Alternates to Lime Sulfur

Marcus' response is excellent, when to use lime sulfur vs an oil to preserve vs a wood hardener. Thanks

FWIW, a major component of Lime Sulfur is sulfuric acid. Straight from the bottle it is strongly acidic. It will destroy organic proteins and natural bristle very quickly. When selecting a brush for use to apply lime sulfur, select only synthetic materials, and a cheap one at that. Figure it for single use and dispose of it.

Second thought. A good simple product, of natural origin, for preserving wood that has aged sufficiently to look natural (see Marcus' post) is boiled linseed oil. It is available any place that sells house paints, such as Lowes, Home Depot, and also art supply stores. Linseed oil is cheap, and it is really the base ingredient, or carrier for most of the more expensive proprietary products like the Min-Wax line of preservative. It will replace natural oils in the wood,making them more water proof. It won't change the color of the wood, unless you add a tint to the oil. It can be tinted if that is what you want to do. Every professional house painter has a gallon in their shed, it is easy enough to borrow a few ounces from a neighbor rather than buying quantities.

Good thread.

Leo,

Problem with boiled linseed oil (BLO) is it can turn shiny especially if applied more than once. Might not matter as much in bonsai but BLO does change wood color...it turns it a richer yellow color which to me is ideal but might not to others. It actually helps cherry and other wood turn richer and darker red faster...thanks to it being mildly acidic.

It is one of my favorite wood working finish next only to Tung oil which as you alluded to is commonly diluted with BLO now.

Another problem with "drying" oil finishes in general is that the wood cannot "breath". Unlike furniture pieces, deadwood in bonsai is continuously exposed to moisture from the soil AND from the live vein where it is connected. It will never totally dry out inside thus a total outer shell seal can potentially cause more problems down the line.

And did I mention that I like my deadwood naturally weathered and crackly?

What I think LSulfur has no alternative. Anything else mentioned in this thread change wood structure [close pores as wood cant breath well] LS protect against mildew and leave natural structure for the wood. In case you need darker colour of dead wood just use water paint black or black ink to tint after LS treatment. You have to repeat LS after time anyway. I'm not the deadwood master but this works for me.

remist17 wrote:Thanks all for the great talk.
I gave up over the weekend. I never thought wood hardner would be as hard to find as lime sulfur.

I bought to jars of lime sulfur today from a online store. IT will arrive in 5 to 10 days.....

sorry for the un-needed post but I learned from it.

I've never been inside a Home depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware, or even a non-chain local hardware store in the USA that did not carry Minwax Wood Hardener. Ask.

yamasuri wrote:Hi all,
Talking about LSulfur what is your experience of quality brush using. I used to have set of "paint brushes" from $store but they dont last too long? Any resonable sugestion? Thanks.

Dollar Store brushes are great. What else will you use them for? If they last a year, you got your dollar's worth.

JimLewis wrote:

yamasuri wrote:Hi all,
Talking about LSulfur what is your experience of quality brush using. I used to have set of "paint brushes" from $store but they dont last too long? Any resonable sugestion? Thanks.

Dollar Store brushes are great. What else will you use them for? If they last a year, you got your dollar's worth.

Yes you right Jim ....I'll try "synthetic"hair brush next time