# Dyed shou sugi ban ?



## willhime (Mar 9, 2014)

I'm seeing if there's any theories on how these were made. It says (company called resawn timber co.) that they're shou sugi ban based but I can't get a grasp on how you'd pull this off. I'm guessing part burnt, part dye stain then quick wipe then part sanding to get the bare wood color but I can't think of what order they'd do it in.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Looks cool. I'd expect the methods you
mentioned would generally yield cool-looking
results. Experiment. You'll be pleasantly
surprised.


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## RichCMD (Jan 31, 2013)

This was interesting looking enough that it inspired me to do some searching. According to the article at the link below it sounds like the wood is burnt first and then a colored stain is applied after.

Playing with Fire: Shou Sugi Ban Torched Lumber in Bright Colors


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## willhime (Mar 9, 2014)

Ok. So it seems the difficult (at first) part would be knowing how charred to make it before staining. Too long and the ash would be too set to accept the dye.


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## RussellAP (Feb 21, 2012)

There is a big difference between outdoor and indoor furniture with the shou sugi ban. Indoor you can get away with more experimenting, but outdoor furniture you're looking for protection. I make and sell outdoor furniture and due to the rising price of western red cedar, I've had to find a low cost, time and money, way to recoup the extra the wood costs. I thing shou sugi ban is perfect, except for those who like light stain. You can't do light with that technique. I just made my first shou sugi ban Adirondack today. I'm very pleased with the way it looks and that it will likely last 20 years without much change in its looks. I use a roofing torch to just aligator lightly, then a stiff large wire brush, then I turn the hose on it with a stiff nylon brush. After it dries, I use a combination of tung oil and danish oil, fruitwood color to give the shinny spots some color.


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## mchapman87 (Dec 30, 2015)

I am trying to research this idea. I already use the Shu Sugi Ban technique for my work, but I have a commissioned piece for a Chicago Municipal Flag. This requires a color close to baby blue. I am trying to find a way to Sugi Ban, then white wash and dye with colored stain to achieve the light blue effect. I haven't tried on any scrap yet. Has anyone else done this?


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## panteruh (Jul 8, 2018)

> I am trying to research this idea. I already use the Shu Sugi Ban technique for my work, but I have a commissioned piece for a Chicago Municipal Flag. This requires a color close to baby blue. I am trying to find a way to Sugi Ban, then white wash and dye with colored stain to achieve the light blue effect. I haven t tried on any scrap yet. Has anyone else done this?
> 
> - mchapman87


I don't know if you've found your answers yet but here's what I do:

Use a propane torch to blacken the wood. Start evenly browning slowly over and over until it's almost charred on the surface. Sometimes on the knots you need to get it glowing red. If the wood catches a small flame, just blow it out, no biggie.

Then let it cool down a smidge and use a wire brush. I prefer stainless steel. Rub all that carbon char off the piece. You will have some 3d grooves of the darkened grain and then the light colored wood (I've used Pine mostly) underneath.

Once the piece is all cleaned up, use a pre-stain (In this case I used Water Based pre-stain) and mix 1 tbsp of 70% alcohol per 10 drops of food coloring.

You can look up different food coloring combinations online.. for example 19 drops of red and 2 drops of blue would be a bright watermelon color… etc. Or 24 drops of yellow and 2 drops of green will be Lime.

So, for those two examples you would use 2 Tbsp of alcohol. (Alcohol evaporates quickly while leaving the stain behind)

Doing one side at a time, rub the stain on and then immediately rub it off. If the color needs to be darker, adjust the coloring mix, etc.

It is kind of a trial and error thing.

Once you are done - seal it with a water based or oil based poly. (Just make sure wood is completely dry first)
Here is a color pallette I did to test.


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## Knockonit (Nov 5, 2017)

dang that is amazing finish


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## Tony1212 (Aug 26, 2013)

Inspire Woodcraft has a 4 part series on shou sugi ban and color dyes on youtube. Here's Part 1.

He goes through all of his trial and errors and gives a bunch of recommendations, from which wood to use to which finish to use for your particular desired look.


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## domthemom (Aug 5, 2019)

I've seen some videos about Keda dye. They look promising


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

thats an amazing look,you could do some pretty cool projects with that technique.be sure to post whatever you come up with.


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## DonovanJO (Apr 10, 2020)

It all begins by exposing a piece of wood to scorching flames that reach an average temperature of 1100 degrees Celsius. Such a high temperature demands the highest levels of caution and precision. If you want to lean more visit this webiste: https://degmeda.eu/


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