Best products from r/Pyrography

Warning: large list of Amazon links incoming!

Note: these are all pieces that I have bought.

Wood Plaque 3.5x5.5 Assorted 6 Styles in Pack - I love these. I use them to make fridge magnets and they're awesome.

Darice 9179-63 Wooden Assorted Plaque, 7-Inch - x 6 PC - Pretty much the same as the first ones, but they're bigger. I haven't burned any of these yet, just got the order yesterday.

Darice 9179-67 Wooden Plaque Fancy Rectangle, 12-Inch - Haven't burned this one yet either but I got it earlier this week and it looks nice.

Darice 9176-29 Wood Rectangle Plaque

Franklin Brass 64631 Wood Scalloped Double Toggle Switch Wall Plate / Switch Plate / Cover, Unfinished

Kitchen Wooden Spoons Mixing Baking Serving Utensils Craft Puppets 10 inch - Set of 12 ROUNDSQUARE - These are amazing. Put a couple swirl patterns on one and the ladies love it! :) Food-safe too, as long as you don't treat it.

Woodpeckers® Wood Door Knob Hanger, Ready to Finish (Pack of 12) - OK quality, super easy to burn and a good gift for younger kids.

Fuhaieec 10pcs 3.5"-4" Unfinished Natural Wood Slices Circles with Tree Bark Log Discs for DIY Craft Rustic Wedding Ornaments - Really nice looking but extremely hard to burn evenly. Good for coasters.

Brainerd 64673 Wood Square Single Toggle Switch Wall Plate / Switch Plate / Cover, Unfinished

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Hi there. If you're looking for a craft, woodburning can be a lot of fun!

I'd recommend picking up a basic woodburning tool at your local craft store or online and give it a try. Most come with some instructions/ideas and a variety of different tips to use. A popular one (which I enjoyed using) is the Versa Tool by Walnut Hollow, since it's inexpensive and you can adjust the temperature. They make an even cheaper one-temp model but if you want to practice shading and such the temperature control is really nice for a few extra bucks.

Other than that, you really just need some wood and you're ready to get started! The craft store will likely have wooden plaques and shapes as well, usually pine or basswood which are easy to burn. But if you just want to practice, any wood will do. I get scraps from local carpenters or lumber yards; driftwood can be fun too. Just be careful you aren't burning wood that's been coated or chemically treated, as you'll breathe in some unhealthy fumes. Just regular smoke from burning can be a nuisance but usually more so when burning larger pieces/burning for long periods of time. So although it may not be necessary for a beginner, down the road I would recommend getting a fan if this becomes an issue.

As for stenciling, I personally use graphite paper to trace designs onto the wood (you'll also find this at the craft store). Carbon paper is a similar option but I find it a bit messier/hard to remove if I've made a mistake. All you do is draw or print off the image that you want to burn. Then you lay the graphite paper (black side down) onto the wood, lay your image on top (I recommend taping to keep it in place), and lightly trace over it. Once you are finished and pull up the papers, the graphite will have transferred onto the wood where you traced and now you have your outline to burn over.

I hope that made sense! I find seeing a visual can often help, so some Youtube tutorials may be a good place to start to learn the basics. There are tons of resources online, and quite a few books on how to do different techniques/use different tips if that's more your style. Or just find some old scrap wood and experiment.

Have fun!

I started with the walnut hollow very simple

Then I upgraded to a TRUArt Stage 2 Single Pen Professional Woodburning Detailer 60W Tool with Digital Temperature Control, and it changed my world!! The professional tools with wire tips are more expensive but much more comfortable to work with and capable of so much more!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06Y5DHJMV/ref=pd_aw_sbs_201_of_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=RTEJKWFEYEWBXDVEFM9R

I also just recently invested in a razertip with the interchangeable pen, honestly I thought it would be much better than my truArt but I’ve really only found it to be better in terms of detailing, I will say it is more comfortable and the grip is much more like a pencil, based on what it sounds like you’re looking for I think it would be a good fit. Check out https://www.woodcraft.com/store_locations, they sell razertip pens/units in their stores and have locations in the US - you could head to a store and hold/get a feel for the pen.

Thank you! I definitely think you should give it a shot. From what I see so far on this subreddit, I use a different tool than most. https://www.amazon.com/Walnut-Hollow-Versa-Temp-Temperature-Woodburning/dp/B005P1TRAS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466045184&sr=8-3&keywords=wood+burning , but I really like it.

I'd say that I'm somewhat artistically inclined, but in that I like to be creative. I wouldn't say I can freehand well, aside from stick figures. I use carbon paper to help me transfer images.

The tricky part is more in your steady hand and eye for shading than in your artistic ability, I think! I mainly use three tips: one that looks like a pencil, one that's a tinier pencil tip, and one that looks like a leaf (I use that one for the shading and the others for outlining). That's it!

I've been doing this for maybe a year now, and still learning techniques. Give it a shot!

From what I've seen for beginners it's good to start with a Walnut hollow. You can find one at hobby lobby or Michael's for like $20. I did that for the first week or so but got hooked. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XK8R4HR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_VM7sDb6KXDGHN
This is the one I have. Its a good in between. I'm working on saving for a Razortip or Colwood. Good luck burning! Be sure to post stuff. People here have some really great pointers how to improve.

