[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [APD] RE: Driftwood wants to float -- or - Wood or wouldn't float



True enough. WEll, not quite enough. It's true for some
woods however, unfortunately or fortuntely, depending on
what you have, it depends on the type of wood, too. There
is tremendous variety in the way nature builds trees. A
quick look at some engineer's tables of the structural
strengths of various type of construction lumber gives a
clue.

RE sinkability, which I don't think is the technical term
for it, at one extreme you have something like Balsa and
certain pinewoods that probably won't sink if you boil 'em
oil for year. In fact, the lignin will probably break down
and the fibers start to part before it's sinkable. Even
chokecherry, which is as hard as concrete as any Stihl can
attest, won't easily float.

Yet, some stuff you don't have to boil at all. It can be
dry as a bone and place it in water and down it goes. Some
you have to soak for weeks. Some you can soak till the cows
come home and it'll be in vain.

I wonder if anyone has ever made a catalogue of woods and
their sinkability -- something like Ivo's table of
fluorescent bulbs. . . .? I haven't found one yet.

If you don't know what you've got, soaking's worth a try.
And if tht doesn't, and you've got a pot big enough, well .
. .

Scott H.
--- Benjamin Hong <bkhong at rogers_com> wrote:

> You can attach the driftwood to a piece of glass, or a
> piece of slate.  Or,
> you can soak it and wait for it to waterlog, which is
> what I'm in the midst
> of doing.  But, trust me, it takes quite a while (I'm
> moving beyond two
> months now).  Although, I've heard from some people that
> it only takes a few
> weeks.  I'm sure it depends on thinckness of the wood,
> and perhaps how dry
> it is before you soak it.


=====
Want to get dirty but stay clean? 

Diana Walstad, author of _Ecology of the Planted Aquarium_ will discuss soil supplemented aquarium substrates at the 2004 AGA Convention.

Convention Details/Registration at aquatic-gardeners.org & gwapa.org
_______________________________________________
Aquatic-Plants mailing list
Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/aquatic-plants