the cooking process, a red "broth" is formed. And scum. Scale is best removed immediately. It is very difficult to wash off.

6. 6-8 hours have passed (depending on the size of the piece of wood). We take out the wood. Rinse under running water from sawdust. We throw out the water from the pan as useless, but you can leave it for the next time, if you have somewhere to store it. But pouring water is easier. We throw the build-up on the cabinet with nothing on wrapping it. For a day or two, let it cool down.

7 The process of cooking and drying is repeated 2-4 times, depending on the volume of wood.
You can use a pressure cooker to speed up the process. Time is reduced to 4-6 hours.

8. At the last cooking, you need to quickly peel off the bark while the tree is hot. Although she herself should fall off by this time. Carefully!!! Hot!!! use gloves!

9. We throw it on the closet for a week or two. The wood is basically already dry, but let the remaining moisture go.
The tree will "get used" to the atmosphere. After the final drying, the tree will become like a bone, and it will be possible to cut, saw, grind it. There will be no foreign smell. It will only smell like wood.

10. In the process of accelerated drying of wood, it must be remembered that small cracks may appear, and therefore an allowance must be made for their removal in subsequent processing.

11. Where to look for growths... Naturally in the forest. BUT! certain places there is no growth, they grow spontaneously, and the biggest and most beautiful growths will be found by the most big-eyed and persistent. This activity is akin to hunting for mushrooms, whoever ran around the forest more and further got more.
Look like that's it. Once again I remind you that large pieces cannot be dried like that. Cracked. Necessarily. Checked.

12. After the tree has finally become accustomed to the atmosphere, you can start working with the workpiece. It is desirable to impregnate the suvel and cap with oil, and if there is a desire, then with wax too. The tree will show the texture, "play" what is called, all the inner beauty will appear.

If you have any questions or any clarifications about the above technology, I will answer to the best of my ability and ability.

I'm finishing with this, your Serjant.

Views: 31079

15.05.2017

The tree is the most common plant on earth.

Nature is incredibly generous, since it gave a person not only the opportunity to admire the beauty of trunks and leaves, but also to extract practical benefits from wood, because for several thousand years people have been using wooden products in their everyday life, building houses, boats, making furniture and household utensils, producing musical instruments, handicrafts, etc.

To date, there is no material that can completely replace the wonderful natural properties of wood, since its density, color, texture, texture pattern and shades are unique in each case.



The natural originality of the wood pattern is especially evident in cape And suveli(spherical or teardrop-shaped growths on trees) that pundits defined as diseases.

These formations create a complex enchanting pattern of wood fibers inside, consisting of an interweaving of colored lines, spots, blotches, smoothly flowing into each other, which form, thus, a pattern of special beauty. Thanks to the richness of colors and lines, both burl and suvel are excellent natural material for the production of various handicrafts, decorations, interior items, since they have an exclusive texture (it is impossible to find two identical patterns in nature), and special strength and durability.

Let's try to determine how cap and suvel differ from each other, and what is common between them.

cap

Cap ( kapokoren or as it is also popularly called witch broom"") is a rounded benign formation on a trunk or branch with big amount wood knots. Cap, just differs from suveli in that it has many bumps on its outer side, which are created thanks to adnexal and dormant buds. These formations look like dark spikes and tubercles, which is why, often on the cap, you can observe small shoots and twigs growing directly from it.



According to some scientists, a burl on a tree occurs as a result of either abrupt change in the development of a plant, that is, it can have both a natural and an anthropogenic cause of occurrence. Some scientists believe that the appearance of an ugly tumor on a tree may be a hereditary deformity.

Burl occurs mainly on deciduous trees, such as oak, linden, maple, alder, poplar, walnut, but most often it can be found on birch.

It has been noticed that on average, for one tree with a burl, there are from three to five thousand trees without such formation, so finding a good burl (unlike suveli) is quite difficult.

Most often, a root burl is found on trees, which can be simply gigantic in size.



Usually, kapokoren it has a softly expressed texture inside and a drawing that is weak in contrast of colors.

A burl formed on a branch often has the shape of an irregular ball and, unlike the kapokorn, when cross-sectioned, its internal texture is replete with patterns with knot cores and has a kind of “needle” structure in the form of a small ornament with dashes and dots. The internal fibers of the wood are intertwined with each other in different directions, creating a picturesque pattern, and interspersed with dormant buds make the texture even richer, so the burl is most often used as a decorative element in the manufacture of various handicrafts, knife handles, gun butts, original dishes and other souvenirs.