I just did this floor plan on a box lid and yeah straight lines suck.

First, I would suggest drawing everything in pencil with a ruler. I always do this - not sure if others do or not.

Second, there are two ways you can do the lines. Free hand can work if you take your time, but it's always going to give you a little waviness unless you're very good. The other way is to get a steel ruler with a cork backing (something like this). Set that right next to your pencil line and you have a guide for your burner to run along.

Practice!

What burner are you using? I just use the Walnut hollow Versa Tool which isn't too elaborate or expensive, but the rheostat for the temperature can help a lot. I think /u/smolderingdesigns uses the same tool, and she does way better work than me. There are much nicer tools out there, but I wouldn't say they're a requirement to do good work.

I highly recommend This Book as it will answer all of your questions in great detail. It has a whole section showing different textures and techniques you can do with the different tips. It has a section covering some wood recommendations.

I have the razertip too! Personally I find myself using the writing tip for most drawing/lettering, but I also like the small skew and the small chisel. If you are struggling, try turning the temperature down a bit. Also practice the gradual landing and takeoff so you don't get blobs at the end of your lines. For lettering stuff, I like to print the words out in a nice font, use graphite paper to trace onto the wood, and then burn over that. Makes it pretty easy to get great letters.

Basswood is a very common and inexpensive wood to burn on. If you can get your hands on some canary wood, it is really pretty...expensive though. You want to avoid any wood that could release chemicals when burning, so I suspect that cured wood is a bad idea. The book I mentioned recommends Aspen, Beech, Birch, Butternut, Cedar, Cherry, Maple, and a bunch of others. Keep in mind you should always do a little trial run with a new wood, since you may have to adjust the temperature up or down depending on how soft it is.

Not really sure what your budget or needs are, but a palm sander (also called corner or detail sander) might work for you. They are relatively inexpensive and the sanding pads are too. I've used a Harbor Freight one almost daily for many years for many different types of projects.

Here's a decent one from Amazon

Whatever sander you decide on, an essential add-on is a gum rubber sandpaper cleaner. I went for years always replacing the sandpaper when it got clogged until I discovered that I could clean them over and over, and save a lot of money.

Hope that helps!

I just upgraded to a Colwood Detailer (from the same walnut hollow tool you have) and I really love it so far!! It was about $150 on amazon, including shipping, 3 tips, and a pretty cool workbook. Amazon link

Thanks, used miniwax wood finish (gunstock) for the general stain and Dr.PH. Martin's ink while sanding, cleaning and drying well a few times over then a few layers of high gloss tung oil. These are just the brands I had on hand and generally like the products.

my best advice, as a semi-novice myself in wood burning:
i'd start with a cheaper wood burning tool. can find one at wal mart, home depot, craft store... it'll look like a soldering iron. get one with a few interchangeable tips, maybe one with a heat regulator if you're so inclined to spend the extra money. they can get complex and expensive, so depending on your involvement in the hobby it can get expensive, but you'll definitely see a difference in the heat consistency in the more expensive tools. but for a beginner, something like this is perfect to figure it out: http://www.amazon.com/Walnut-Hollow-Creative-Versa-Temp-Temperature/dp/B005P1TRAS

I use a shader tip on my rig. Shading is key when it comes to fur. Get some reference pictures and some practice wood and start light and go darker, because you can always go darker, but it's very difficult to go lighter :) I recommend picking up a book called, "Pyrography Workbook" by Sue Walters, a fantastic resource to have, that I still use to today.

Pyrography Workbook by Sue Walters

I'm assuming you're using one of the cheaper green pens with the three tips. There's another, more robust hobby pen from the same company that comes with a circle-shaped tip to it, that's about the size you're asking. The burns won't be crazy fast, but if you do it right they'll come out as nice black polka dots.

This is the pen I'm talking about

If that doesn't work for you, you should look into getting a more expensive setup or a blowtorch that you can heat that circular tip with more quickly.

This is the one to get, Walnut Hollow Creative Versa Tool with Versa-Temp Variable Temperature Control & 11 Woodburning Points (Tips) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005P1TRAS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_kIZSDbJ6TJ852

I use this, and like it quite a bit. Walnut Hollow Creative Versa Tool with Versa-Temp Variable Temperature Control & 11 Woodburning Points (Tips) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005P1TRAS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_vm11BbXHK4WMT

Walnut Hollow Creative Versa Tool... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005P1TRAS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Well, considering another user just posted that Walnut Hollow Versa Tools are frickin dirt cheap on Amazon right now, I'd get one of those asap. Here's the link. I've used mine for the last 3 1/2 years and it's the only tool you'll ever need if you learn how to use it. This entire piece was done with my Versa Tool

Lightly sketch out the outline of the design you want to burn. Then turn the burner on and just trace the pencil lines. You'll need to just get in there and practice, nothing I tell you will make much sense until you get some hands on experience. Don't wet anything, you use the burner to draw the same way you'd use a pencil.

I have been using this model https://www.amazon.com/Walnut-Hollow-Versa-Temp-Temperature-Woodburning/dp/B005P1TRAS

TruArt Stage 2 Woodburning Detailer

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y5DHJMV/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Walnut-Hollow-Versa-Temp-Temperature-Woodburning/dp/B005P1TRAS

Link to Heat Gun: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005P1TRAS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_BAHLybZMSVPMZ