Making Wood Last Forever (Almost) - The Shou Sugi Ban Technique
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- Shou Sugi Ban is an ancient Japanese technique to preserve wood.
It's done by first charring the surface of the wood. This makes the wood fire retardant and resistant to rot, insects and decay!
The oldest wood building in the world (now about 1311 years old) employs this wood preservation technique. That's practically forever!
Very nice! Used motor oil works fine too!
Fantastic point! I have heard of Farmers making Fence Posts using Motor Oil. What a brilliant idea!
For those interested, here's a list of stuff I've used myself or heard of from other folks. Feel free to add to this list:
Oils:
- Tar
- Linseed Oil
- Pine Tar
- Used Motor Oil
- Beeswax (As an additive to an oil)
For thinning:
- Mineral Spirits
- Denatured Alcohol (96%+)
- Terpentine
How would you apply that. Would you smell it later?
@@martinp.cadillackid3408 I’ve found that oils do have a smell but it fades after a few days
@@TheFincaAdventure do u think the oil runs off the wood and into the soil, polluting it?
@@tmackjr8652 I wouldn’t soak the paint brush that much. Though like anything you want a surface under the workpiece as you’re working just in case.
Once it dries it doesn’t come off even with rain. I’d give it a week for it to fully dry.
🪣🪥
I brush my teeth with that stuff and I've never had a cavity
No teeth no cavities
Exactly. I was doing great till my hair fell out and head exploded. 🤯💨🧠
🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@andyh9382 🤣🤣🤣😘
Lol
I already knew about lightly charring the outside of the wood but I didn’t know about applying a few coats of tar/oil mixed with denatured alcohol. I can totally see how this added process not only protects it from water damage and rot but it also keeps the insects away especially termites. Thank you so much for the info! Take care!
Good but there is a better way
@@Mattlawton-ft6ewand that is?
@@Emiliapocalypse creosote 😁👍👍
My grand dad did his fence this way!! I know some of those boards are 40+ years old!!!
He used professional expensive waterproofing placco k-89. Just another useless clickbaiting UA-cam short.
@@suprememasteroftheuniverse What a rubbish comment. Ignore the person that is actually there, make a baseless statement about what was used. Ignore all evidence of the efficacy of the shown technique. Master of the universe my arse.
@@suprememasteroftheuniverse It's bitumen, there is nothing special or expensive about it...
We do this here in Europe too, even when it's not really legal & I don't like it too. But we got some buildings with studs & boards, that got finished like that, that are 600 years and older.
@@CRAVTBOARDwould they know you did this once you painted over the wood?
Nice pollution tip. the USGS found. Runoff collected from pavement with coal-tar sealcoating was toxic to test organisms up to as much as 111 days after application
This is what I was thinking.
I forgot the number of gallons of ground water a quart of used motor oil contaminates. But I do know its mind blowing. We dont need more pollution, agreed!
The linseed combos seem much better imho.
I guess the toxicity is what makes it insect deterrent? 😅
I guess just keep it away from places where it would leach into the soil. If these are painted afterwards, would that help reduce the tar chemicals leaching out?
@@jasonjaeger7216 It depends where you put it. If you just pour a quart of oil on the ground in a place with soil that stuff grows in, the microbes in the soil will eat it long before it gets to the water. If you pour it directly into a well, you could cause some issues though.
Spoeraert coal tar and Nything from the ground is ok for planet earth WHO PRODUCED IT 🤔
You're supposed to use this on the 112th day after application.
It's called creosote. Been used for hundreds of years.
He named the technique
... Shou Sugi Ban.
Here I thought creosote was a build up of wood tar. Damn I guess I dumb.
@@PhullyNo1 it is, but it's also the binder that keeps the cellulose fibers together. Sticky softwoods, like pine, produce a lot of creosote when burned, which is why it's not advised to burn it indoors
@@dickbutt7854 good to know, thanks!
@@dickbutt7854 creosote used to be used for railroad ties and telephones poles. And wood that was going to get wet or underground. It was mostly made from coal tar. You could buy it by the gallon at the hardware store. It was outlawed years ago , cancerous. But yes what's in your chimney is creosote from the burning of wood. Just charring wood will help make it water and bug resistant.
