Surface decoration - woodburning

[C Edward Moore]

In case you hadn't noticed it, woodturning is the first part of a sequence that we engage in to make bowls, boxes, ornaments, and other objects with round parts. However, if you stop there your turnings will soon be dated. In addition to sanding and finishing, there are steps in the process that are becoming more prevalent every day. Texturing, carving, pyrography, painting, dyeing, marbling, bleaching, sandblasting, and just plain burning are frequently used to enhance a piece.

For purposes of this thread, let's limit the discussion to woodburning or pyrography. I seek your recommendations about woodburning units and tips. If you recommend Colwood, please specify which model pleases you.

 

[Steve Worcester]

While I do all of those listed, I own a Detail Master Sabre that I got from Woodcraft. Works well, the pens are expensive but the replaceable tip model works fine too. Just doesn't cycle as fast as the fixed tips. Almost any system with a plug in pen will allow you to use other mfgs pens too. You may need to get an adapter cord though.

The only pens I didn't really like were the Razertip from Treeline. They worked great but transferred alot of heat to the handle (get the thick insulator rubber) and eventually burned up the plastic at the tip.

Like anything else, it is really subjective, the the Treeline guys are good to work with.

 

[C Edward Moore]

Thank you

Steve,

Thanks for your reply. I did a search on another forum and there were no threads on woodburning to be found, and the only post was about John Lucas' bowl, "Born Again", which has an interesting woodburnt figure.

I was a little surprised that there is so little discussion about woodburning systems. In thinking about that, I decided that folks who need a system buy one and then they adapt to it and work within their system's bounds. Your remark about the Razortip heat issue is very helpful.

I have tried to check out every system. My conclusion is that the Detail Master Sabre and the Colwood Super Pro are approximately equivalent. If the pens can be used on either, then it is essentially a coin toss.

 

[Jake Debski]

Ed,

I'm just begining to do some of the things you mentioned, but I sign my "stuff" with a Detail Master Sabre. I have a coupe of the individual pens and as yet have not tried a replaceable tip type. I'm very satisfied with the unit so far.

 

[C Edward Moore]

Reviews

I just googled Optima Dual woodburning units and ran across a very interesting review of units by an experienced "gourder". Until recently I was not aware of this active area of artistic expression. In any case, I found the review to be quite interesting. Check out:
Reviews

While the needs of the two mediums (gourds and wood) may differ, certainly comfort of handpieces, connections, and heat problems are independent of those differences. This information certainly influences my thinking on possible choices.

 

[john lucas]

Ed I have the colwood detailer. It works well with the bits I bought from Woodcraft but not as good with the pens that I make myself. I guess I loose a little more amperage in the joints. I'm fairly new to pyrography. I thought all you did was burn the wood and create a pattern or two and I didn't like what I was doing. Then I saw Molly's work which is deep burning and tried a little of that but it just wasn't fitting my style. When I got the Carving Illustrated issue on woodburning it opened up a whole new world. I realize there are a lot of pyrography techniques that don't require burning the wood to a crisp.
The Born Again piece was waiting for something like this. I had planned to do it with pen and ink but hadn't gotten around to running a test on the compatibility of finishes and ink.
One thing I find really interesting is carving the wood with heat without burning it. You turn the heat up just enough to move the fibers of wood and it lets you carve subtle details. It's really cool, or rather hot. Then you can turn up the heat a tad more and scortch the surface anywhere from a subtle tan to a black depending on how fast you move the tip and what the heat setting is.
As I said I have limited experience with woodburning but two things come out rather quickly. One is recovery time. If the burner/pen combination doesn't have a good recovery time it makes it more difficult to get constistent burns especially if you are trying for something that isn't a charcoal burn.
The second is to get a two pen burner. I haven't tried all the pens on the market but all that I have eventually get hot enough to be uncomfortable. By switching pens you can keep on going while one pen cools down.
Cleaning the tip is important if you want controlled accurate burns. I keep a scrap of paper handy and wipe the tip across it occasionally. This cleans the crud off the tip and makes the heat transfer more consistent and controlable.
Hope this discussion keeps going because I need to learn a lot more. I hope to get the minor problems with my Born Again piece cleaned up this weekend and I'll reshoot it next week and post it. It is a bowl with a pen and ink look drawing of a fetus inside the bowl. I did the pen and ink sketch using the burning tools to both draw dark lines and then shading for more three dimensional look.

