# Making your own Driftwood



## dirrtybirdy (May 22, 2007)

Does anyone know if I can pick branches from certain trees and turn them into driftwood? Im looking on google and cant find a DIY process. Can anyone shed some light?

Thanks


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## mulita (Jul 31, 2007)

Do a search here at the forum. there are several posts about it. You can pick up driftwood from rivers, desert but you need to try it. Boil it, bleach it. There are several post about it here


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## dirrtybirdy (May 22, 2007)

i did a search but there it is 100 pages long.

Im asking if its possible to cut a branch from a tree and maybe bake it or process it into driftwood.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Though I am sure others have done this, personallly, I would not use a 'green' branch in my tanks. Too much stuff possible to leach out from it. Also lots harder to sink.


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## dirrtybirdy (May 22, 2007)

Bert, 

I am aware of that but I was wondering if you can dry out the wood and then boil it turning it into driftwood or something similar to it?


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## OhioPlantedtankguy (Aug 7, 2008)

dirrtybirdy said:


> Bert,
> 
> I am aware of that but I was wondering if you can dry out the wood and then boil it turning it into driftwood or something similar to it?


How Patient are you? it can be done but it takes a long time. Select your branch, cut it where you want it. Leave it sit in a place of direct sun for 6months to 1 year. Then remove bark, boil/bake, scrub bleach however you plan to treat it, then get a vat of water, and soak it changing the water every other day or once a week until the water stops changing colors and the wood stops releasing tannins and the wood sinks. this can take up to another 6 months or longer.

It is just simply faster to find a nice piece of driftwood you like online and buy it.

So How patient are you?


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## dirrtybirdy (May 22, 2007)

thanks that information was useful. 

But instead of leaving it in the sun for 6 months, i was wondering if i can speed the process up by baking it in the oven or leaving it in there for a month or two. Im looking for small branches/twigs only so i dont think it would take that long


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

There are some plants that would just start growing if you put "green" twigs of them in the tank! In fact willow tree twigs are put in the tank by some people to kill off green water.

Depending on where you live, of course, there are dead branches and twigs spread around in almost any forest. Those are "driftwood" for our purposes. If they are grey with no bark left on them they are ready to soak and clean and use as driftwood.


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## mulita (Jul 31, 2007)

i think it will be better for you just to do a walk aside a river of forrest an try to find out some pieces already weather treated  it is a faster and safer way to get driftwood than trying a green, it is also fun


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## dirrtybirdy (May 22, 2007)

yeah, ill probably do that this weekend.


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## Sunstar (Sep 17, 2008)

I get my driftwood from the lake. I bake most of my peices in the oven to kill off nasties. So far I have found some simply wonderful bits. I am sure if you go to a forest and whatnot you can find suitable peices. 

I would like a twisty root peice, so I may have to go hunting sometime before winter. I haven't found one. But I find wonderful dark brown weathered bits at the lake.


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## xavierj123 (Aug 24, 2008)

I found a dead tree in a dry creek bed while fishing. We are having a drought in Kentucky so there are a lot of dry creek beds with isolated pools of water in which to fish. The roots of that dead tree fascinated me as they were all twisted and handsome as one might describe a choice piece of driftwood. I guess this ole dead tree did drift down the creek. Luckily a beautiful piece of root was was already broken off so I brought it home. I put it in an old 55 gallon aquarium that I plan to set up again. It fit like it was made for it; lucky me! I poured several gallons of boiling water over it to kill the bugs---if any. I plan to let it soak and sink when the time comes.


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## zer0zax (Mar 25, 2007)

Boiling the wood and then submersing it in a bucket of cold water will make it sink faster!


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