This treatment is very common on wooden buildings in Japan. Thank you for finally allowing me to understand what the process is.
They do this process?!
@@luisapaza317 yes, it's called yaki sugi, literally "burnt cedar". It's used on siding for buildings because the wood can no longer rot. You add oil and it becomes a durable material.
@@fletchro789 lol cedar is already durable material. It’s rot resistant and immune to fungal and insects…if your doing this method on cedar, it’s for looks..
@@Itsreallymarcus No, it's not, because cedar alone will STILL get pests, not be as weather resistant and rot faster.
Please tell us more shit you don't know.
The char reduces the weathering and rot effects by magnitudes and the added protection for pests is anything but purely cosmetic.
Most don't even use a tar coating on the outsides. I've build hundreds of yards of siding and framing and I've only had three clients ever ask for a tar. This is japanese natives.
It's function married with beauty.
Try it with yourself sometime.
@@Itsreallymarcus resistance to rot and lasting for hundreds of years are a
little different.
Isn't this what they used to do to telephone polls to keep them from rotting?
Absolutely. Some places they still do
I think so I remember seeing this some where but now where I live they switched to concrete poles which after hurricanes there's still snapped poles I think they should just run it underground
Oh and the wood for the train tracks?
Yeah and it itches like crazy when you rub agents it.if same stuff
Not just telephone poles, but electrical utility poles as well!
Can’t put that in your house or anything. Thats only really used on old bridges and railroads.
And telephone poles
And fences & barns...
And foundations too my first home had a treated lumber foundation we raised 3 kids there numerous grandkids for 31 years and in what has been the "World's worst weather by the Chief Pilot of Penair in a letter to the FAA arguing for a ILS for the airport
The stink never goes away.
The bottom of porch and deck posts
I do a variation of this on the canes that I make. After I've carved and medium sanded the wood, I char it lightly, fine sand it, and then seal it with Danish rubbing oils or Teak/Tung oils. It makes the wood much, much harder and almost impervious to moisture and temperature extremes.
Would this be good for garden beds?
@@jksattethat’s a great idea. I wonder if any of the chemicals would affect the plants
If you want a more environmentally safer finish, you could use plain old linseed oil. Same durability without leeching petroleum products eventually
Petroleum is naturally in the ground and every one is worried about it going back there lol 😂 I get the short term in the water table but this is such a small amount over a long period of time.everything causes cancer just ask California…..
Petroleum comes from the environment. Biggest scam ever told
@@thomastonnessen8056 Petroleum products are toxic af, wtf are you talking about lol
Poison ivy comes from plants, so why don't you go throw some in a salad?
@@bricknolty5478 they are also 100% natural
I’m immune to poison Ive and Oak and poison sumac. So try again
In addition to the surface treatment, the angled cut on top of the post helps to shed water vs letting it sit on top and soak in.
If you don’t have access to the product shown here, but have trees that produce fat wood growing nearby, you can make pine tar/pitch and if you capture the steam and condense it that becomes turpentine.
Thank you!!!
Agricultural lime also works very well for preservation and insect protection. It depends on use and climate. For water proofing and wet climates use tar. In dry climates, or with wood that doesn't need waterproofing, lime is sometimes preferable.
From what I know, even in ground as fence posts, heavy charing alone will keep bugs from eating it. But if you want, boiled linseed oil/turpentine, 2/3 to 1/3, works very well. Lin/terp is beautiful on unchared oak, even indoors after the terp evaps. I've been using it on homemade furniture for 30+yrs
Will this work on 6x6 built up in the ground for small retaining wall
What about on raised garden beds?
@@jksatte not sure about the turpentine but I seal all my wood for raised Beds with linseed oil. Works amazing plus no chemicals leeching into your soil
Olde and still a Goldie Carpenter right here. You young Bucks better watch out.
@@jessejames5924how frequently do you have to reseal it with linseed oil? And this is done on untreated wood which you apply the shou sugi ban method right?
This is how they use to build underground, root cellars and basements. It has a strong Oder for a while but it protects against water and insects, some of these root cellars are still in use today after 150 years or more
I hate that it doesn't let me save shorts to playlists! I hope I can find this one again.
