Attempting my first wood burning project.
Pyrography, also referred to as wood burning, is the creative process of burning a design onto a wooden surface. I happened to have a wood plaque and wood burning kit I finally decided to use for the first time.
Supplies and Stuff
These are the items I used for my first attempt at pyrography:
Wood plaque. I got a 5"x7" baltic birch rectangle plaque from Walmart. The website shows it's available for $2.39 USD, but I got it on sale for a cheaper price.
Wood burning kit. Last year, my Dad gifted me a Weller Corded Wood Burning Iron Kit from Ace Hardware. The website shows it's available for $19.99 USD.
Pencil, eraser, and ruler. I attempted to draft my design with pencil and plan the spacing and height of the text with the help of a ruler. The eraser removed pencil marks when I no longer needed it.
Face mask. The burning wood released a fume that I couldn't tolerate without wearing a face mask.
Heat resistant gloves. I found it helpful in handling the iron for a longer period.
Jar lid. The included "Project Book" suggested using a heat resistant dish of sorts to place hot tips as they cooled. I happened to have a jar lid nearby and used it to place hot tips.
Needle nose pliers. The "Project Book" also suggested using needle nose pliers for removing hot tips off the iron. I used the needle nose pliers to remove hot tips and attach a new tip when I chose not to unplug the iron.
Watercolor markers and paintbrush. I used watercolor markers and a water brush to add color to the wood.
Wood Burning Kit Package and Contents
I was excited to finally take the box out of storage and use the kit. I've devoted the year 2020 to trying new things, and I was ready to attempt pyrography for the first time.
The box contents included:
1 plastic carrying case
1 short-barrel wood burning iron
1 iron stand
9 tips
1 "Project Book"
7 sheets of designs
I found myself referencing the "Project Book" frequently. It provided decent descriptions of the tips and their uses. It also provided information on how long it may take for the iron to heat up, how to remove hot tips, and how to clean the tips.
The following tips were included:
Universal tip
Dot tip
Groove tip
Calligraphy tip
Shading tip
Branding tip
Stencil cutting tip
Pattern transfer tip
Knife tip (with blade chuck)
The designs included were a nice addition to the kit. I already had a design in mind for this first attempt, so I'll try using the included design sheets in future projects.
The Design
If I knew sooner that the kit included design sheets, I would've used one of the designs for my first attempt. However, I didn't know the sheets were included and sketched a few design ideas in my sketchbook.
I thought a decorative wall mounted plaque for hanging my car keys was a neat idea for my first project. After searching for inspiration online, I decided to also practice my typography skills (which I later learned is non-existent) by burning the quote "Below is the key to the start of a new journey."
I'm not an expert at typography. In fact, I'm awful at implementing text into designs. Yet, I thought a text-based design would be a simple subject for my first pyrography attempt in addition to practicing typography.
I recently got a t-ruler and thought it'd be the best way to layout my text placement. As you'll see later in this post, using the ruler didn't help me much. I still messed up the spacing of the letter, though.
After I drafted my design on the wood plaque, I plugged in the wood burning iron. The "Project Book" suggested giving the iron about four minutes to heat up. Initially it took longer, probably about ten minutes to heat up. However, it would take about four minutes after my first time plugging in the iron.
Initial Test
I used the back of the wood plaque to practice using a few of the tips. The "Project Book" suggests "practice pulling the point toward you instead of pushing it away." It also suggests varying "the appearance of the pattern by the amount of time you leave on the surface and by the pressure applied to the tip."
I specifically practiced varying the speed I dragged the tip on the wood to create different marks. Many YouTube videos I watched prior to attempting this suggested going slow. In practice, the suggestions worked.
The first thing I did in practice was burn a simple heart shape. The fumes were too much for me to handle. I grabbed a nearby face mask to wear while I used the iron.
My First and Only Attempt
Before I started burning on the front side of the plaque, I decided to wear a heat resistant glove. The barrel of the iron was too warm for comfort. I worried about burning my fingers and palm with extended use. I wanted to use the glove for my own comfort and peace of mind.
I knew going into this project that the design wouldn't be perfect. My goal was to try using a few tips. I started with the universal tip for most of the text. The "Project Book" suggested this tip as a multi-function tip. I thought it'd be perfect for a beginner.
Unfortunately, I struggled to burn the curved part of several letters on the plaque with ease and consistency. Again, this was my first attempt and I'm sure I just did it wrong. Perhaps I held the iron and tip at the wrong angle. Maybe I didn't apply the right amount of pressure when it came to curved marks.
I also wondered if I should've sanded the plaque to achieve a smoother surface to work with. There were times when the tip followed the wood grain opposed to going where I wanted it to go. I'll try sanding the wood next time I attempt pyrography.
Once I started burning the design I wanted, I'd forget to go slow and move the iron across the plaque as I would with a regular pen or pencil. When I moved the iron a bit quickly, I'd have to go over the lines again because it didn't burn well the first time around.
Alternatively, there were times I moved the iron too slowly. In these cases, it didn't appear to matter how much pressure I applied the tip to the plaque. Scorch marks showed in various areas where I consciously tried to work slowly.
I switched to the calligraphy tip for the words "key" and "journey." Again, I encountered problems where there were no burn marks when I didn't move slow enough. It also didn't help that I'm new to brush lettering and calligraphy. I'm sure I did a lot of things wrong in this project.
My biggest challenge with using the calligraphy tip was not creating a burn mark for the thin upstrokes that make up brush lettering or calligraphy. I decided to switch to the groove tip to fill-in the areas I missed.
I found the groove tip to be the easiest to work with. It didn't slip and follow the wood grain. I thought it was easier to burn the curved marks much easier than the previous tips I used. I used this tip to fill-in the lighter areas of calligraphy tip markings. I think this will be my go-to tip for future projects as I'm learning this craft.
Adding A Little Color
I wanted to experiment with adding color to the wood plaque. I applied my watercolor markers directly to the wood and added water using my water brush right on top. This wood plaque seemed like a great surface for a full watercolor painting. The wood absorbed a lot of water.
I chose blue, green, yellow, and black colors to match the acrylic pour light switch plates I did weeks ago. I mounted this plaque onto the wall between two customized light plate switches consisting of those same colors.
After I hung the plaque, I then realized my typography and spacing were off. The text didn't appear balanced because of excess empty space to the right of the "y" in the word "key." I attempted to create balance by stamping a small hot air balloon in the empty space. In retrospect, I probably should've burned the hot air balloon image onto the wood, but I think this plaque will be replaced soon anyway.
My Thoughts
The finished product wasn't bad for my first time attempting pyrography. Will I keep this on the wall? No. Typography isn't my strong suit, and it shows. Therefore, I decided to not stain or apply a sealant to protect the design.
However, I do intend to try pyrography again. I have an oval wood plaque that's ready to have a design added to it. I just need to decide if I want to redo this design specifically for hanging my car keys or something different.
What's Next?
They say, "practice makes perfect," and that's what I'll need to do to improve my pyrography skills. I still have a lot to learn about this craft. I'll certainly do this again in the future.
What was your first pyrography experience like? If you haven't tried it yet, is this something you're interested in? Login and Sign up to share your experiences, lessons learned, or concerns with pyrography.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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