While scraping the bark off of logs in preparing to build the log arbor there was one log of birch which really couldn’t be used as birch just doesn’t hold up well. It was while stripping the bark off this fine piece of wood that I was hit with that unmistakable aroma.
After quietly gathering up much of the bark and scrapings I stuffed them into a large pot and brewed it on the stove for a bit then after letting it cool – I left the mixture to steep for quite sometime and added a bit of sugar. (this is not the exact process I followed but its my grandpa’s recipe and that’s a family secret).
It sat hidden in the basement for the past few weeks slowly brewing sending little bubbles through a tube into a small glass jar near by.
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Now that the weather has warmed up work has resumed on the remodeling of the small bath and shower installation. Previously we had demolished the old bathroom.
The two stick frame walls have been insulated and covered in a plastic vapor barrier. The log wall shown here in the first photo has not seen the light of day for probably 50 years or more and needed a serious cleaning. The tops of the logs were covered with a thick black soot from years of coal and wood burning heat.
Using my home recipe for cleaning logs I have gently washed down the logs with a soft bristle brush. This process will brighten the wood slightly. However once clean I will re-stain and seal the logs at a later stage of the construction.
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