Share \ Send it to yourself via message
You could still save it to your shorts.
Go to th channel where the short is listed like a normal vid.
Or get a UA-cam downloader and save your vids to your phone or computer
or write down: clean, char, coat twice in 50/50 tar/alcohol
I've also used transmission fluid . That coating will make that wood outlast anybody that watches this video .
Building fences, sheds or barns, this stuff works perfect for. He's doing a lot of extra work for nothing. You can use transmission fluid like you said, if you use the old transmission fluid it's even better. Motor oil works okay, but as far as transmission fluid goes and growing up on a farm and a ranch I've never seen anything work better than transmission fluid. Also, if you'll take a pressure washer and clean out from underneath your vehicle and spray transmission oil up underneath your vehicle and let it drip, you will never ever ever ever have rust. I got an old buddy of mine that lives out the road from where I grew up at in West Virginia and the dude can't even read or write, but he can listen to a vehicle and tell you what's wrong with it. He showed me about putting transmission oil up underneath vehicles and I laughed. Then I got the looking around his property and none of his vehicles have rust on them except face rest. He's got two old trucks, 1975 Chevrolet four-wheel drive and a 1977 F250 and neither one of them have rest on them at all underneath because he's put transmission oil on them ever since they were bought brand new in 1975 and 1977.
@@bigcountrymountainman9740 How often must it be reapplied? Also does this affect the wood's flammability?
Just transmission oil? Or you mix it with something else?
Transmission fluid dissolves pavement, mix them together and paint it on. The stuff in the road tar ain't going away for a while.
Bird screaming in the background is the star of the show
Sounds like a Blue Jay.
No idea. Though most likely not a Blue Jay coz they are not common here in South America
@@erikforseth1535 100% a blue jay
Actually learned this from my grandpa. I can approve this is extremely effective!
finally someone showing how to do it correctly! most folks just char not realizing they made it worse because they didnt lime wash or oil the wood after to seal it
You don't make it worse by charing. I did it to a cheap compost set made from slim boards of soft wood (probably pine), less than an inch thick. The compost sets were 80x80cm, so roughly 32x32 inches with interleaved boards.
Compost means constant moisture and rot next to the boards. The treated wood has been working as compost frame for 8 years now, and I'm going to move them to a different location now. >90% of the boards are still in perfect condition.
I did the same to boards used for a raised garden bed. Again, less than an inch thick and still going strong after 8 years. I didn't want any chemicals in either structure, as we eat what we grow.
@@brag0001 actually you do and I dont need a lesson with your gaslighting and exaggerations. some wood has oils inside that for a short time will make a barrier but then all at once it self destructs. Why do folks always argue? This already known. The burning in most cases was for pest control not rot. They ALWAYS treated the boards after a char and back in the day it was creosote. This is why no one really noticed and just thought it was char,
@@genghischuan4886 well, you can't argue with results. I could even explain to you why it's actually working, but you've already demonstrated that you don't want to learn anything, so, have fun ...
The tar is really not necessary. In Japan they seal it in with a kind of linseed oil
Lol, believe it or not you can use petroleum jelly like Vaseline or Aquaphor and mix it with water in a blender really really good and put it in a pump sprayer and do the same thing. You can also use mink oil
In Japan there are plenty of people who still burn plastic garbage and use the ash as fertilizer . . . But yeah linseed or mink oil.
@@ericryckman1559 doesn't matter what they do on their farmland. It is about the wood😅
Tar or oil.
Or
@@zbk3411 the problem with tar is that it's not all that healthy and or biodegradable.
Making wood last forever.....
Mother nature: hold my beer
Entropy: "you may slow me, but you cannot stop me"
This shit leeches into the ground water, it works like a champ but there is a reason they don't do it anymore , fun fact 1 qt of used motor oil will contaminate 1 cubic acre of soil ,average oil change on a car 5-5.5 qts
Oh no that’s depressing. So what is the safest way to dispose of used oil?
@@bari2883 Take it to just about any parts store & they'll take it for free
@@mikevickers4727 thanks.
