Hi, I have interest to know how Japanese to remove the skin of the pine tree. I saw some Japanese bonsai they are white, smooth and look like ivory. How can they do it? Which tool are they used? Thanks

taboeric wrote: Hi, I have interest to know how Japanese to remove the skin of the pine tree. I saw some Japanese bonsai they are white, smooth and look like ivory. How can they do it? Which tool are they used? Thanks

You can do that with any wood carving tool - you can use a knife, a chisel, jin tools, carving tools etc...
But: before you begin, you do not need to know what tools to use, but how and where to make jin and shari.
Just stripping the bark of a tree can kill (parts of) the tree.

More info: www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/styling/deadwood

i definitely agree with auk, the good thing about doing jin or sharimaki on pines and conifers is that it creates the appearance of an older tree, but the bad thing is that conifers and pines store less water in the bark than deciduous trees, so the peeling off too much bark off pines and conifers is more deadly than if doing it with deciduous trees, hope this makes sense, it was just a bit of additional info.

bob wrote: i definitely agree with auk, the good thing about doing jin or sharimaki on pines and conifers is that it creates the appearance of an older tree, but the bad thing is that conifers and pines store less water in the bark than deciduous trees, so the peeling off too much bark off pines and conifers is more deadly than if doing it with deciduous trees, hope this makes sense, it was just a bit of additional info.

Which can safely be ignored, considering one typically does not create Yin or Shari on deciduous trees. The real problem lays in coniferous trees having fairly dedicated sapstreams. Removing bark in the wrong location can result in half your canopy dying off.

bob wrote: hope this makes sense

Errrm... No.

Auk wrote:

bob wrote: hope this makes sense

Errrm... No.

ha :lol: unhumbleness can be funny!

Is now the right time and weather to remove the bark?

yes, late summer or early spring.

but lime sulphur would be best for whatever the weather may throw, apply lime sulfur 1 or twice a year, you can only get it from bonsai nurseries i think, used to be in every garden centres 5 or so years ago (in britain anyway ).

taboeric wrote: Is now the right time and weather to remove the bark?

I already gave you this link, it's all in there:

More info: www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/styling/deadwood