Fried bamboo beads

[Tatty]

:) Have you ever try frying the bamboo beads? It does a wonderful look to it, take a look at my new pic. Be careful you don't let it fry too long or will damage the beads.

http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/data/528/thumbs/548NEW0.JPG Ankle bracelet (http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1017)
Material are: Fried bamboo, "maracas" seeds and coconut charm.

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Tatty, Thanks so much for writing about your experiment!
What kind of oil did you use?

Below is that excellent article written by Nelson Zink about Shaku Design; Oiling Bamboo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?t=931) of which at the bottom was an interesting article about `French Fried Bamboo', (see below).

This is very intriguing!

- Mark
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French Fried Bamboo - Nelson Zink (http://www.navaching.com/)
For the adventurous, there's an intriguing wood treatment which bypasses most of the traditional bamboo drying/treatment processes and that's to french-fry the green culm in hot non-catalyzed tung oil. Cut the culm and drill out the nodes. Heat a tube of oil to about 350 F. Introduce the green culm. When all boiling and other activity ceases cut the heat and allow the oil to cool with the culm submerged.

Here's what happens: All moisture is expelled as it's turned into steam and escapes as bubbles. All lignin in the wood is hardened as the oil temperature is above its hardening point. All the surface waxes will be melted and removed. During the cool-down period any air which was greatly expanded at 350 F. contracts and atmospheric pressure drives the oil into the wood. Wipe all excess oil from your culm and submit to the standard 3 month drying period.

The result will be bamboo which has had it's starches and sugars stabilized, all moisture removed and be thoroughly impregnated with hardened linoxyn. The wood will be markedly hardened and strengthened--being waterproof, dent proof, etc. The modulus of elasticity will drop considerably and the material will become even more rigid and 'musical'. The major component of a Stradivarius violin is the treated wood of the top plate. It's acoustical properties are what we recognize as exceptional sound. Once the culm has cured, craft a flute in your usual manner.

-by Nelson Zink -- reprinted with kind permission

[Tatty]

The kind of oil I used is cooking oil, never tried doing that treatment. After I'm done I wash the beads with soap and water to wash the oil away.