Today, Po reveals the next step in her innovative sun-steaming process — the moment when three days of sunlight, water, and patient preparation finally transform kiln-dried hardwood into a material that is ready to bend.

Testing the Wood After Three Days of Sun-Steaming

Today marks the moment when Po checks the results of the full three-day sun-steaming cycle. In yesterday’s post, we watched her begin this method by sliding the hardwood into the long ridged tube and filling it with water to let the sun do the work. By this morning, the fibres within the wood had warmed, expanded, and begun to relax. Now it was time to see whether the wood had softened enough to become flexible — or whether it needed more time in the sun.

After pouring out the steaming water, Po slid the hardwood out of the tube and laid it gently on the grass. The board emerges from the tube hot, ridged, and stiff — the opposite of what you might expect from a piece of wood that will soon become a circular drum frame. But this is where Po’s ingenuity comes in.

Still too hot to handle with bare hands, Po begins a technique she discovered through experimentation: walking on the wood. Wearing proper shoes, she carefully steps along the length of the board, back and forth, allowing her weight to massage the fibres into motion. The grass protects the surface from dents and provides the perfect soft foundation for the wood to ease into its new flexibility.

For about five minutes, she continues this rhythmic movement — a sculptor’s touch expressed through her feet rather than her hands. And then comes the test.

With one foot still grounding the board, Po gently lifts the opposite end.

In today’s video, you can see the moment the wood answers.

It bends — cleanly, smoothly, willingly.

This once rigid hardwood is now supple enough to be shaped into the elegant circular frame of a drum. What seemed impossible only days before becomes possible through Po’s blend of patience, innovation, and the natural power of the sun.

Tomorrow, Po will continue the transformation as she prepares the wood for its first bends toward the circle it is destined to become.

Drum December unfolds one authentic, beautiful step at a time.

Stay tuned for Day 4.

📧 Portia@loveartbypo.ca