If the bonsai pot in the photo looks somehow different,
you’re not imagining things. It’s not really a bonsai pot, but lets start the
story at the beginning.
Back in the bad old, pre-internet days when buying bonsai
supplies meant physically being where a vendor was, at a lucky break in
finding g a mail-order supplier, bonsai hobbyists were always on the lookout
for supplies. One bit of advice was to
keep your eyes open, useful things can pop up just about anywhere. One early
publication, obviously written in a much different, less politically correct
era, advised vesting curiosity shops, junk stores and “quaint markets” to be
found in the “foreign sections” of big
cities.
The ceramic object
pictured is a very inexpensive, mass produced trinket box in the blue
and white style many non-Chinese believe to authentic Chinese. It had a lid
that is long ago lost, and was purchased at Pier One back at time before that
retailer had become an interior decorator show room and still handled, when
they still sold cheap and interesting items from around the world. I bought it
because the size and shape seemed good for a bonsai, and because back then I
was eager to buy any thing bonsai related.
The problem with an item like this, not meant for
horticultural use, is that it has no drainage hole. That is not the drawback it may seem. While it is important to have drainage in any
growing container, it is far easier to create a drain hole than at first it may
seem. It shocks me now that the space of
time between buying the item and drilling for growing is so long-about twenty
five years.
Why so long? It was really a matter of procrastination.
Having bought the trinket box, I put off
buying a specialized drill bit because I figured it would be expensive, or lots
of trouble. Putting a job off for a week
and then two, makes it easier to put it off for one year then two, and lots of
time can pass. Then one day you find yourself at a really hardware store, and
once you’ve got what you came for, and the helpful staff member asks if you
need anything else, the odd notion pops into your head to ask which drill bit
is best for drilling ceramics.
To make a long story interminable, a carbide tip drill bit
isn’t all that expensive (around $10,depending on size and retailer) and drilling ceramic isn’t all that hard. It just
takes patience.
Good quality ceramic can be very hard, and high fired glazes
are actually harder than metal. So if your expectation is to just pop a hole in
a ceramic item in the same way as drilling wood, the process will be different.
Begin by getting proper safety equipment on-eye and ear protection is
important. Flying bits or porcelain will do a number on your eyes, and because
drilling ceramic can be time consuming, the high level noise will extend out
for a while.
Cradling the item in wet sand will create a firm but
yielding base, and the moisture will help dissipate heat generated by the
drilling process. Having water on hand to cool the drill site is also a good
idea. Container with recessed bottom will hold their own water, or have a
helper aim a trickle from a watering
can. Use of a hose around a corded drill is probably best avoided. If the piece you are drilling has a flaw in
the glaze that is well placed, that’s a good location to drill, other wise apply
an “X” of masking tape at the spot you want your hole. The tape will help
assure the drill bit doesn’t go skittering around.
Now you’re ready to drill.
Ceramic is brittle so pushing too hard will result in a ruined item,
while not pushing enough will mean the drill goes sailing about. It’s best to
start slow and develop the right touch. Be patient, let the drill do most of
the work and take your time. Fine china and bakeware type piece will take a long
time-they are very hard. Like many things bonsai related, patience will be
rewarded.
Now that I have a bonsai-ready pot, I hope it is less than
25 years until it gets a plant in it.
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