Also extremely flammable in the event of a fire careful with its application
Not really. It's less likely to catch fire after this treatment
Borax also works well. The Japanese have been charring wood forever. In fact the digging of paleo Indian fire pit’s have been found with well preserved chunk’s of wood!
Transmission oil works good I personally know a fence that has lasted for 30 years without any problems or repainting but the oil is toxic and drips in rain
The thing is about that old type of lumber,termites hate it...thats why the old timers knew to use it... knowledge is power folks 😎👍
True. If I had to guess I would say that's either white oak or Red Oak or locust. Kind of looks like white oak.
@@bigcountrymountainman9740
All the old lumber you see here are Heartwood which you mostly never see any longer...
It is from the center of the tree which was saturated with natural oils And very hard that insects hate...
Homesteaders built cedar closet chest for their clothes for the same reason...👍😎
Old guy that gave me my first job had me treat a ton (actually several tons) of wood like this. Char, then mix some tar with diesel until it was good and liquid, then get to painting. Seeing this video made me remember the smell, clear as day!
Isn't this why they stopped allowing old railroad ties to be used in landscaping because it was so bad for the environment??
Charring a fence post , then standing it in a bucket of oil overnight , will repel underground termites for years. (They will eat a post in 6 moths here.)
Looks nice. I think linseed oil would be more eco-friendly then tar or motor oil
Tar is a natural resource
Eco friendly lol get off your phone
I just found some of the most beautiful rough cut oak you’ve ever seen. Found it at a campsite. They were gonna use it for firewood.
You can often find pallets that are made from oak. And sometimes you can find pallets made from "exotic" woods if they happen to come from another country. I once found a 3x8 pallet made from purple heart - a purple colored wood that is also a heavy hard wood. I think it comes from Africa.
But something like that is a lot more rare than finding oak pallets. Most pallets in the U.S. are either pine or oak and you'll know the difference when you pick them up, oak pallets are frigging heavy AF. 😂
Did you save them?
@@sandasturner9529 no, I burned them. 🙄
But you can’t use it to cook your marshmallows ?
You can do the same thing with used motor oil and diesel
Nicee!
Now to make the most goth looking indestructible cabin
Y'all know this is basically kreosoting the wood is what your doing
you know they stop making that because it caused cancer. Not sure where this will be used but hopefully this guy doesn’t have well water or he will be drinking this “ good stuff”
very soon!
@@buzzedalldrink9131 unless he has a bad well very close to the surface that's completely untrue which I've never seen, soils such as clay, hard pack, etc. Do not allow fluids to pass through, that's why you can have a septic system 200' from your well without any contamination
@@ryantracey8574 yeah sure Ryan the science guy , if you say so you are right, ground water never get contaminated you can drink all of it you want
@@buzzedalldrink9131 Creosote is still legally used in the US, but only on telephone poles and railroad cross ties.
@@buzzedalldrink9131 my first job was deep water injection well drilling, then I did smaller residential and monitoring wells, now I do underground pipe installations so I still deal with the different soil layers. Well contamination is usually from salter water or massive leaks that go undetected for a long time and when everyone's wells are running they pull thousands of gallons and you end up pulling in water from miles away over the course of time, it is not from you spilling something on the ground near your well because if your well is drilled to the correct depths which varies based on the ground materials it will take years and years for that contaminate to reach the water table and it will be naturally filtered by the ground. Fyi real world knowledge is way better than text book knowledge.
I sprayed a new wood fence with a 50/50 mix of old engine oil and parafin. That fence is still good after over 20 years with no other treatment
I learned to use a mixture of diesel and lindseed oil from an old farmer to preserve wood. The old timr New Englanders up north would paint their barns with it.
I think if a person is using linseed oil, they have to have perhaps a little more expertise. It seems to me that if it’s not used correctly, it may be prone to spontaneous combustion. Now, that could just be the rag that was used to wipe it down or something, but perhaps somebody with some experience with it could speak to that.
@@daphneraven6745 no lol. That’s rags and it’s from fumes. So it seems you are completely wrong lol
Great idea! I will try at my home...thanks for the example!
What happens if you use a vac bag over the wood before the coat dries? Wonder if you could further the protection of the tar as it would in theory help to pull it into the wood. Regardless this is the good good right here, bout to do it to the sections of my shed that need repair.
