Some of you may remember this little juniper I was going to reduce the deadwood a month ago.
The thread is HERE .
So after Auk and LB suggestions, I decided to bend it.
PROGRESSION:
1- The tree and the first plan:

2- I did cut and carved it anyway:

3- Made a sketch to bend and turn the deadwood:

4- First I tried with manual tools:


5- After measuring the deadwood, I realised it was much too small:


(CONTINUE in next response)

6- Time for grownup tools!


7- Made the template turn around itself:

8- Wrapped the deadwood in moist paper towel and aluminium paper, for a whole week to moisten the wood.

9- TOOLS to BEND:



10- PROGRESSION (Next response)

10- PROGRESSION:
- Tree before the torture:


- Wrapped for protection:


- Additional protection and wet paper towel (to make water vapor to soften the wood). On top of the paper I layered two turns of aluminium paper (no picture, sorry):


- Blow torched it for 20 minutes, the aluminium paper got red hot, smoke was escaping from a hole I had previously opened at the tip, avoided touching the wrapped green part of the plant.

- AFTER taking off the wrappings, wearing gloves and ready for testing, I found the wood was VERY flexible! So I managed to put the deadwood inside the grooves (in the template) and started to fix it in place with the little (n#2) C-clamps. In the most radical turns, I had to adjust directly with the blow torch on the deadwood, but I will use lime sulfur afterwards, so no worries about the color.
DETAIL:


And now... The waiting game. I will wait a few days to let the wood set and dry, and I will show the resultas afterwards. I hope it doesn't go back to the original boring shape.


The deadwood turned around the other side of the template, so I think I will get a little twist on the tip, let's wait and see.
Any comments and questions are welcome.

Nice progression!

When I do hot-bending, I find the wood sets as soon as it cools down. So once it is cool to the touch, the shape does not change much anymore.

Well, the results and conclusions:
1-) I should have done more radical bends on the template, as the deadwood "goes back" before setting.
2-) One half turn around the template is as good as none, should have done a whole 360 degrees turn.
3-) I didn't apply lime sulfur yet. Will do next weekend.
4-) I quite like it the way it is now, better than before, what do you think?

looks great, thanks for sharing

much better looking now.

UPDATE ATTENTION: As the first picture (before) and the last picture (after) have the same name (juniper.jpg) the system eliminated the second picture and replaced it with the same original picture, so...
Before and after look the same!
Forget the picture that is two messages above, please.
The right after picture is that one below:

looks great!!! thanks for the write up. will be trying this soon.

Gorgeous