This was an extremely fun experiment in how to achieve a caramel finish on CNC cut wood.
You will need:
sheet of wood (think ash, oak, ply, anything that does not contain composite plastic)
CNC cutter
SVG ready design
small blowtorch
washing up liquid
access to water
flame proof mat/ floor
CNC cutter machine (images from Canva.com)
How to:
Choose a wood that can be CNC cut and will scorch well, for this I used ash plywood (5mm thick)
Position your SVG design, set up the CNC machine and cut. I chose a depth of 1.5mm for this piece
Wash off (if needed) and allow to dry thoroughly
Prepare a heat & flame proof area to scorch in. I use a heat proof mat in concrete floor
The same technique used to remove bubbles from resin can be used here to scorch the wood (images from Canva.com)
Get a blow torch ready, my go to is a small culinary blowtorch I purchased to get bubbles out of epoxy resin
Make sure the blowtorch has gas. Turn it on to the side of the piece to avoid the intense circle (or go for it if you like it!)
Evenly wave the blow torch over the wood until it turns dark.
Allow to cool off then wash off carbon using gentle detergent.
Dry and admire
Let me know how you get on with the process! I love to hear from you.
SVG file in Beam Studio and the final scorched CNC cut (images from Charlie Kirkham)
REFERENCE LINKS
STEAMhouse CNC Production Space STEAMhouse – Welcome to our innovation centre in Birmingham!
I purchased my wood from here Plywood – Laser Grade – Kitronik Ltd
Beam Studio for SVG files Beam Studio – FLUX | Bring Your Designs to Life (flux3dp.com)
Taylor & Brown culinary blow torch (I used this but there are many options out there) https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Heat Proof Mat – mine I got from the Range many years back so there’s no longer a link to it. When I work with the blowtorch or heat I use a heat mat on top of a bare concrete floor to be extra careful.
Images from Canva.com