Page 29 - BSAM 2016 Q4

REFINING A RED PINE OBy Budi Sulistyo, Indonesia
ne of the main attractions in Shuyang was the artists competition on bonsai making. In total there were 150 artists in the competition. It was really a big event to observe. All of them had their own materials and doing various styles.
During this event, I paid attention to one candidate that was doing a mature red pine. e material had a curve already. But it was considered not enough to get the optimum beauty.
B
CD
EF
BC He drilled several holes on the left and right of the curving portion of the trunk around two centimeters apart. The holes were drilled half way to remove some part of the wood to make the bending easier. That was what I thought. A good innovation and a clever way for the bending process.
D He then put double thick wire outside the bending portion to give strength to the wood, so that it would not crack during the bending process.
E He tied jute rope to cover all the trunk that he intended to bend. Jute rope was substituted for ra a that usually is used to wrap the trunk for bending purpose. The jute rope will prevent the bark from cracking during the bending process.
FG To do the bending he used a special lever that he probably made by himself. He turned the handle of the lever, so that bit by bit, the trunk will get more and more bending.
G
October/November/December 2016 | BCI | 27