Drilling into driftwood to help it waterlog?

[PineSong]

I’ve had this hunk of wood soaking for months with a bucket full of water holding it down, to no avail. I know I could drill into it to attach it to slate but I don’t want slate if I have an alternative. I’m wondering if anyone has had luck just making a few drill holes so water can more easily penetrate to the center of the wood?

[Odd Duck]

I tried cutting this piece of wood hoping to expose more surface area.  I was planning to cut it anyway to fit the tank.  I trimmed a bit off both the bottom and the top.  Used the top as part of the whole feature.  Still floating months later.  It got drilled, alright, and fastened down to a slate piece because I got tired of waiting for it to sink.

Started soaking February 3, 2021, I don’t remember for sure when I cut it but I'm pretty sure it was around April 3, 2021 when I have pics of it wet in the tank pre-cutting for ideas on arrangement.  It was finally attached to slate July 31, 2021 when I just couldn’t stand the tank being empty anymore.  I fit the slate to the pieces so there would be minimal slate sticking out around the wood and I could plant right up the wood.

 

Edited May 21, 2022 by Odd Duck
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[Ken Burke]

In not sure the holes will do much good.  But if you drilled a large hole in the bottom and filled it with lead, or something heavy, then seal it with epoxy you might be able to sink it w/ out slate

 

[PineSong]

Deep sigh. I was hoping it was a brilliant idea, lol. It’ll be a couple weeks until I can get to the stone yard for slate and of course I wanted results now!

[Odd Duck]

I ordered a set of slate charcuterie boards from Amazon.  I am the embodiment of impatience at times.  🤣 

I have attached them to 3 different wood pieces now.  First in this 14 G cube, then in my 100 G nanofish tank when I got impatient and cut loose the rocks I had zip tied to the wood and it floated despite almost a year submerged, then most recently in the 100 G angelfish tank.  Still have about 1.5 pieces left of the 4 piece set.  I’m sure it would be cheaper from a stone yard but it was in the middle of COVID and I wasn’t going anywhere.  My pieces are very thin and easy to drill.  They’re thin enough I had to double layer it for the wood in the nanofish tank.  But they were easy to shape to size.  🤷🏻‍♀️ 

[PineSong]

I would never have thought about charcuterie boards! That’s genius. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

[Odd Duck]

On 5/21/2022 at 3:39 PM, PineSong said:

I would never have thought about charcuterie boards! That’s genius. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

I searched for black slate.  🤷🏻‍♀️ 

Search for whatever color slate you want.  I don’t know if you’ll easily find other colors.  I have some lighter colored slate pieces in my nanofish tank that would disappear pretty well in the sand in the angelfish tank, but that tank’s slate isn’t in the sand.  I have black sand in the 2 tanks where the slate is buried and wanted to use the black to “disappear” at the side in the angelfish tank, too.

[Ken Burke]

On 5/21/2022 at 2:16 PM, PineSong said:

Deep sigh. I was hoping it was a brilliant idea, lol. It’ll be a couple weeks until I can get to the stone yard for slate and of course I wanted results now!

I struggle with instant gratification too.  

[Stef]

Hi @Odd Duck, what kind of mounting hardware did you use?  Stainless?  Any washers?

 

[Odd Duck]

On 5/22/2022 at 7:08 AM, Stef said:

Hi @Odd Duck, what kind of mounting hardware did you use?  Stainless?  Any washers?

 

I used stainless, no washers, but the widest heads we had on hand.  I was afraid flat tops would tend to split the slate so I used what’s called pan head sheet metal screws where it has a somewhat domed head, smooth edges, and very flat underside of the head.  We drilled the slate no wider than necessary to pass the screws through, then pre-drilled the wood with smaller pilot holes.

Edited May 23, 2022 by Odd Duck
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