In processing, due to the strong density of its texture and the huge number of knots, the burl is not simple, but at the same time it is perfectly ground and polished.

The main color of the internal texture of the burl is various shades of black or brown, ocher. Even if you take two halves of the same cap, they will still be different and have a different pattern, so the structure of the build-up is heterogeneous.

The wood of the burl is stronger than that of the suveli, and fifty to seventy percent stronger than that of the tree on which it was formed.

Small items are also produced from burl: caskets, cigarette cases, hairpins, earrings, bracelets, small jewelry.



It does not make sense to create a carved pattern on the cap, since the texture and texture of wood is beautiful in itself.

Souvelle

The formation of suveli is caused by a tree disease (cancer) and it most often represents a growth twisted and woven into a ball, which is why it is also called swilem.

Typically, the swirl grows two to three times faster than the tree itself and has a teardrop or spherical shape, located around the trunk or branch. The main difference between suveli and burl is that it is formed not from dormant buds, but due to the complex interweaving of annual rings bent in different directions (hence the name svil). On this basis, the cones on the tree are easy to distinguish from each other.

Growths (especially on birch) are quite common, although the reason for its formation has not been fully studied. Presumably, a fungus or mechanical damage to the tree bark can initiate the formation of a stria.

Suvel (popularly called tree bone), since its cut resembles stains of marble (with the same overflows and radial section), and thin parts are visible through and outwardly similar to bone, although the density of tissues, as mentioned above, is less for suveli than for burl, therefore its wood is less durable.



The outgrowth of the suveli can grow to gigantic sizes (for example, in the Vatican there is a font carved from a single piece of wood). However, the finer the swirl, the richer and brighter the drawing inside, although the pattern with ornamental elements will in any case be softer (without patterns in the form of “thorns” and “needles”, which are obligatory for the burl).

The internal texture of the suvel has a delicate mother-of-pearl hue, and the colors of each can vary greatly and contain white, yellow (resembling the color of amber), as well as brown, pinkish and green colors. The shade of suveli depends on the place where the tree grows and how it is dried.

Suvel can be formed by yourself, for this it is enough to drag the trunk or branch of the tree with wire. In place of the constriction, a convex formation will soon appear, created by annual rings.

Souvelle also lends itself well to processing, well ground, polished, and its mother-of-pearl cut, reminiscent of marble, playing with stains, has a unique texture and, as it were, glows from the inside.

Undoubtedly, by the appearance of the suveli, it is possible to determine how much beautiful drawing, it is impossible, but the more clumsy and twisted the growth looks externally, the richer its texture and pattern inside will be.



The root (butt) part of the suveli is considered the most valuable. It is of interest to wood carvers, painters, knife makers, sculptors and cabinetmakers, who choose this material for its exclusivity in cut, high strength, rot resistance and unique workability.

Search and preparation of growths

Naturally, it is necessary to look for bulges on a tree in the forest. At the same time, many people confuse burl and sville with a fungus similar to them from the genus (Inonotus), which most often lives on birch and is called chaga or black birch mushroom.

It is necessary to learn to determine where the fungus is and where the growth is.



It is best to cut down the streak and burl in autumn (September-October), when the trees stop the natural movement of sap and begin preparations for winter.

It must be remembered that without a good saw, a suvel or cap, especially if they are very clumsy, is not easy to cut, so this work is best done with a chainsaw, but it must be remembered that the tool chains quickly become dull due to the special strength of the build-up.

If there is no chainsaw, you will have to work with a hand saw, but it must have sharply honed edges. a good divorce cloves so that the master does not torment himself or the tree, and in vain does not hurt him.

The place of the cut (to avoid the formation of a hollow that is undesirable for the tree) must be immediately covered with garden pitch, painted over with oil paint or covered with clay.



When a massive kapokornya, it must be remembered that its cut is fraught with serious consequences for the tree and as a result of the injury it may die.

All of the above properties, both burl and svit, elevate these unique materials to the top of their value among other types of wood, since they are used both in the decoration of various utilitarian items, as well as jewelry, small plastic and dishes.

