Burn & Brush Texture

You will need:

An Oxy-Acetylene rig (one tank Oxygen and the other Acetylene gas connected to a wand)

Flint Striker

Bottle of water to extinguish flames

Fresh soft pine

Wood glue

Drywall screws

Wooden Buttons

Wire Brush

Dish Soap &Water with rag

Clear coat finish

Off white paint

Whilst building a project that is about to be burnt and brushed keep two things in mind: 1. No chemicals. No bondo, no spackle or any other gap fillers. Also stick to simple wood glue adhesive. You do not want fumes coming off of your project. Therefore, Build it perfect. 2. Use clean, soft wood. I used fresh pine. Do not try this with masonite, plywood, MDF or any other wood which contains adhesives.

Once your project is assembled be sure to cap off the hardware with wood buttons. Let dry. Prepare your acetylene tank by checking the pressures of your gas and oxygen. Make sure you have enough in the tanks to complete your project. Also double check the hose making sure it is free of leaks. Set aside a water bottle to extinguish flames if needed.

Prepare yourself safely. Wear heat rated gloves and durable, non flammable clothes. Your clothing will get stained with soot so wear work clothes. Cover your hair with a cap of some sort or pull it back. Wear tinted safety goggles, the kind rated at least #5 for torching or a welding shield will work. 

You should have two hoses connected to the wand one red and one green.Turn on the gas first use a flint striker to light the torch. Then add the oxygen.  Turn up the oxygen until the wand turns from flames to small, visible blue cones, like the picture below.

Wave the wand lightly over the wood. It will turn crispy black, this is ok! Small fires will start and most likely put themselves out, but if there is extensive burning in one area, extinguish it.

Burning shit is fun!

Next take your wire brush and brush off the entire project clearing off the charred ashy areas. The softer wood which burned, will lift off the stronger wood. The younger wood from the tree is what has burned off the surface.

Wash your project with dish soap and water. This helps seal in the soot while removing excess ash. Let dry.  

Take a clear coat finish and mix it with about a teaspoon of off white paint. Apply it to your entire project as a protective seal. Keep a dry brush handy to remove excess paint. Your texture may get cloudy if you do not do this.

In the photo above I added a sheet of masonite after the burn and brush was complete. I painted it to match the texture. Below is the final picture with set dressings, which in this case was food.