This Curly figured Carbonized/Roasted Maple was off cut stock from material used by famous electric guitar manufacturers. Really stunning color and figure. The process involves gradually heating the wood up to temperatures of greater than 160 degrees Celsius in special heat chambers made of stainless steel under anoxic conditions. The heat removes organic compounds from the wood cells, changing both the physical and chemical make-up of the wood. The process is natural and chemical free. It darkens the wood to a beautiful rich chocolatey brown color whilst still showing the gorgeous grain and figure of the underlying wood. The thermally modified wood is more dimensionally stable, but the process does reduce bending strength and make the wood a little more brittle.