The Craftiest Workshop

I started wood burning in the fall of 2019. It has been three years already. I recently went through all the wood slices I have done and decided to ”fix” some of my earliest projects but there were some too bad that really needed to be tossed. I had chosen certain scenes or patterns that I really liked so before throwing them out, I decided to make new ones of the same patterns.

My husband is a firm believer that having multi-use tools are never the way to go unless you are in a pinch. The same could be said for wood burning. I started with the Walnut Hallow versa tool. I bent tips, it took forever to heat up and cool down, the grip was big and bulky and it was difficult to burn a precise line. I switched to the Razortip pens and the SS D-10 burning system which allows for two pens to be ready to use at once. It heats up in seconds, cools down in seconds, and there are a huge variety of tips you can get in a comfortable grip pen.

Here is an example of how my burning is improved, largely due to practise and a better burner.

There is a certain importance in making sure that the hole drilled in the top is centered. I truly didn’t hate this ”old” burning or paint but the hole being off centered was driving me nuts.

I truly believe that sometimes less is more. There are times where I love the look of the wood so much that I want it to shine more than the burning.

I had a lot to learn about adding colour to wood. When I started, the only option for colour that I had was Sharpie markers and pencil crayons. I discovered that a water based finish makes permanent marker bleed. Marker also sinks deep into the wood making it impossible to sand out if you didn’t like how it turned out. Pencil crayon is alright but it does not quite fill in everywhere. Paint markers are ok but the tip is not fine enough and it is hard to control how much paint comes out. It didn’t take me long to make the switch to a brush and paint.

I use acrylic paint and buy small tipped paint brushes. This has been a game changer for me. I naturally have shaky hands so getting into tiny areas when painting was challenging. I have bought a few sets of modelling paint brushes which have a range of small tips.

When using paint, having small paint cups with lids for colours you use most often is ideal.. This way you don’t waste as much paint as you would squeezing paint from a tube or bottle.

I now understand the importance of sanding. I don’t like it anymore than I did when I started, but I know how much easier it is to burn when the wood is prepped properly. When you try to paint on wood that is not sanded smooth, the colour does not appear smooth on the wood.
For roughly cut wood I start with the drum sander passing it through over and over till smooth. The drum sander leaves slight lines on non-dimensional wood so the next step is sanding for 30 seconds or so on the belt sander. The wood also needs to be thick enough to hold onto when placing it on the belt sander.

The last thing to emphasize is to apply a finish. I usually use Matte Polycrylic. It is easy to apply with a foam brush and after multiple coats leaves a nice smooth finish. It helps to prevent paint from rubbing or chipping off. It also makes the wood slices easier to store as unfinished wood placed against unfinished wood often leads to mold in the wood.

So, to summarize what I have learned over three years of burning:

1. Buy a better burner from the start
2. Always sand the wood smooth
3. Center the hole you drill and drill BEFORE burning (in case you screw up)
4. Don’t use markers
5. Spend money on a variety of acrylic paints and detail brushes
6. Always apply a finishing coat(s)