borked
Shave, collect B&M pokemon, vodka, sleep, repeat
Grand Society
Group Buy Associate
Da Menth Heads
2018 Charity Auction Winner
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2013
What Is So Special About Huon Pine?
For starters Huon Pine only grows in the wet, temperate rainforests of South West Tasmania – on the whole planet! ‘Lagarostrobus franklinii’ (its proper name) is not actually a pine and is the only member of its family, so a pretty unique tree which grows extremely slowly, averaging just 1 millimetre in girth per year. They can grow to be 2,500 years old which means some of them started life BC! Add to this the fact that they do not start to reproduce until 600 to 800 years of age and you have a very special tree whose timber also has remarkable properties. The timber has a very high oil content, methyl eugenol to be precise, which renders it impervious to insects, waterproof, and imbues it with its characteristic sappy perfume. The high oil content also means the timber can be bent, shaped, worked and sculpted without splitting and finishes to a superb, fine lustre. Pale straw coloured when first cut, it ages to a rich honey gold. Woodworkers love it!
The early settlers discovered the remarkable properties of Huon Pine and saw its potential for boat building, resistant as it was to those perennial problems of the boat builder, marine borer and screw worm. It turned out to be the best boat building timber in the world and was exploited heavily in the early days, driving a huge industry based on this ‘green gold’.
Source
I have been seeking a Huon pine shaving brush for several years due to above reasons, yet the stubbornness of the Tasmanian timber companies to ship premium produce interstate has prevented as much.
Their stance was that if it is desired enough, people will travel for a holiday to purchase it.
My stance is that is absolute bullshit and a fucked up attitude, yet have sought to source it via people travelling there on holiday, to no avail.
Thus reaching out to Craig earlier for his help and by appearances, my passion for this resonated with him, culminating in something some lucky person will cherish.
For starters Huon Pine only grows in the wet, temperate rainforests of South West Tasmania – on the whole planet! ‘Lagarostrobus franklinii’ (its proper name) is not actually a pine and is the only member of its family, so a pretty unique tree which grows extremely slowly, averaging just 1 millimetre in girth per year. They can grow to be 2,500 years old which means some of them started life BC! Add to this the fact that they do not start to reproduce until 600 to 800 years of age and you have a very special tree whose timber also has remarkable properties. The timber has a very high oil content, methyl eugenol to be precise, which renders it impervious to insects, waterproof, and imbues it with its characteristic sappy perfume. The high oil content also means the timber can be bent, shaped, worked and sculpted without splitting and finishes to a superb, fine lustre. Pale straw coloured when first cut, it ages to a rich honey gold. Woodworkers love it!
The early settlers discovered the remarkable properties of Huon Pine and saw its potential for boat building, resistant as it was to those perennial problems of the boat builder, marine borer and screw worm. It turned out to be the best boat building timber in the world and was exploited heavily in the early days, driving a huge industry based on this ‘green gold’.
Source
I have been seeking a Huon pine shaving brush for several years due to above reasons, yet the stubbornness of the Tasmanian timber companies to ship premium produce interstate has prevented as much.
Their stance was that if it is desired enough, people will travel for a holiday to purchase it.
My stance is that is absolute bullshit and a fucked up attitude, yet have sought to source it via people travelling there on holiday, to no avail.
Thus reaching out to Craig earlier for his help and by appearances, my passion for this resonated with him, culminating in something some lucky person will cherish.
