Elmer's Rotted Wood Stabilizer

Has anyone tried this product on tree deadwood? I noticed ti on a shelf at Lowes
http://elmers.com/product/detail/E760

thanks

OK, well I bought some today and I'm gonna try it out.

i was hoping someone would chime in... i been using minwax wood hardener and wouldnt mind knowing an alternative...

do you yet know what color it dries ? (i feared it might be white)
and is it watery or more like elmers glue consistency ?

I applied some to a dime-sized area on the back of a piece of driftwood. It really reminds me of water-based polyurethane; it goes on milky, dries clear. I need to do some larger areas to see what the cured finish is like (smooth, glossy, matt...)

BTW I will not have any pictures, so don't ask. I'm just hoping that this may be a water-cleanup product that is easy and doesn't require mixing.

yes please let us know about the dried finish...

I`ve used wood hardeners of several brands - best is to take a piece of wood and test it. Elmer's I believe is recommended by several artists.

Try applying it straight, and again diluted 50-50 with water. Apply to scrap wood or driftwood. Leave it on the bench IN THE SUN, and WATER IT whenever you water your trees. After a year you will see how it looks. Problem I've had is over time if the wood hardener is put on too thick it becomes too visible, as it will get cloudy, milky and as wood behind it continues to rot, will become obvious.

Water + deadwood = rot, unless you have a way to keep a piece a deadwood totally dry, it will eventually rot away on you. This is a unavoidable as gravity.

Remember to keep in mind the purpose, different wood techniques for different purposes.

Lime sulfur is to bleach wood, and kill organisms, it doesn't really preserve wood, the biocide effect fades quickly. It is good for killing algae and turning wood white, if that is the color you want.

Charring wood will change color, kill organisms, and heat will harden wood sugars. The process is similar to caramelizing sugar, but wood sugars like xylose have significantly more complex structure, the change makes them resistant to water and rot. Charcoal is quite stable for extended time.

Linseed oil, tung oil and many wood preservatives, most are based on tree derived oils. When dead wood dries out, it becomes more susceptible to rotting. A coat of oil will delay the drying out. Makes the wood more water repellant and keeps the wood stable. Often will darken the wood. Should be used on dead wood that has already achieved a "mature look" and you want to hold it static at its current condition. Once or twice a year is enough. Do not apply a heavy coat, or it will look artificial, and if you get it on bark, it will change color of bark. A thin coat more frequently is better than applying a thick coat. You can apply oil to wood a couple months after lime sulfur. Once you have the wood bleached and clean to desired color, then you can use the oil to help "stabilize" the wood. It won't stop aging, but it will slow it down.

Varnish and polyurethanes - are not normally used on bonsai. They form a hard coat that rarely can be made to look natural. Generally dead wood should not look like furniture.

Wood hardeners, these are used to try to delay the eventual crumbling of rotten wood. Originally meant for "saving" a window sill or sash long enough to hold a coat of paint while you try to sell the house before you have to replace all the rotten wood (personal experience LOL, bought a house that was more wood hardener than wood) They will buy you a few years more with wood on the bonsai, but unless you do something to make sure the rotten wood dries out and stays dry, it will continue to rot leaving behind a shell of wood hardener.

SO I would only use a wood hardener to stall the crumbling of rotting wood. But the treatment will only buy a few years, unless the something is changed to keep the wood dry. I would never use wood hardener on deadwood that is not rotting, use an oil preservative instead. Linseed oil, some of the Fornby products, you want to put the natural oils back into the wood.

Lately I've opted for just letting the rot continue. Hollow trees can be interesting, if they don't get so bad as to collapse entirely on you.