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Sweetgum pods

Joined
Aug 3, 2020
Messages
17
Likes
8
Location
Charlotte, NC
We have a Sweetgum tree and every season it covers the front yard in prickly pods. This year I noticed they look a lot like the coronavirus so I collected a bunch and plan to cast and turn them. When they first fall they are hard, heavy and closed. These are all open, with large seed cavities exposed, really dry, and brittle.

Anyone worked with these before? I plan to run them through the dehydrator to make sure they are dry enough for casting. And I don't *think* I need to stabilize them first since they will be in resin. My main doubt is whether the resin will be too viscous to enter the pores and solidify the interior of the pods.

I have a couple gallon bucket full of them so I can make several tries but any advice that can save me a bad batch is appreciated.

wholepod.jpg

Fortunately, those open voids appear to be only at the exterior. The inside is actually quite hard to cut into even with a new X-Acto blade.

splitpod.jpg
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2020
Messages
17
Likes
8
Location
Charlotte, NC
Thanks, Gary! That's encouraging. I'll plan to stabilize and was going to use the pressure pot anyway. Can't wait to see what these look like! (Actually, I can. I have to churn through the queue of family pen requests first. o_O)
 
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