ageing sinker logs

[05112345]

is there any way a sinker log can aged, as for as how log its been under water and mud, if so, does anyone know who can do this for me?

[thecfarm]

05112345,welcome to the forum. Sounds like you are getting sinker logs? Do you saw them up too?

[Jeff]

It sounds to me like he is trying to "Make" sinker logs.  Not going to happen if you are trying to do what I suspect you are trying to do.  The value of the sinker logs does not come from the fact that they were sinkers. it comes from what the old growth wood actually was. Because they were sinkers, that preserved them. I may be wrong on this, but I just have the feeling you might be thinking you can make a silk purse from a sows ear by taking any log and sinking it and making it look old.

[thecfarm]

That sounds more like it Jeff. I read it wrong.  :

[pineywoods]

Jeff got it right, "ain't no way", if there was, I would be doing it..

[Fla._Deadheader]

 Actually, it depends on the type of wood.  The guy we started selling logs to, is making his own right now.

Before I say any more, the original poster needs to add a lot more info to this thread.

[SPIKER]

Actually, it depends on the type of wood.  The guy we started selling logs to, is making his own right now.

Before I say any more, the original poster needs to add a lot more info to this thread.

I would think first thing is to have old growth trees then to bury them in some peat moss bog and turn it into lake bottom (not sure if it could be a shallow lake as you need oxygen deprived water.)   Might be able to MAKE it that way with lots of moss/leaves/vegetable matter in it and no siring/aeration to keep o2 levels down...   then these logs would have to set for YEARS to get any real good penetration of the color.

Mark

[Nomad]

     I read it that he's trying to figure out how long the logs have been in the water.  Hence, why he's asking "who can do that for me."  But yeah, he needs to add a lot more info.

[JohnM]

     I read it that he's trying to figure out how long the logs have been in the water.  Hence, why he's asking "who can do that for me."  But yeah, he needs to add a lot more info.

+1

[dboyt]

This post caught my attention, because I will be working with real sinker logs in the near future.  Any advice on milling & drying would be much appreciated.

[Nomad]

     Don't know what kind of logs you're talking about.  the ones I get are about 90% cypress and 10% pine.  They generally cut like a dream.  Outstanding wood!  And no bark.  The biggest problem I find is that if there are any voids in the wood, they tend to be filled with sediment.  That will dull blades quickly.  I can't say anything special about drying; the guys I work with just air dry as usual.  I dunno if that's right or wrong, but it seems to work for them. 
     Be thankful none of yours will have barnacles on them.  Those logs have a priceless, unforgettable aroma to them. :

[05112345]

thanks for all the reply's i guess i need to be more clear on what i was asking, here's a little more information,
i retrieved an oak tree from the bottom of a bayou' the tree was pulled out of the mu, i had it sawed into lumber and the wood was practically black all the to the center of the tree so I'm thinking the tree must have been mud and water for a really long time for the entire tree to absorb the minerals from the mud to discolor it to almost black. what I'm trying to find out is if its possible to determine how long the tree has been under mud and water.       

[Ianab]

If they are REALLY old, then Carbon 14 dating can be used. But it's not an exact measure, it's give or take 50 years. So if it dates a log @50 years old, that's something between today and 100 years ago.

It works better in the thousands of years. 1000 years old +/- 50 is pretty accurate.

Carbon Dating is used on the swamp Kauri here in NZ, but that may be 3,000 - 50,000 years old.

It's also quite expensive, from what I can see (Waikato University in NZ) it's about $500 to have a sample tested.

Other method is the patterns in tree rings. The spacing of these is not even, it varies with climate and seasons. A cool or dry summer gives smaller growth on all the trees in the forest, while a warmer / wetter season gives larger growth. So by looking at those variations it's possible to fit the pattern into a known series of growth rings if you have measured enough historical trees in the area.
More info on that here.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/treering.html

Not sure if either method is any use to you, but that's how the archaeology boffins do it.

Ian

[Fla._Deadheader]

Ball park would be if it was felled by AXE, it would be a minimum of 100 years, or, whenever axes were still used to fell trees.

[dboyt]

Ian, thanks for the link!  Interesting that NOAA is involved in dendrochonolgy.