slightly burnt driftwood... usable?

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paytertot

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Joined
May 21, 2011
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joplin missouri
My art teacher gave me a large piece of driftwood and it has a few charred spots on it. Is it usable the way it is, should I try to sand it off? Or can I even use it?
 
darn fat fingers! as I was saying how often do you hear of people putting charcoal in their tanks
 
I think if you can remove as much as possible it will be fine. I would just soak it and rub at the spots. If you feel it m need sanding then go for it. Just enough to remove the burnt area. Hope that helps. Good luck!
 
Well pardon me manbeast, I didn't know or I'm sure I wouldn't have asked.
And thank you phishfriend, I'll get some good sandpaper.
 
I'm just curious as to how it got charred? Did your art teacher get it from your science teacher after some kind of science experiment? :) Sorry, just gotta know a little history about the wood...

David
 
She said it came from a student years ago. I'm not sure how it happened. It's just as if the surface is charred.
 
I hate rude members that have nothing of value to add to a members thread...

With that said...

Your fine. It won't harm your tank. Just try and brush what you can off and do your regular driftwood thing i.e. soak, clean, etc etc etc...

Once it's clean just put it your tank and I'm sure it will look amazing! Pics when your done :)
 
Well its a pretty huge piece... Not sure how I'd boil it. I could probably pour boiling water over the charred parts at best. So do I really need to sand off the burnt parts or will it be ok after routine cleaning and etc..?
 
Well its a pretty huge piece... Not sure how I'd boil it. I could probably pour boiling water over the charred parts at best. So do I really need to sand off the burnt parts or will it be ok after routine cleaning and etc..?

I wouldn't go crazy sanding it. Just brush it (clean it) like you would any other piece of driftwood. If you can't boil it, it's not the end of the world. Jus give it a good 24hr soaking in hot hot water.

You'll be fine.
 
If you do not have a large enough pot for boiling it, you may want to try using an appropriately sized cooler. This way you can fully soak it for however long is necessary and periodically test it's buoyancy.

If you end up attaching a piece of slate to the bottom (I used a masonry bit to drill a hole through the slate and drove a stainless steel screw through the slate and into the wood), take that added height of the slate into account. I did not and ended up cutting an inch or so off the base. Of course, this was AFTER tying the moss to it. Lesson learned.
 
Yeah cooler tub whichever. The burnt parts really arn't a big deal. I was thinking it sounds like its been around for a while and had a few different owners. No telling what's gotten on it.
 
Well I don't know where it came from before my teacher, aparently some student brought it in thinking she would like it, but after that it just sat in the corner of her room collecting dust.
 
Well its a pretty huge piece... Not sure how I'd boil it. I could probably pour boiling water over the charred parts at best. So do I really need to sand off the burnt parts or will it be ok after routine cleaning and etc..?

Another alternative to boiling is putting it through the dishwasher a few times, but be sure no soap or rinsing agent is in the dishwasher when you put it in. That would be a very very bad thing if it got all soapy :nono:
 
paytertot said:
Well pardon me manbeast, I didn't know or I'm sure I wouldn't have asked.
And thank you phishfriend, I'll get some good sandpaper.

sorry if I came across as rude,I just have a little trouble putting my sense of humor into type
 
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