If you like to go out into nature, probably while walking in the forest, you have seen trees with strange spherical growths on the trunk or near the roots. Such peculiar growths or influxes covered with rough bark are called mouthguards. As a rule, they occur in places of growth of shoots and dormant buds. You can find them on birch, linden, alder, maple, mountain ash, oak, pine, larch, arborvitae, eucalyptus, myrtle, walnut.

cap, growing on a tree trunk, is called a stem, and at the root - a capo root. Kapo-root is found in the forest much more often than the stem and can reach one and a half meters in diameter. According to the shape, the caps are divided into circular, encircling and lateral. Sometimes caps grow so much that they can weigh up to 1 ton.

cap- a rare, very hard and beautiful material with an unusual pattern of fibers, reminiscent of marble in appearance. He was widely known in our country in the XII century. In Rus', dishes were made from it, which they called so - burl. Mostly, these were hollowed out bowls, ladles and brothers. IN early XIX century cap on a par with valuable breeds trees were used for decorative furniture, caskets and snuff boxes were cut out of it, which were then inlaid with gold, mother-of-pearl or ivory and exported to other countries. Thanks to their unique qualities and unusual warmth of perception, cap was highly valued all over the world.

Today cap serves as a material for the manufacture of art and decorative items(candlesticks, salt shakers, vases for sweets, fruits and flowers), and is also used when veneering furniture. In terms of hardness, burl is several times greater than ordinary wood and is rather difficult to process, so products from it have to be made manually.

Burl extraction is carried out with great care and only in those cases when it can be cut down entirely. The problem is that it is almost impossible to separate it without damaging the tree itself, so it is best to look for burl at logging sites among already cut trees. The cap is cut with a part of the trunk to prevent it from cracking when it dries, and also because otherwise it is simply impossible to separate it from the tree due to its high hardness. Depending on the size of the future product, the cap is sawn into plates. Usually, on a fresh cut, the pattern is pale and inconspicuous, so the cap is steamed. After drying, the cap is ready for work. As a rule, burl products are coated with a special varnish or natural beeswax, which gives them a matte finish and conveys the warmth of the wood well.

In its raw form, the burl can be used as a decorative element. For example, graceful small mouthguards can be mounted on the wall of the room, either separately or as part of an original composition, and large knotted mouthguards can be placed on the floor or on a special stand as a natural decoration that emphasizes the eco-friendly character of the room style.

Of all naturally occurring burls, only 10% can be used to create decorative and artistic products, while the period from the beginning to the end of its processing can last several years. It is impossible to reduce these terms even with the help of modern technologies due to the negative impact on the color and natural properties of the material. All these features of the burl determine its uniqueness, high value and originality, making it real exotic, a symbol of ancient traditions in the modern world.

If, while walking through the forest, you notice a growth on a birch, what is the name of this phenomenon and how can it be used, wood carving experts will definitely tell you. They already know exactly how to distinguish a mushroom from a high-quality decorative material. If you don’t have such acquaintances, then having delved a little into this topic, you can easily distinguish them on your own.

What causes a growth on a birch?

The reasons for the appearance of a build-up on a birch are different depending on the nature of this neoplasm:

  • In the case when the nature of the growth is due to infection of the plant, then the cause may be spores of fungi or harmful bacteria;
  • Appearance caps (cap) is due to the fact that the kidney with new branch cannot break through the thick bark, however, processes initiated in the trunk of the tree due to growth facilitate delivery instead of budding nutrients. Accordingly, favorable conditions are created there and more and more buds appear, which also cannot be born;
  • The cause of the growth on the trunk of a plant can also be a fungus or mechanical damage to the trunk.

Thus, various fungal pathogens are the most dangerous for birch. They provoke a large number of wood diseases, including growths. But besides this, they can cause damage to the bark and leaves. Much less often, the causes of diseases are bacteria and even more rarely, pathologies in the development of the tree itself.

However, it must be remembered that external causes, such as damage to the trunks or contaminated environment make them the most vulnerable. Therefore, it is in our power to take care of nature:

  1. Reduce emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere;
  2. Do not hammer nails into trees when outdoors;
  3. Do not peel live bark from the trunk for crafts;
  4. Do not injure or damage the barrel.

Perhaps this way we will help the trees not to get sick.

What is chaga?

If you noticed a growth on a tree trunk, you were probably interested in what it is. In the case when the outgrowths are black and irregular shape, and the color of the inside is from brown to red, most likely it is birch mushroom - chaga.