 

[C Edward Moore]

Thanks

Thanks, John. I was quite taken with your "Born Again" piece. I suspect that the excellent mushroom box benefitted from your improved technique as described in your post.

I have a cheapo woodburning tool that allows me to sign my name and do a little surface embellishment of the rim of a box or bowl. For reasons that are not clear to me I have attacked the purchase of a new woodburning unit with the same fervor as one would expect when getting a new lathe or pickup. I guess that as a mathematician I have a deepseated need to optimize. 😀

In any case, I am considering a Burnmaster Eagle, which is a dual unit that comes without pens. It accepts almost all pens from other manufacturers. This way I can mix and match pens as it suits me. This is not one of the units in the review, but comments in that review are worth considering. It convinced me of the need to have some options when considering pens.

Thanks for your insight. I have no idea where I am going with this, but I'm enjoying the ride. 🙂

 

[hockenbery]

Hi Ed,

Our freind John Noffsinger had a "Dorothy" wonderful platter in the AAW show.
John is a master at Pyrography. He added a liitle color to "Dorothy" but some of his Pyrograpy line drawings look like paintings to me.

We have a Detail Master and it works great. You will need to select a few different burning tips to ge the most out of the system. A couple of the small knife tips are essential.


Happy Burning
Al

 

[john lucas]

Ed
I've been told by some good sources that this is a good system. I've been drooling over it. They say the pens are the best part so even if you buy another brand buy there pens and tips. http://www.pyrography.org/

 

[C Edward Moore]

Optima I and John Noffsinger

Hi Al,

I am aware of John Noffsinger's artistic mastery, especially in pyrography. I saw his platter in the AAW Journal. And at the Virginia Artisan Center he had a platter with a vintage car burnt in that was superb. I plan to invite him to demo at SMLW when the club budget permits.

John,

I saw the Optima I system this morning while googling. It looks great and now you tell me that it is as good as it looks. Hmmmm. 🙂

I saw a friend at lunch, told him what I was doing, and he lent me his Razortip system to try out. He was at Arrowmont with Nick Cook and there were five different systems available to try out. He likes the ability to design your own pattern with the wire that is supplied.

 

[Brian Hahn]

Detail Master handpiece gripper rings

Just thought I'd pass this along.

I've got a Detail Master Sabre unit. Bought it 15 years ago to sign pieces but it didn't work for me and I switched to signing with an engraver. A couple of months ago I dug out the unit, brushed the dust off and played with it a little. They sell O-rings to put on the handles to provide a grip and keep your fingers cooler and one of my hand-pieces didn't have O-rings. The price for a package of rings at Woodcraft seemed a little steep. I measured the O-rings -- they are a #13 O-ring (7/16" ID, 9/16" OD, 1/16" thick) and widely available. Industrial supply places like McMaster-Carr sell packages of 100 for under $3. That was way more than I expected to need in this lifetime! I found packages of 10 for about $1.50 at the local home improvement center.

p.s. I completely forgot to get a couple more handsets today when I was taking advantage of Woodcraft's 10% off sale. 😱

 

[C Edward Moore]

Optima 1 dual burner

John,

I googled "Optima 1 dual burner" without the quotes and the first item was from www.woodburner.com. Apparently these units are on sale! TEN PER CENT OFF!! Now's your chance.

The combination of the reviews that I referred to earlier, googling these topics this morning, and your comments has me convinced to go with one of the two ideas:
1. Burnmaster Eagle and Optima pens;
2. Optima 1 dual burner and Optima pens.
And get the Razortip pen that allows you to make your own points.

And I think either choice satisfies my need to optimize. Excellent products and save some money. 🙂

Thanks to all who have made suggestions.