DIY Kiln for curing culms

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Ophiuchus
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DIY Kiln for curing culms

Post by Ophiuchus »

Has anyone built a kiln for curing culms to sell? Blow torch is too time consuming and I'd like to mass produce heat cured canes to sell.

Any insight would be helpful.

Thanks in advance for your commentary.
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Re: DIY Kiln for curing culms

Post by needmore »

Have to be low temp for sure.
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Re: DIY Kiln for curing culms

Post by Ophiuchus »

needmore wrote:Have to be low temp for sure.
I'm clueless except for some YouTube videos curing with a blow torch or open fires. I'm hoping someone has already gone through the trial and error process will share their results.

Thanks for your comment.
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Re: DIY Kiln for curing culms

Post by needmore »

Very much heat and the culms will explode at the nodes.
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Re: DIY Kiln for curing culms

Post by Ophiuchus »

needmore wrote:Very much heat and the culms will explode at the nodes.
The video I watched instructed drilling a small hole between nodes for steam to escape. I actually forgot about that until you mentioned exploding.
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Re: DIY Kiln for curing culms

Post by fredgpops »

I have cured with a blow torch on a bamboo trellis project. I didn't really see a major impact on longevity plus the torch and preservative didn't ward off decay at soil level and below. Putting bamboo under the house for 6 to 12 mths has been effective. Have found out via Gib (he makes bamboo surf boards) at Tradewinds Bamboo that you get longevity by leaving the wax on the bamboo. Torching can melt the wax off. Rgds
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Re: DIY Kiln for curing culms

Post by Tarzanus »

What about steam or soaking in boiling water?
I have heard that you can soak the bamboo into water for a few weeks (months), which leaches out many nutrients. If you could just heat the whole thing up and speed up the process, perhaps even adding something that would further enhance durability,...
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Re: DIY Kiln for curing culms

Post by fredgpops »

Isn't curing about getting rid of moisture in the bamboo?
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Re: DIY Kiln for curing culms

Post by fredgpops »

Ref the bamboo benches I made a few years ago: I sanded the bamboo and put on marine deck varnish ( 3 coats). The winter rain came and penetrated the bamboo. Bamboo is extremely porous without the natural wax. If I wld have retained the natural wax and then coated it there wld have been less chance of water damage. Curing it under your house = bamboo retains natural wax, you can dry volume, and min manual work. I only know of one advantage of bulk soaking bamboo - you can get rid of critters on live bamboo by immersing it fully in water for a few days. Lastly I don't think there is much of a market for cured bamboo unless you have 5 plus inch culms for craftsmen. As I learned on the bench project, bamboo is very difficult and frustrating to work with. I get a lot of attaboys for the benches but I wouldn't do it again. Rgds
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Re: DIY Kiln for curing culms

Post by Ophiuchus »

fredgpops wrote:Isn't curing about getting rid of moisture in the bamboo?
I think heat curing is getting rid of moisture, but from what I have read, soaking in a borax solution seems to be a preferred method. I'm assuming the soaking method won't add any color like the burning process.

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Re: DIY Kiln for curing culms

Post by fredgpops »

Not sure I buy preferred method. I got one Google hit from Australia. Re color - no method allows bamboo to retain it's original color. Although I think heat methods actually decrease longevity, they produce the most beautiful look but it deteriorates after 6 mths. Hey borax may be out of the box but works. I have examples of other methods but can't find end results of borax. Seeing is believing. I only know of one other person besides me that has actually done large projects requiring cured bamboo. The other guy showed me a better way. I welcome your knowledge but I'd like to see the process and end product. Rgds
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Re: DIY Kiln for curing culms

Post by fredgpops »

I did some follow up on borax today. Borax is recommended for bamboo to be used for indoor projects but not outdoor projects. I didn't go into the specifics. One other thing I learned was that 3 year old culms and older should be selected for curing. Culms at a younger age tend to shrink even after curing. Not sure if toxicity of borax is a issue. If I were considering another outdoor project I would focus on bamboo surf board construction. Bamboo under these conditions has to deal with constant submersion in salt water. I have seen examples of very old bamboo that has survived as sections of doors and windows with nothing but paint. How these bamboos were cured to withstand time would make for interesting reading.
ABS has a yearly contest re bamboo artistic and construction projects. There is probably a wealth of info from people who have submissions. I think ABS runs classes on bamboo construction at various sites around the US. Another potential source for curing are folks making bamboo fly rods. Guys like me learn as we go without good preparation. We get stuck using spit and duct tape. RGds
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Re: DIY Kiln for curing culms

Post by Ophiuchus »

fredgpops wrote:I did some follow up on borax today. Borax is recommended for bamboo to be used for indoor projects but not outdoor projects. I didn't go into the specifics. One other thing I learned was that 3 year old culms and older should be selected for curing. Culms at a younger age tend to shrink even after curing. Not sure if toxicity of borax is a issue. If I were considering another outdoor project I would focus on bamboo surf board construction. Bamboo under these conditions has to deal with constant submersion in salt water. I have seen examples of very old bamboo that has survived as sections of doors and windows with nothing but paint. How these bamboos were cured to withstand time would make for interesting reading.
ABS has a yearly contest re bamboo artistic and construction projects. There is probably a wealth of info from people who have submissions. I think ABS runs classes on bamboo construction at various sites around the US. Another potential source for curing are folks making bamboo fly rods. Guys like me learn as we go without good preparation. We get stuck using spit and duct tape. RGds
I just joined the ABS and look forward to the publications. The internet is filled with information, not all of it is reliable. I want to place bamboo over a shipping container/office for aesthetics and was concerned with longevity. So I'm still confused over the best way to cure bamboo for longevity. Or is there truly a method that works?

Someone had suggested (Fredpopps?) storing under a house to seal the natural wax. I'm fascinated over the discovery stage of this incredible plant that is such a dominant presence in the East, not so much in the West.

It would certainly be easy to apply raw bamboo halves, but how long will they last before need of replacement?

Thanks
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Re: DIY Kiln for curing culms

Post by foxd »

You might want to pick up a copy of the Bamboo Preservation Compendium.

https://www.amazon.com/Bamboo-Preservat ... eservation
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