He is able to settle deciduous trees, For example:

  1. Rowan;
  2. Alder;
  3. maple;
  4. birch.

As a result of contact with the affected area of ​​the bark of a pathogenic fungus, chaga begins to develop in the stem of the plant. It looks like a comb-like growth with veins inside. Gradually, it absorbs the tree and penetrates deeper into the trunk. It happens that chaga encircles a tree in a circle. As a result, it dies.

Chaga grows for at least twenty years and at the same time feeds on birch sap and beneficial substances found in wood.

Unfortunately, such mushrooms often massively affect birch groves And deciduous forests. However, in folk medicine they are highly valued. On their basis, decoctions, means for inhalation and other dosage forms are made.

They help a lot in the treatment of various diseases:

  • Oncology;
  • Women's and men's diseases;
  • With weakened immunity;
  • Joint problems.

However, before you start collecting tree fungus, read the contraindications.

What is a cap?

Cap is another type of growth on a tree. He is a bunch of unblown branches and buds under a layer of bark.

From the natural thorns on the body of the capa, small branches can grow, which is why it is popularly called the "witch's broom."

Most often, such lesions of the cortex can be found on:

  • birches;
  • Dubach;
  • aspens;
  • Nuts.

Such formations can occur on a tree as a result of a failure in its development. This may be influenced by natural conditions, and the harm caused from outside. Sometimes this tree disease is inherited.

Caps are extremely rare. In order to find it, it is necessary to examine up to several thousand trees.

Thus, it is a piece of modified wood. Craftsmen use it to produce various wood crafts because of the beautiful natural coloring of the insides. It should be noted that the burl is much stronger than the wood of the tree on which it grows.

Chaga and capa: differences

Having become acquainted with two types of growths on trees, you can easily see their difference:

  1. The cause of the appearance of the fungus is a sterile, that is, a barren spore that has fallen on an injured plant, while a cap is the result of an improper development of the tree itself;
  2. The mushroom has a corresponding structure, and the burl is made of wood;
  3. The fungus has medicinal properties, burl is used for decorative purposes and is a valuable item for wood carvers;
  4. Chaga eventually leads the plant to death, and with a burl the plant can live for a long time, since such an outgrowth, although painful for a birch, is not an infectious disease;
  5. Chaga can be treated, but the cap can only be cut off;
  6. Chaga is quite common, while cap is a rare sight;

Thus, the difference between these two types of birch growths is quite large. And now you can easily tell them apart.

What is a suvel?

Suvel is another type of tree growth. It is considered a cancer of the trunk and represents numerous shifts in different directions of the annual rings of the tree. It looks like a spherical outgrowth on the trunk of the same structure as the plant itself and is covered with bark. It grows quite quickly and can reach huge sizes.

The reason for the appearance of such a tree disease may be swipe on wood, its damage or fungus. Scientists have not come to a common conclusion on this issue. At the same time, it can be found on a birch much more often than, for example, cap.

In terms of density, the suvel is inferior to the burl, although it is often called a tree bone. This name is associated with its appearance in the context.

When cutting, the inner part of the growth shimmers with a delicate gloss and has a beautiful mysterious pattern of annual rings. The color scheme and pattern are not similar to each other. For these properties, cabinetmakers love suvel no less than cap.

Such a formation can be made artificially by pulling a tree trunk with wire. After a while, you will see a neoplasm on the trunk. But remember, even if a tree is able to live with such a pathology, any growths for him are a disease. And after you cut the growth, it will become much more susceptible to the influence of bacteria and fungi.

Thus, one of the tree diseases is the growth on the birch. What is the name of this or that education can be determined as appearance, and on the insides on the cut. In this case, the normal development of the tree in any case is already disrupted, which can lead to additional infection or death.

Video: birch growths - cap and suvel

In this video, dendrologist Leonid Lozhkin will show what growths are on trees and how they can be classified:

Instruction

From each bud-needle, a large number of which were concentrated on a small surface, forming a cap, a branch could grow. Due to the fact that there are a lot of buds, not a single one can get out of the wood. From the collection of buds, a texture is formed that is unusual in shape and pattern. Not a single layer of wood can compete with burl natural beauty, complexity and rarity of the material. unique birch burl called woody malachite, there are interesting caps on cherry, bird cherry and walnut. A cap is often called an influx, but this is a misnomer. Professionals can easily distinguish a cap from an influx - a layer of wood of the same tree, but with mixed growth rings. The influx when cut resembles marble with white veins.

