Pyrography is the art of drawing with
a heated tool. You can burn patterns,
textures and even intricate pictures into
the surface of wood and other materials.The basic Peter Child Artist Pyrography
Machine kit comes with a power unit
and a ‘pen’ into which nibs are fitted
(six spares are included). At times an
extra pen ($89) would be handy to save
swapping nibs. The machine can be
used on wood, leather, cork, certain
plastics and fabric but I focused on its
use on wood.Best results are achieved on hard white
wood, in fact the harder the surface
the better the result. Dark woods can
be used but won’t give such a good
contrast. Soft woods such as pine are
difficult to work with, as resin will gum
up the tip. You can even work on veneer
that has been applied to a substrate.The nibs heated up within seconds,
even the thicker coil. They are easy to
clamp in place with two small screws
at each end and come in fine, medium,
spoon and coil varieties, and you can
create your own by bending the supplied
Nichrome wire into other shapes.Most work is done with the standard tip
and spoon point which enables contact
with a larger area of wood and is used
for shading. Its edge can also be used
for fine lines, fur, feathers, grass and so
on. The coil tip develops a lot of heat
for heavy lettering such as signs. When
used just above the surface of wood, it
can create a soft edged ‘toast’ effect.Light and even pressure combined with
speed of stroke will give the best result.Hesitation will result in a ‘blob’ as the
tip will burn for longer and produce
a deeper or wider burn. For a thick
line, move the point slowly so it burns
longer rather than increasing the heat
of the tip. For a fine line move the point
quickly with little pressure, starting and
finishing the stroke in the air to avoid
ending up with a blob at either end.The pen stayed cool throughout the trial
however and was comfortable to use.
It’s also quite light and the wires did not
hinder free hand movement. The heat
control dial allows a broad adjustment
range so nibs can be just the right
temperature for the task at hand.The 12 page booklet describes how to
make the most of the kit and how to
deal with different woods, and advises
on appropriate finishing processes. For
any aspiring pyrographer or one already
grounded in this art, this kit has the
means and information to help you turn
your dreams into a successful result.Review machine supplied by Carbatec:
http://www.carbatec.com.au- Numbered caption.
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A full range of products available
See website for details
THE EASIEST
JIG TO USE
No measuring!
No ddling!
No fuss!Col will demonstrate box
making at SYDNEY, PERTH,
MELBOURNE and CANBERRA
wood shows!07271 AWR Gifkins_PRINT.pdf 1 18/04/17 4:23 PM16 Australian Wood Review
TOOLS & EQUIPMENT$
Robert Sorby
Pyrography Machine
Reviewed by Andrew Potocnik