I think you mean pressurize the wood not vacuum it ? Pressure would push the oil in deeper while a vacuum would evaporate the VOCs before they can react with the wood fiber to turn into a resin.
Would some more environmentally friendly oil work just as well, i.e. linseed oil or something? (along with the charring)
Yes we actually started using linseed oil instead for some of the fence work and the fences look exactly like the day they went up
Gotta admit, that wood even looks good after treated!
My father used creosote on his fence posts before I was born and they are still standing today more than 60 yrs later.
And as always... Use gloves, eye protection, and be in a well ventilated area, creosote is a skin irritant and can cause respiratory issues... Long term exposure can cause skin and testicular cancer.
I and some other boys swam at a camp ground when I was a child on vacation. The poles on the dock were coated with creosote at the base. While swimming I got that on my hands many times climbing back on the dock clearing the water off my face each time. My eyes swelled up so bad I almost couldn't see. That was a learning experience that never happened again.
Sugi trees are from the cedar family. It’s not just the process of charring but which wood you use
Basically railroad ties without the extra elemental poisons.
Very nice but some of stuff causes some really. Ad sickness I love the video no obnoxious music or endless chatter. Thank you for posting
Pure pine tar cut with turpentine is best( in my opinion).1st coat should go on thinner for deeper penetration ( especially end grain).
I use the oil but not the other ingredients so that's very helpful 👏✅👌👍🙏💯➕
Creosote is a byproduct of burning anything really, but mostly wood. It’s a slimy tarry substance that can be mixed with water to make it brushable. This isn’t creosote, it’s legit just oil on wood. A lot of people just brush used oil on their trailers to make the boards last twice as long.
Very creative use an used oil with a reducer to make a stain it will keep termites, and weather off of it, it would last definitely very good sir. I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.
The birds in the background make me feel like I’m back home.
This is not shou sugi ban technique. The heavy charring (to the point of scaly texture) is what repels bugs and is even fire retardant. Shou sugi ban does not use petroleum products.
Yep. Penetration is aided if one can heat the wood ( or leather, or most items) AND the coating ( obviously not over an open flame) . Alow the wood to cool somewhat to allow "outgassing" to complete then apply not as hot coating. It will disappear into the wood. A problem with a simple tar and spirit mix is there is no "drying agent" . It will always be sticky and smell. A traditional finish in boat building is linseed oil and pine tar .
Linseed oil acts as a dryer ( to some extent) There is also a product called "Japan" dryer. Tung oil also works. Magnesium salt? Something.
About the same as creosote except without the heavy metals like arsenic. Works well but it can never be disposed of below ground due to leaching of chemicals.
There is a new method that strengthens your wood to be as strong as steel which is cool as it is. However if you used this technique on it after processing said wood then you would have an extremely beneficial product. The process goes as follows use an appropriate length of time in an acid dip for the wood to loosen the lignin and then you steam roll the wood to compress it into a strong block and then you clamp it between two pieces of steel until it keeps its shape. If it’s done right then the wood should turn a dark colour and the piece of wood should be extremely hard to break. Then I would just use your method to seal the wood to create a material that is not only as strong as steel but also just as durable and even more so since it can’t rust.
It is a combination of both Yakisugi and Creosote, in 18th Century Japan as a way to treat Cedar cladding and make it weatherproof. The use of Creosote to treat wood prod- ucts first occurred in 1717 in England. Dr. William Crook's patented process used creo- sote to protect ships' wood planking from decay and worms.
Good stuff for fire.
Hey you got dust in my eyes. 😬
That's how they used to preserve wood in the old world.. there's so many things from the old world that were made to last pretty much forever and I don't know why we shifted as a society to disposable everything..
rubbing alcohol should work to correct? since denatured just has added chemicals so you cant consume it (according to google)
I was planning to make few wooden planters for outdoor garden. But it will be in constant contact with water and moisture. In outdoor environmental conditions sich as rain wood will damage easily. So i was in search for a solution. Here i find it. If we use the mentioned material to give a complete cover, Will the wooden article last for years in outdoor?