Cap is divided into two varieties: needle cap and root cap. Needle is the rarest, it grows very slowly and only in early spring- when the leaves hatch on the trees, its growth stops. When making a transverse incision through the cap, you can find the place of its origin, the pattern will resemble a funnel, tapering towards the center of the trunk - this is the beginning of the needle cap. The large cap is very hard to find and highly prized. Cap-spine is similar in structure to needle-back, but there is a difference in the pattern of wood texture, which is darker and larger. It develops on the roots and in the root zone, on trees growing on moist soil - near streams, swamps and along river banks.

Even because of a large and beautiful burl, it is not worth spoiling a living tree. Especially to find this natural anomaly easy - a lot of burls develop on tree trunks in city parks, on poplars, American maples and lindens. A large number of trees are cut down every year, and it is not difficult to extract burls from them. If the need to remove the cap from a living tree is very great, this is done starting from late autumn and until early spring, while the movement of juice in the tree is slowed down. For sawing, a saw with universal teeth is taken, the cut is made strictly along the trunk, vertically, without affecting the main wood. If the movement of the saw is very difficult, a spacer is made from a pair of wooden wedges that are hammered into the slot. After the cap is completely separated, the saw cut is immediately painted over with oil paint or drying oil. It is useless to paint over a cut made in the spring - the movement of the juice cannot be stopped by this, and the tree will inevitably be very sick.

Burl lends itself well to processing, it does not crack, warp or swell, and besides, its strength is several times higher than the wood of the tree on which it grows. The best option use - immediately after harvesting, clean the cap from the bark and saw it into planks 3-5 mm thick, so that later it can be used for the production of caskets or mosaics. In this option, the use of burl is more optimal, and in the manufacture of various bowls, vases and bowls, most of the material is lost. The most interesting burl pattern is obtained with a chordal cut, as a rule, it is a lot of points, each of which is surrounded by rings of a different shade, and different-color stains flow between the rings.

Sources:

  • Growths on a birch

The texture of the burl often has such a bizarre pattern that you can see a finished image or landscape on it. In other cases, the burl is sawn and processed.

Instruction

If the cap is quite large, and, according to the idea, more than one thing, but several, can be made from it, it is sawn before processing. Most often, a cap is sawn into plates of various thicknesses: the thickness depends on what products are planned to be manufactured. To obtain the best pattern on all blanks, the cutting angle must be thought out in such a way as to cut as many dormant buds as possible. On a fresh cut, the pattern is hardly noticeable, but an untreated cap is easier to cut. But before making it into a product, the cap is steamed so that the drawing shows through completely and it can be shown in the work. It is best to steam the cap in small ones, you can do this in. You will need an unnecessary pan of a suitable size, the dyes released by the wood will be difficult to wash off. Sawdust is placed in a thick layer on the bottom, then a cap is laid out on them - but not close, there should be half a centimeter of gap between the blanks. From above, they are also laid with sawdust, but not in such a thick layer.

It is poured with salt water, but mainly the lower layer, so that the water only touches the workpieces, without completely covering them. Salt is taken per liter about a tablespoon, maybe a little more. Close the lid and put on a very slow fire. After boiling, the workpieces should be steamed for 6-10 hours, water should be added to the pan periodically, checking every hour. The pot is then removed from the heat and left to cool. The blanks are removed from the cooled sawdust, the sawdust is washed off with a jet of water, left to dry, turning over to dry evenly every few hours. Drying usually takes 3-4 days. After the blanks dry out, you need to repeat the process of boiling, then dry again, and so on at least 3 times. If, after three steamings, the bark itself has not fallen off the blanks, it must be removed. After steaming the burl blanks last time and, having removed the bark, leave the wood for the final drying. It is best to dry them outside, turning every few hours for the first 3 days, then once a day. After that, it’s a good idea to dry the workpieces in a special drying cabinet 2-3 times.

Large pieces of a solid burl, larger than a soccer ball, are not suitable for processing in this way. In the process of cooking or drying, the cap will definitely crack, and may burst. Figures from a solid burl are processed in the same way as any tree - they are polished, varnished. Boiling is best for burls that are sawn into thin slices. When steamed, these blanks are dyed with natural dyes in a wide variety of shades, from light golden to chocolate brown. After this lengthy treatment, you can begin to further improve the cap. Finished goods covered with alcohol or acrylic varnishes. Nitro-varnishes can also be used. Before coating, the surface is polished with emery - first large, and then the smallest, and wiped from wood dust with a soft cloth.

Sources:

  • Cap processing