Summary

I love thrifting, I love up cycling, and I love nerdy things, so I combined a lot of my loves here. This started life as a 3 dollar wooden sign that had some silly message about hope or something like that. I took the top colored layer of wood and paint off with a detail sander with 80 grit paper to a smooth surface. I then coated the wood in a solution of hot water and borax, which lets you burn much faster and getting that dark inky black. I sat back and thought about what I wanted to burn, and I decided I wanted a really high quality image of the Doors of Durin, the gates to the Mines of Moria from Lord of the Rings. From Elvish, it asks the riddle to "Speak, Friend, and Enter". I think it's a very friendly message to anyone who knows the meaning. (The Riddle's answer is the Elvish word for friend, Mellon.)