Below is a step by step guide of what I did. Before oiling, make sure you have the oil in a suitable container and, if you feel it … Looking forward to seeing how its done by a permaculture purist. De Graff, however, who I work with in Pak Chong, Thailand, has been living in Asia for the past few years and what he showed me is adapted from the Japanase traditional  Shou Sugi Ban (焼杉板), literally “burnt cedar wood”, from “Yakusugi” which means “cedar” (2). Then, pointing the blowtorch away from anything it could damage (including your face!) ‘Shou Sugi Ban’. Matches could work as well but a lighter is easier. We live in a bushfire prone area and I’d be interested in knowing if this technique can be applied to our existing western red cedar cottage, both for protection and because it looks so damn good! On a practical level, playing with fire can also be really fun, and so even if you don’t believe that Shou Sugi Ban will help your consciousness to evolve or for you to be more mindful of how we can achieve positive change in society, you do get to set fire to things in a safe, controlled and beneficial way so there is a clear enjoyment advantage. Oil it. Take the cloth and dip it into the oil, squeezing it out, then rub it over the planks. Some commonly-used natural wood-finishing oils are Tung oil and linseed oil. A lighter – to light the fire. Charring your cedar, oak and fir, amongst a plethora of other woods, transforms the physical properties of the wood making it more resistant to fire, UV … A brush – for cleaning the wood after charring, Oil and a cloth to apply it – you can use most oil for this. The process should reveal a rich, dark, brownish-black color. Outside of industrial uses, rubbing in oil is the most common way to preserve wood. What I learned differs from the ancient art in that the tool I used for the actual charring was an oxygen and propane-powered blowtorch – probably not that common back in the 8th century. You can even find variations elevated to fine art, as in the work of the artist Maarten Baas. An example of the effectiveness of the technique! UNESCO, 2016. Currently, I live in the Andalucian mountains. Surface Prep. You can tell when you have the blowtorch at an effective distance when you hold it above the wood in a place where the flame comes down as a blue jet and spreads out on contact with the wood, creating a kind of orange star-like effect through which you can see the sparkling orange charcoals forming. It becomes more porous.”. A professional dancer, I do fire and hula dance and sometimes run dance meditation workshops. I had to stop reading when I got to the part where you recommended using a cigarette lighter or match to ignite a welding torch! The inside of the siding auto-ignites and burns really hot, using itself as the fuel. The gravitas imparted by the process and finished result (called yakisugi) are undeniable, a blackening of the wood that reveals clean, distinct lines and an inherent textural beauty. Polymers like thermoset, or most solid organic compounds like wood or biological ti Our website, archdigest.com, offers constant original coverage of the interior design and architecture worlds, new shops and products, travel destinations, art and cultural events, celebrity style, and high-end real estate as well as access to print features and images from the AD archives. You can choose to concentrate the flame in a smaller portion or you can also … Carefully turn the dial of the oxygen a little way open. …The short answer is ‘yes’, though some of the methods used may be surprising. Smithsonian Magazine, 2/9/15. “Cedar is a lighter, more porous wood,” he explains, and “there’s a chemical component to it which makes it work better for this technique. (This is not only easier on the wallet, but allows you to participate in the global trend of letting future generations worry about fixing … Make Human Inspiration Happen’. I love experimenting with different DIY techniques and, as both an avid maker of things and a volunteer firefighter, I feel duty bound to show you this really cool DIY charred wood tutorial – also known as shou sugi ban, a Japanese wood … When exposed to rain and UV, wood slowly erodes, and it is this sacrificial char layer that erodes, maintaining the black char colour, along with it’s preservative benefits. Allow it to dry and then apply a second coat to any dry spots. Luckily for the Earth, a myriad of projects out there are following the “use and value renewable resources and services” principle with building materials and techniques. The right oil will soak into the wood's pores, keeping the wood strong and slowing absorption of water that can cause rot.A couple coats of oil can protect wood … Will this Type of Agriculture Feed Your Grandchildren? It’s 2017 and clean portable gas is not readily available Is that OK? Now the fun part. Not how you think it should be done, how you actually do it. It’s recommended to cut the wood to the size you want it before engaging in the charring as it’s possible sawing will interfere with the charred parts and you may have to do it again*. We were using canola oil as it’s cheap and widely available here in Thailand. In this particular design, the bottom is basswood, which still works, but cedar takes it better.” Don't fret if your table isn't cedar or basswood; you can also use shou sugi ban on pine, hemlock, maple, or oak. In Japan, Shou Sugi Ban has been used for centuries, traditionally (as the name suggests) with cedar wood, though this type of wood has its own history of problems in the country, in terms of the creation of economically-viable monoculture cedar forests after World War 2 which led to the disruption or destruction of many ecosystems (6). The flame will turn from large and orange into a concentrated blueish jet. In a classic family craft business compromise, both men chipped in to help. *You can also use this technique on buildings which are already constructed, but I will focus on this more in a later article. Now your planks are ready to be put in place. The very first thing that the Japanese artisans noticed many centuries back, was that proper exposure of cypress planks to fire acted as a preservativewhich did many different things. “Be sure to go in the direction of the grain,” Hugh says, and work until all the charcoal dust has been brushed off.

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