To select a professional pyrography kit, it pays to review what pyrography is. Pyrography is a precise burning process that allows you to express a design on wood, gourds, clay, and leather. Precision and comfort are where you begin before you move to the next elements.
In the past, this type of art was used in branding and decorating musical instruments. Modern equipment used in typography includes wire-nib burners, solid-point burners, and laser cutters.
Professional Wood Burning Kit: Tools to Use
You’ll need tools to get started:
- Interchangeable points
- Comfort grip
- Temperature control
- Pencil
- Tape or stickers
- Transfer paper
- Scissors
- Accessories – stencils (for letters), tips (for soldering) and water-based wood stains.
- Steps
The process is easy to do and consists only of a few steps. The part where you can actually apply your artistic skills is the part where you actually do the burning.
- Prepare your pattern. You can get one from the internet. Download and print it. Alternatively, you can use any of your handmade images as a pattern.
Use your word processing program for font options and special symbols. This is your chance to include a lot of self-expression in the pattern.
- In between the wood and the pattern, insert transfer paper. Cut the edges using scissors. Make sure that the pattern is placed in the desired position on the wood. Tape the pattern down.
- Using a pencil, trace the image/pattern. A ballpoint may also be used for this purpose.
- With the image already transferred to the wood, begin burning!
Free wood burning patterns are available online and there are eBooks dedicated to providing hobbyists unique and catchy patterns. These are great resources. Some websites separate patterns under different categories such as wildlife, pottery, nature, etc.
Choosing Your Burning Tips
A professional wood burning kit comes with a tool that looks like a pen. You need to plug it into an electrical outlet. Check the tips and the safety guides included in the kit. For pen tips, here are options you can use.
- Shading Tip – Use this tip to create teardrop shapes. It is also good for creating dark or light shades.
- Branding Tip – Apply vertical strokes when using this tip. This is the one to use when you want to come up with star-in-circle images.
- Dot Tip – This is for creating holes and fine dots. When creating holes, push it down a little bit harder.
- Universal Tip – This one is for tracing lines. You can draw lines with different thickness from different angle approaches.
- Branding Tip 2 – This is what you use for making striped circles. When used with a 90-degree approach, it can create crisscross patterns.
- Groove Tip – For creating deeper grooves.
- Branding Tip 3 – This can be used for creating a lattice look. Make small squares and diamond shapes in circular patterns.
Important Tips
Think of the following:
- There are woods that are easier to burn like pine and aspen. They are called softwoods. Look for something that has low grain content.
- Use pliers to remove hot tips after use.
- Sometimes, the best temperature for burning is the maximum setting. You experiment on that possibility for your projects.
Get the best pyrography pen for your projects. Some offerings come with temperature control dials, while others have the advantage of being able to operate consistently for longer hours.