Remember not to lean on it. Another alternate for termite protection is to soak the wood with Boric Acid Powder solution. It’s not an acid that will burn, I don’t know why they call it an acid.
Boric Acid and Borax make good treatment for Bamboo I hear
Boiled linseed oil protects at the cellular level
Lol - whatever that means.
Excellent rendition of ancient technology
Great to see someone salvaging and re using wood... and planning on it being around for a long time .... awesome 👌
I like linseed and mineral spirits too, 8m sure this will kick linseed oils ass in the long run...for all those who question it
Many "old timers" would just use their used motor oil and I've seen many wood deck trailers with many many gallons of oil in the boards that would last decades. This probably works well too. Any oil based protectant obviously keeps the water out and bugs from eating away at it.
Thanks for the info.
Very interesting, but how does it fare against UV and salty/coastal environments?
Like others in the comment section said we refer to this technique as, "creosote". In South Louisiana it has become a necessity when building on the water. But do not get that stuff on your skin or you will regret it.
How is that stuff, or any other stuff, going to penetrate the wood if you don't sand or cut through that tarnished surface?
This will protect fer sher. Just wandering if the burning will keep the oil from penetrating into the pores? Being it's oak it ain't gonna penetrate very deep anyway. But does the Japanese treatment allow oils to get in??? I know the burning works well , and surely not putting this down. But oiling after , is it more of a coating after the burning? I have a ramp that was made from rough sawn pine. Every year or every other year I soak it in oil. The bottom board that touches the ground is starting to show softness on the bottom side now. But the rest is still super solid. When I replace the bottom board I'll do it the same way you just did , and continue to keep it oiled. Someone who is more versed please chime in on does the oil actually penetrate after it's been scorched. Maybe should we soak it first , then burn it , so the oil gets in deeper , then keep it oiled after the burning??????
No ppl like putting oil and oil based stain on burnt wood.
Thanks
never thought of charing the surface first, but i can definitely see how that would help.
Is the wood paintable after it’s burned? I would leave the black to show but I’m just curious.
This could make it more flammable.
That tar coating will evaporate when hot and in sun. It will last about 5-7 years and then water will contact wood fibers and fungus will rot wood.
Can I paint over it? Do I just paint straight, no additional sanding needed?
We use creosote in the uk 👍🏻
THANK YOU! 😆
I brushed my teeth with that stuff and never had a termite
Yessir, nearly the same method Noah used for the ark😎
“Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat-lower, middle, and upper.
Genesis 6:14-16
You would ideally want to use proper crude. The sulphur content plays a huge role.
For providing better look/colour can we layer this with other paint?
Can you paint over the tar once it's dried? Or are you just sorta stuck with that color?
What is the name of the substance you put on the wood oil to make it soft for greasing?
Having a migraine just looking at the tar.
can this be done to already aged wood or mildly deteriorated wood?
It's always a good idea to ensure your wood is as flammable as possible and can never be extinguished once ignited.
For all type of wood is good, and can use used motor oil too for coat the wood, but there's some type of wood that if get in touch with water, it began to crystalize and turned into a crystal (after a long time)
Just burning it give a measure of longevity😎
can you also use gasoline or diesel for thinning?
Is it necessay to char the wood first?
The palisades around my moat are gonna look freaking awesome !!
I am extracting pine tar from fat lighter. Do you think that Denatured alcohol or mineral spirits could have the same effect as it did with your tar?
I’d stay away from Tar and use Oil instead. Easier to add any solvent and keeps the environment happy. I have used Turpentine, Denatured Alcohol and Mineral Spirits and all worked equally well for me.
As always, test it out on a small piece and see how you like it.
Best of luck!
Can this be combined with borax? Like brush the borax solution into the wood until it's saturated and then when dry, do this technique?
I use a mix of Borax and Boric acid on Bamboo. Haven’t tried it on any other wood
That wood will survive anybody who preserved it
Brilliant. I’ve never seen this but of course
Flammable as hell!
So is wood...
It is great, but carcinogenic af! Don't grow food near these boards or build them into living structures. Train trestles, wooden bridges, and telephone poles use this technique. Also, polyurethane does a pretty decent job. It's nice to see a demo of the method though 👍