Author Archives: Pithole Hermit

I learned something about staining the cheap Eastern White Cedar shakes I got at Home Depot. The stain is supposed to age the wood and give it a gray and reddish look. The procedure I found for making the stain is to put steel wool in vinegar (white, although cider vinegar will work) and let it rust for a day or two. Well after a week the steel wool had barely rusted. Then I figured out to just wet the steel wool with water, and vinegar, then let it sit outside the liquid. Here is what it looked like barely rusted after days in vinegar. The only parts that rusted we’re sticking out of the vinegar.

And here it is just hours after wetting it and setting it out.

Then I simply add it back to the vinegar. I also add some black tea bags. The combination of these affects the tannins in the wood. Here are some before and after.

It only takes a few minutes to age. Really looks nice and rustic, like an old barn.

Here are some on the roof.

So if you find instructions online to age wood be sure not to leave the steel wool in the liquid. Get it wet and then leave it out.

And the tea bags help to give a little redder tint while just the steel wool will be more gray.…

The shed is very close to being buttoned up for the winter. Today I added 3 more windows. I think that is enough. A few more small end boards, the gables and finally the doors and it is sealed.

The shed is becoming much more solid than I had planned. It will basically be a tiny house when I’m done. But I should have used the level and square a little more. Many crooked corners.…

Time to replace the tarp on the roof with some tarpaper and cedar shakes.

First I had to do a lot of leveling and trimming. Then I put on rolls of tarpaper.

Now I am going to put on cheap white cedar shakes. Here’s a sample.

I will either paint or stain them. This is what the same shakes look like on the front of the cabin.

I got five bundles of them. Since I use a very narrow overlap this should be enough. They are really just for a rustic look so full coverage isn’t important. But I’m done for today. I’ll continue tomorrow.

I did some more on the shed. New siding. I used new fence pickets. I like the look. And they are cheap. This in addition to extending the front two feet. But notice there are still no doors, or gable ends. And I plan on putting cheap cedar shakes on the roof, like I did on the front of the cabin.

My cabin is located in the middle of mushroom paradise. Good for mushroom lovers but also means mold grows fast in the summer. This time of the year is great for gathering mushrooms. Here is about 15 minutes work.

Some of these I don’t yet know so I won’t eat them, but most of them are edible, even if they don’t taste good. The ones on the left of the basket are delicious. They are Chicken of the Wood and Black Trumpets.

I fried them a little bit in coconut oil and then mixed them in cream of chicken soup. It is delicious.

Chicken of the Wood actually has the taste and texture of chicken strips. Really. Black Trumpets have a smoky, woodsy taste.…

Here’s something I have been thinking about for some time.

A dehydrator. The picture says solar but it can actually be used over a wood stove by just using the upper box. The lower sloping box is just an air duct with a glass top. The inside will be painted black and the absorbed sun rays will heat the air. The heated air will rise up to the upper food rack box. Then the air and moisture will vent out the top at the back. To use it over a wood stove I will put a small fan to keep the air moving.

In the photo the dehydrator is not quite finished.…