how long should i cook my driftwood for?

Easydoesit

Easydoesit

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Mar 17, 2008
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i need it safe, already scrubbed it and had it soak in hot water and poured boiling water over it.
how long and at what temperature should i bake this piece of wood for/at?
 
What kind of wood is it? Boiling will help remove tannins. I boiled mine for about 1 hour dumped out the water, boiled it for another hour. Dumped the water filled it up again soaked it for two hours, dumped it. Didn't have any leaching at all. Depends on what kind of wood it is I think.
 
its backyard wood lol.. no i rly dont know, its just been in my yard for a few years. i forget where i got it.
its too big to boil, so i need to bake it. i tried to boil it, but it didnt work. i only boiled as much that could fit in the pot.. which wasnt much.
 
Even if you bake it (which should kill any hidden little nasties) you should still soak it for awhile - maybe in an old cooler or one of those big rubbermaid containers. Pour hot water over it, let it sit & repeat a few times. Depending on the type of wood, without soaking it can turn your tank water the color of black tea.
 
Oops, didn't realize the whole soaking/tanin thing was already dealt with on your other thread. As for baking, a friend of mine who keeps reptiles told me 30 minutes at 300 degrees. KEEP AN EYE ON IT THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. Size of the piece and dryness vary the safe time/temp and makes it absolutely necessary that you stay near the stove the entire time. Double lining with aluminum foil is also a good idea in case any sap or other goodies leak out or you will have a hell of a smoky, sticky mess on your hands.

Also, although this should kill any parasites, the wood is not considered 'sterilized' unless it is boiled - I have no clue why. I would imagine high temps are high temps.
 
really? i dno why it would be sterilized boiled but not baked either. that's weird. well.. i poured boiling water over it a few times after i scrubbed and scrubbed it. before that i soaked it overnight in hot water, which really wasnt hot for very long. i dno, i think it should be fine now. theres no fertilizers or chemicals or anything like that in my yard, and its been a pretty cold winter here, so i doubt theres anything living in it. i boiled what parts of it that i could. i think it should be good. thanks:)
 
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