beginning burners set up?

[Hu Lowery]

I know we have some people here who do fantastic pyrography. A friend is getting started and came to me for advice. I didn't have any but told him I knew where to ask!

He is carving duck decoys out of tupelo and wants to burn on them. Looking for a fairly basic kit but one with enough compatibility and functionality that it can grow as he needs it to.

Can someone help me with brands and models or complete kits?

Thanks for any assistance!

Hu

 

[Bill Boehme]

I have the Detail Master Excalibre. I bought it because I took a class from Andi Wolfe and that is what she used and her opinion was it was better than the other similar burners. That was a few years ago and models have changed a bit. The pens are generally interchangeable between the upper end burners -- but adapter plugs might be required.

 

[Mark Wollschlager]

This answer kind of links back to the thread on "What other turners aren't telling".
Without taking the time to learn the tools and techniques, the beautiful work that you see others doing will often be frustrating.

I have a couple of Razertip burning units, an old school wood burning pen with screw in tips, and a Graeme Priddle wood vaporizer.
All will do a good job of burning wood.
With enough practice, sample boards, and time I can probably get similar results from any of them.
As a beginner I had the screw on tip model, that I accessorized with a temperature control. The ten or so tips give an ok range of burn patterns.

The Razertip offers a lot of different tips for specific uses. I like it.
The higher end burners ( Detailmaster, Burnmaster, etc ) all offer a range of different handpiece/tip combos to do general or very specific burn patterns.

Taking the time to learn which tips do what, at what temp, on what wood is the key. There is no substitute for that.

Colwood is another brand that has a reasonable entry level price.

The book Pyrography Workbook, by Sue Walters is a great source for information and exercises.

 

[Hu Lowery]

Apologies, just got a phone call!

Great information I will salt away for future reference for myself but I just got a phone call clearing confusion.

We had the usual communications issues when something goes through too many people. Turns out it is my friend's son who is carving using decoys and just wanted to burn his name to show through fairly heavy paint on the bottom of the decoy. He was interested in a logo branding iron. He has now discovered that won't burn deeply enough to show through paint and he is looking for a stamp.

I seem to recall Glen Lucas branding his using bowls quite deeply but I think any marking they put on the bottom of these using decoys might be a losing battle. The bottoms are often painted every year or two.

I'm interested in a little burning someday, at least to try. Embellishment seems to be nearly a must these days and the further I get away from traditional the less I like it. I think people have been embellishing with burnings almost as long as they have been turning. I'm still just trying to learn to turn though, next up for me is a hollowing set-up for hollow vessels.

Thanks to everyone and my apologies! A little was lost in translation this time.

Hu

 

[Mark Wollschlager]

In that case, why not just paint the name on the bottom?
Or carve the name in and use a contrasting color paint in the carving.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Signing your name with a woodburning pen and have it turn out well seems to be about the most difficult thing to do with a woodburning pen. Another solution to signing one's name is to use a vibro-engraver such as the one made by Dremel. First finish the bottom and then sign it with the engraver. Next apply either some pigment stain, a furniture touch up pen or a graining pen over the signature then quickly rub with a paper towel to remove all of the stain from the finish. The only remaining stain will be where the engraver penetrated through the finish and into the wood. If you pick a dark brown color, it looks very much like the name was burned into the wood.

 

[Hu Lowery]

Pretty much a losing battle

Effectively marking these decoys that are going to other people is pretty much a losing battle. These are working decoys, hand carved wooden decoys are still popular to hunt over. They spend long hours in the water and the bottoms are often painted every year or two. Anything on the surface is unlikely to survive.

He is considering a stamp and also having a custom medallion made to slightly countersink into the bottom of the decoy. I think the medallion has the best chance of working. While it probably won't be legible in a few years, it should be visible. Someone wanting to identify the decoy would be able to remove the layers of paint over the metal medallion and then read it. People do collect the working decoys so some will only be displayed but probably the majority will be put to the use intended.

The suggestions are much appreciated, once I was given updated information I think that any markings are going to be obscured fairly rapidly.

Hu

 

[Bill Boehme]

It just occurred to me that laser engraving might be the best option. If you can locate somebody in your area who does that sort of work you can get whatever results are desired -- shallow, deep, large, small, font selection, and no need to remove existing paint. One of our club members has a laser engraving business on the side and does most any material (steel, wood, plastic or whatever). I have had him do some of my turnings. The cost ranged from free to ten dollars per item. I even had him enggrave a new address plaque for our mailbox when the 6X 12 solid brass one was stolen last year. I found that a new brass plaque would be around $400. I could hardly believe how much the price had increased.

 

[Hu Lowery]

laser might be worth checking on

It just occurred to me that laser engraving might be the best option. If you can locate somebody in your area who does that sort of work you can get whatever results are desired -- shallow, deep, large, small, font selection, and no need to remove existing paint. One of our club members has a laser engraving business on the side and does most any material (steel, wood, plastic or whatever). I have had him do some of my turnings. The cost ranged from free to ten dollars per item. I even had him enggrave a new address plaque for our mailbox when the 6X 12 solid brass one was stolen last year. I found that a new brass plaque would be around $400. I could hardly believe how much the price had increased.

Bill,

The laser might be worth checking on. I don't know of anyone around here with one but a little beating the bushes might turn something up.

The price of the brass plaque reminded me of something that happened years ago. Things were tight and there was a problem with people stealing the aluminum road signs. There was a news story on the TV at six and ten one night about the signs being stolen and the value being $45 to $60.

We lived about 25 miles from town and I warned my wife to be very careful, there wouldn't be a sign between there and Baton Rouge in a day or two! Sure enough, stop signs and all were history. Of course the scrap was only worth a dollar or three per sign but that wasn't how the news story made it sound so morons stole all the signs thinking they would get maybe $50 apiece for them scrap!

Hu