amateur wood burning gear

Top 3 Wood Burning Tricks Every Beginner Should Master

When most beginners start wood burning projects, they often have no clue how to get things right. This happens to everyone who holds a Pyrography pen for the first time in their life. As a beginner, though, there are always tips and tricks that you can use to get the most out of your wood burning experience.

According to Positively Splendid, the first rule of thumb is to make sure you invest in the best Pyrography tools. And at Pyrography Pros, we can’t stress on the same enough.

Invest in the Best Tools

A good wood burning tool is one that is lightweight and easy to hold. This tool is ideal for wood burning letters and designs, as it is easy to hold and manipulate. It comes with several nice tips to use in projects: a chisel tip (my personal favorite), a cone-shaped tip, a rounded tip, and a teardrop-shaped tip. Wood burning for beginners is so much easier with the proper tool on hand!

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If you invest in the right tool, developing your wood burning skills should be easy enough. Whether you are in this to create personalized projects or for the professional part of it, it will be a must that you choose the best tools.

Perhaps one of the common mistakes that many wood burning beginners make is failing to keep their tools clean. As advised by Pyrography Online, keeping your tools clean is an integral part that makes Pyrography what it is.

Keep Your Tools Clean

Keep the tip of your woodburner as clean as possible. As you work, carbon builds up on the tip, causing even light, smooth burn strokes to become black. Clean your tip often using the manufacturer’s recommended method.

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You want to make sure your Pyrography tools are clean so they can last for a very long time before you can think of replacing them with a new set.

The guys at Wood Working Talk suggests that you must mind the heat of your tools. After all you are burning with fire.

Mind the Heat of the Tools

Woodburning pens get hot, so you need to watch out for burns and heat-related damage. Never touch the pen anywhere other than the grip surface until it has completely cooled down. If you need to remove or otherwise touch a hot burning tip, use a small pair of pliers to do so. If you’re changing tips, insert the new tip with pliers as well since it may heat up quickly. You can place hot tips in heat-resistant glass, ceramic or metal bowls while they cool.

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You need to be careful not to touch the tool anywhere else beyond the gripping point. The last thing you want happening it accidents caused by heat.

Conclusion

With these tips, and a lot more others published on this blog, it should be easy to get started in burning with fire. Also, it should be easy for you to come up with solid ideas so you can design high quality patterns on your own – beyond the basics.

Pyrography Kits For Beginners

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Starting out a hobby can be a bit daunting as you’re trying to figure out what to buy and the total amount you’re spending keeps climbing steadily higher. Don’t be overwhelmed; it may seem complicated at first but it just takes a little time and you’ll be away!

Having a clear idea of what you’ll need to start doing pyrography will definitely help, as will understanding what to spend more money on in order to get more use of it.

Where Do I Start?

To get yourself underway you’ll need a tool and some tips, some wood to burn, something to learn from (like a book or DVD) and a few bits and pieces to make the process smoother.

Your First Tools

Every pyrographer has their tools. You don’t need anything flashy or expensive to start you off if you’re not yet willing to sink money into your newfound hobby, but you will need something to get you going.

Try a wire-nib or solid-point burner; both can be easily used by beginners and are great for learning.

Wire-nib burners have interchange nibs and adjustable temperatures, whereas solid-point burners have a set nib and temperature.

Some Wood You Can Burn

What wood you burn may be dependant on what you have at hand or what you can easily obtain, but whatever you choose to burn must be untreated. Some chemicals used to treat wood can be toxic when burnt and you could make yourself sick.

All wood is either hardwood or softwood. Softwood burns faster and doesn’t need as high temperatures to burn as hardwood.

You can buy pyrography blanks online, which are pieces of wood or plywood specifically produced for pyrography. They come in all shapes and sizes so you can get whatever you need for your project.

Something To Learn From

There are a huge amount of resources available to aspiring pyrographers, from books and DVDs to instructional YouTube videos and websites. If you look around in the area where you live, it’s possible you’ll find that someone runs a pyrography workshop or tutorial course.

No matter how you learn best, whether from reading, hearing, or doing, you can get the resources you need to start you off.

Those Few Other Bits And Pieces

Depending on what type of burner you’re using, there are a few extras you’ll need. But regardless of what tool you choose, safety equipment is a necessity.

The smoke from woodburning can be unsafe to inhale even if you’re using untreated wood, so get yourself either a fan to blow it away as you go or a face-mask you can wear to protect yourself.

If you’re using a burner with interchangeable nibs, you’ll want a tip-puller – basically a handy pair of tongs that will help you easily remove the nibs on your pen.

Some stencils for your designs and some cleaning gear, like tip cleaning pads, are also recommended to get you started. They’re inexpensive and will make it easier for you.

Now You Know What You Need…

…it’s an easy step to get yourself going. There are lots of places online that sell all the pyrography tools, and there are also complete pyrography starter kits available that will set you off with a book/DVD set and some tools.

Where you go after that is entirely up to you.