Hey guys,
I am the original author of that blog post. Glad to see the blog post may have inspired some people.
The work on the junipers in the blog post was done on May 26 and I can tell you that both trees are still doing very well. We are late winter here in Australia, and the runners on both trees have started to extend. I think the biggest thing with keeping junipers alive after major work is adequate after care. I always put them out of direct sun for at least 2-3 weeks after work like this, and usually in a spot with higher humidity. I also try not to over-water them. If they are out of direct sun they shouldn't need much water anyway.
I have attached some photos of the two junipers as of today.
On a different note, I use a similar method with Japanese Black Pine also:
http://www.tinytrident.com/articles/bonsai/new-ttb-video-to-see-on-youtube/
http://www.tinytrident.com/uncategorized/twisted-young-japanese-black-pine/
Although some people maintain that raffia is not required for young pines, when I have done severe wiring before without it, the bark has separated from the wood and killed the tree. So for me it is precautionary.