Lichtenber "Fractal" Burning

One of my favorite trends that I was seeing and then sharing as educational posts, was the Japanese tradition of “shou-sugi-ban.” This process is used to preserve wood siding by charring it. The heavily-charred surface of the board makes the wood fire retardant as well as resistant to rot, insects and decay.

But my new favorite is now Lichtenber or “fractal” burning, a relatively new embellishing technique that uses high-voltage electrical current to produce patterns on wood resembling lightning flashes. Last week I was showing a home in Phippsburg where the homeowner had used the technique to accentuate their stair posts. Absolutely exquisite. This was my first exposure to this wood burning technique. Thought I would share a video on this intricate and potentially dangerous design process. Going forward I expect to be seeing more examples of this technique being used in homes.

Would you try fractal burning?