# Wood Burning Thingy



## Hugh Manatee (21 Jan 2020)

No, not a stove. Does anyone do it as art? I am picturing a sort of soldering iron thing but I assume it has a proper name? I want to get my daughter something to experiment with. As it is something that could burn the house down, I don't want just trust my luck on e bay.

Any half decent tools anyone can recommend?


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## Drago (21 Jan 2020)

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, its @woodbutcher !


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## Randomnerd (21 Jan 2020)

Pyrography iron I presume?
Just like a soldering iron, but with interchangeable tips 
The hobby kits are crap. Good stuff https://www.turners-retreat.co.uk/pyrography/janik/c318


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## Alex H (21 Jan 2020)

This is supposed to be the best you can buy according to members of a woodworking forum; https://www.peterchild.co.uk/pyroinfo/pyinfo.htm


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## Hugh Manatee (21 Jan 2020)

Thanks all. I'll have a look!


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## woodbutcher (22 Jan 2020)

Alex H said:


> This is supposed to be the best you can buy according to members of a woodworking forum; https://www.peterchild.co.uk/pyroinfo/pyinfo.htm


It has the name Robert Sorby attached to it , you cannot do better than that for a recommendation. When l was a full time butcher of wood Sorby tools were the best Sheffield steel tools you could buy !


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## Hugh Manatee (22 Jan 2020)

I found a rusty Sorby 12mm chisel for 50p. I was most impressed when electrolysis revealed the name!
Those websites are quite dangerous! Late last year I set up a rash purchase; a Coronet lathe. More spending beckons!


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## MontyVeda (22 Jan 2020)

woodenspoons said:


> Pyrography iron I presume?
> Just like a soldering iron, but with interchangeable tips
> *The hobby kits are crap*. Good stuff https://www.turners-retreat.co.uk/pyrography/janik/c318


I wish I'd seen this thread 20 years ago... i started doing a name plaque for a workmate's house using a cheap one. It took about five hours to do five letters before the burner broke. Lost touch with the workmate years ago, still got the unfinished plaque; _Dry Th_


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## Hugh Manatee (4 Feb 2020)

Just to note, I found myself in the Turner's Retreat as mentioned by @woodenspoons and purchased the Peter Child kit highlighted by @Alex H 

Thanks again everyone. I'll post pics of her attempts.


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## Poacher (18 Mar 2020)

Hugh Manatee said:


> Just to note, I found myself in the Turner's Retreat as mentioned by @woodenspoons and purchased the Peter Child kit highlighted by @Alex H
> 
> Thanks again everyone. I'll post pics of her attempts.


How's she getting on? For cheap blanks to practice on, these spatulas and spoons from Wilkos are hard to beat for value, at 35p and 50p respectively. I don't know much about how to identify timber, but I suspect they may be Beech; some kind of hardwood, anyway.


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## Bonefish Blues (18 Mar 2020)

Hugh Manatee said:


> No, not a stove. Does anyone do it as art? I am picturing a sort of soldering iron thing but I assume it has a proper name? I want to get my daughter something to experiment with. As it is something that could burn the house down, I don't want just trust my luck on e bay.
> 
> Any half decent tools anyone can recommend?


My wife burns stuff _on_ a stove.

Any good?


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## Ludwig (20 Mar 2020)

I have 2 Peter Childs pyrography machines and use 24 swg nichrome wire. I do mainly lettering for signs, keyrings and various turned items. I have a heavy duty machine for doing big house signs etc. It is a good idea to wear a mask or have an extractor because it can be quite smokey. There are people who do amazing pictures on various social media groups. In the old days they used to call burning onto wood poker art. 
If you want to do have a wide nib for a thick line for signs you can coil the wire around a nail and squeeze it with some pliers. You can buy various nibs. You can get a machine now that you can plug 2 pens into so yoy can alternate between different pen wire thicknesses. I would guess £100 would set you up with machine, wire, nibs etc and would soon get your money back on your first few jobs. For wood blanks you could try a joinery shop or a sawmill often has a corner with odds and ends. 
In addition to the burner you might want to get a fret saw, electric planer, band saw, pillar drill and a small lathe. There is lots of old uaed machinary out there that is in perfect working order.


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## Hugh Manatee (20 Mar 2020)

Thanks everyone. She hasn't done much it has to be said. At the moment, she is trying to get her head around the fact that her A Levels are over and she won't be returning to college or see her friends for who knows how long?

There were signs of her wanting to try new things art wise this morning and I'm sure she'll start experimenting soon!

I am grateful that she has done this very quick painting for me to send to my mum for Sunday!






Oh, and @Ludwig way ahead of you! Already have kit by Hegner, Coronet, Burgess and Universal! I'll get you some photos once I have bolted the lathe down in its new location!


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## roley poley (20 Mar 2020)

I still remember the hours of fun I had at my grandads as a little kid when he gave me an old table leg ,bag of nails and a claw hammer


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## Poacher (23 Mar 2020)

My first effort; clearly many more hours practice needed, but at least the blanks are cheap!
(Front & back of a Wilkos spatula)


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## Hugh Manatee (1 Apr 2020)

She has had a go! In fact she is in the garage right now trying something. She has seen online people combine pyrography and paint which has made her very excited.
On a shape cut from a piece of scrap, here is her very first go at it:







She wasn't too happy with this but at least has gone back to have another go. I have an old wooden front door that I have cut bits from for various projects; I'll cut a piece off that I reckon.


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## Poacher (4 Oct 2020)

About to throw away a wooden tray which had held Lidl red Argentine prawns, something made me want to keep it and have a play.






Spoiler: This is the result



Meet Doris the Loris





May have to keep it - can't imagine a charity shop would take it!


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## MontyVeda (14 Mar 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> I wish I'd seen this thread 20 years ago... i started doing a name plaque for a workmate's house using a cheap one. It took about five hours to do five letters before the burner broke. Lost touch with the workmate years ago, still got the unfinished plaque; _Dry Th_


I unearthed the unfinished plaque when clearing out my Dad's garage... turned out I'd only done three letters and being left handed, i tend to work backwards...






I also got in touch with my old workmate who finally put herself on FB and I told her I still had the plaque and would finish it... just not sure if I'm willing to spend upwards of £70 on a burner that I'd be unlikely to use again.

Saying that... just looked on Ebay and there's a Peter Childs one up for auction, current bid £48 so buying one, using it then flogging it could be an option.

But then again... whatever i use it'd have to look as black and gnarly as the letters I've done so I might be better off using a red hot 6" nail and mole grips. Those letters are 3" high, so not exactly 'fine' work.


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## Randomnerd (14 Mar 2021)

Reminds me. I have a set of letters and numbers, branding irons from an old piggery. I use them red hot sometimes on the furniture I make. This one is the third of this pattern I made, which I’m sitting on now. They were slung out in a skip. Not a full alphabet, but useful occasionally. Could you maybe paint all the letters over a hammered finish to make them look burned in?


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