Quick-Start Woodburning Guide E-Book

Michele Y. Parsons

• Herausgeber: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 46

Beschreibung

Quick and simple, this easy-to-read, small-format guide is the ultimate starting point to introduce yourself to the hobby of woodburning! Perfect for any beginner, jump right into learning about what pyrography is, safety, types of equipment, pens, burning techniques, and other foundational topics. Get a complete overview, and with the suggested lists for further reading and project books, get started! Michele Y. Parsons is a pyrographer, woodcarver, founder and owner of Parsons Wood Artistry, instructor, and author of Leather Pyrography. With her expert instruction, you'll learn and understand everything you need to know about pyrography so you can start woodburning the right way, right from the beginning.·       

Leseprobe

© 2020 by Michele Y. Parsons and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

Quick-Start Woodburning Guide is an original work, first published in 2020 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holders.

Print ISBN 978-1-4971-0084-8eISBN 978-1-6076-5781-1

The Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.

To learn more about the other great books from Fox Chapel Publishing, or to find a retailer near you, call toll-free 800-457-9112 or visit us at www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.

We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to [email protected].

Contents

What Is Pyrography?

Safety

Types of Equipment

Care of Equipment and Materials

Preparing to Woodburn

Techniques for Woodburning

Coloring Woodburning

Finishing Woodburning

Troubleshooting

Other Resources

About the Author

What Is Pyrography?

Pyrography is another word for woodburning, but the term woodburning is only used when burning on wood.

Pyrography in Latin means “fire” (pyro-) and “writing/ drawing” (-graphy).

When you are burning patterns, text, or images on materials, such as gourds, leather, cork, canvas, tagua nuts, bone, or paper, the proper term is pyrography.

One of the most popular materials that people burn is wood. Because it’s the go-to material, people often refer to all of pyrography as woodburning, which is incorrect. It’s best to only use the term woodburning when referring to burning on wood. In the end, though, whatever you want to call it, pyrography is an excellent craft to learn and wood is a good place to start.

Woodburning is one of many pyrography techniques.

Safety

When you burn material, it releases fumes into the air. Breathing certain fumes can cause serious health risks. Sometimes the fumes can be irritating to your lungs; other times, fumes can be toxic to your health.

Suitable Materials to Burn

Dangerous Materials to Burn

Natural, raw wood

Wood that has been treated, painted, or sealed

Light-colored domestic wood (like basswood, maple, poplar, or ash)

Dark-colored or exotic wood (like walnut, cocobolo, cedar [for some people], African mahogany, mimosa, olive wood, rosewood, milky mangrove, mulga, laburnum, oleander, and yew)

Dry, clean wood

Spalted, mildewed, or moldy wood

Vegetable-tanned leather

Chrome-tanned or chemically tanned leather

Natural cork

Chemically treated cork

Natural canvas

Chemically treated canvas

Cleaned gourds

Moldy gourds

Natural materials

MDF/bonded or man-made boards/ acrylics/plastics

Tagua nuts (vegetable ivory)

Paper (like 140 lb. [300g] watercolor paper, hot or cold pressed)

Only burn natural and untreated items !

Leaning over your work causes the fumes to rise directly into your face. Sit back in your chair. If you cannot see your work well, use magnifying glasses or a slant table or easel.

Sitting back in your chair and using a slanted surface results in fumes rising without getting in your face. It can also prevent overhead lighting from reflecting off your burning, causing a glare.

Use a small fan to blow fumes away from you and your work. Open windows and doors for better air circulation.

Use an activated carbon filter fan next to your work to trap fumes. The fumes should go through the fan immediately when burning for best results.

Another way to avoid breathing the fumes is to build a ventilation system that vents directly to the outdoors. This is a permanent solution that does not allow for carrying your work to a temporary location, such as when you can bring a fan to a pyrography class.

A ventilation system can include several options: a hooded vent located over the burning area, a fan to blow the fumes outdoors, or an activated carbon filter fan to draw the fumes through the filter before they are channeled outdoors.

Set your activated carbon filter fan on blocks to raise it over the edge of your slanted surface (or rotating easel). This will trap the fumes as they roll off the edge of the artwork. Fans with a higher CFM (cubic feet per minute) rating are better at drawing fumes away.

Use a respirator with vapor filters, not dust filters. There are several inexpensive and comfortable half-mask options to choose from.

Tip Check the CFM (cubic feet per minute) rating on the activated carbon filter fan when purchasing. The higher the CFM number, the better the fan will be at removing fumes.

Safety Tip Get into the habit of turning off your woodburner when you are connecting/ reconnecting pens or when you stop burning for a few minutes. If you develop this habit, you will automatically turn off the woodburner and avoid any potential hazards.

Types of Equipment

There are different methods of woodburning, including using modern electrical woodburning equipment, high-voltage transformers, torches, iron pokers, and solar lenses and magnifiers. This book covers modern electrical woodburning equipment and techniques to burn designs and images onto wood.

Woodburners

Solid Point vs. Wire Tipped

There are two types of woodburners: solid point and wire tipped, which are named by the types of pen tips they use. Solid-point woodburners use solid brass tips, and wire-tipped woodburners use nichrome wire tips.

Solid-point burners