Pyrography Manual
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ARtist’s PyrogrAPHY MACHINE MANUAL 1 SAFETY PRECAUTIONS The points get very hot and can start a fire if mis-used. Do not use the pyrography machine near highly inflammable materials or liquids and polishes which produce inflammable vapours. NEVER let the hot point touch the mains cable as it could quickly burn through the insulation. Keep all cables clear of the work area. Do not lay the pen down - get into the habit of storing it in the clip on the power unit. Keep the hot point clear of your skin and clothing. Take adequate precautions to avoid breathing fumes and smoke. A small desk fan is the minimum requirement. Ensure adequate room ventilation. If you suffer from any respiratory complaint take specialist advice. Fans with carbon filters are available. Do not breath in fumes from burning plastic or synthetic materials. Avoid using wood which has been coated with a synthetic polish or varnish. Burning some fabrics, leather or cork may produce harmful fumes so take suitable precautions. Always ensure children and people with learning difficulties are correctly supervised when the machine is in operation. Machine cables must be kept clear of the working area at all times and the ventilation slots free from obstruction. Do not leave the machine switched on unattended. Protect the unit from damp and rain. Do not use if wet. Do not let the pencil terminals touch together, short out against a metal object, or touch the case of the control unit. The control unit will be damaged if subjected to prolonged short circuits. Do not open the case of the control unit without first disconnecting the machine from the Mains. Live terminals are exposed inside. Do not attempt to service the control unit without specialist knowledge. Do not use the control unit to power any other appliance. The pen will not work from 12 volts or from any other transformer. Do not use the pyrography machine for any other purpose than pyrography. Cover illustration objects kindly provided by Bob Neill. GETTING STARTED Points Please read the safety precautions before The standard fine loop is best for general first use. Before switching on, make sure work but the spoon shape point is good the point is not touching anything and for shading and the edge of the spoon is turn the heat control knob to minimum. very useful for special textured effects or fine lines. Switch on then slowly advance the heat control clockwise until the point glows a Setting the heat dull red. Too high a setting can quickly burn out a fine point. The heat control is normally left at one setting and the depth of burning varied Practice strokes on a scrap piece of by using different speeds of stroke. smooth white hardwood. The technique The best heat control setting will be for producing evenly burnt lines is determined after a little practice and quickly acquired. The secret is light depends on the individual’s technique. and even pressure combined with even Most users keep the point at a dull red speed of stroke. Notice that any slight heat. Too much heat makes the point bend easily and can give fuzzy outlines. hesitation during the stroke will result in a “blob” because the depth of burning, or Some users blow on the point to cause the width of a line, depends on contact a temporary reduction in temperature time rather than pressure. rather than fiddle with the knob. If you want a thick line, move the point The setting is the number at the top of the dial. The numbers on the dial are slowly to give the point time to burn the only intended as a rough guide to help wood. If you want a fine line move the you remember your favourite settings. point quickly using very little pressure, They are not calibrated in any way and starting and finishing the stroke in the can vary from machine to machine. air to avoid a blob at the beginning or Older models may give a different tip end of a stroke. Never press hard as this temperature for a given setting on the will bend the point (you can bend it back dial. Thicker points need a higher setting using pliers). to get a given temperature. The general rule is you should be able to see the point See how many different effects and glowing red but if it is a bright orange or textures you can obtain by various yellow, turn it down. different ways of applying the point to the material. The beauty of pyrography is SOURCES OF PATTERNS AND in the rich palette of different shades of DESIGNS brown obtainable, which give a subtlety It is not necessary to be a talented artist to the image not available in other to do pyrography. Even if you are not mediums such as pen and ink which are adept at freehand drawing you can copy limited to one tone. designs and line drawings from books 3 etc. You can trace designs and transfer Veneer them to the wood using carbon paper An excellent surface is sycamore veneer or preferably graphite paper. You can stuck onto a rigid backing such as MDF. zoom designs up and down in size using You can use iron-on glue film or contact a photocopier. If you place a photocopy adhesive to mount the veneer. You can or laser printed sheet face down on the carbon paper or preferably graphite buyveneer veneer stuck and onto glue a rigid film backing from specialist such wood you can transfer the design by paper. You can zoom designs up and veneeras MDF. suppliers. You can use iron-on glue film “ironing”down in using size using a domestic a photocopier. iron. This If or contact adhesive to mount the worksyou placebecause a photocopy the ink (or or toner) laser melts Boughtveneer. Youobjects can buy veneer and glue withprinted heat. sheetTransfer face the down minimum on the woodneeded film from specialist veneer suppliers. toyou give can you transfer a guide the to thedesign pattern. by You You can decorate finished items such cannot"ironing" get ridusing of excessa domestic toner. iron. This asBought cheese objects boards and wooden spoons works because the ink (or toner) boughtYou can from decorate kitchen finished shops itemsor from such MATERIALSmelts with heat. FOR Transfer PYROGRAPHY the specialistas cheese boardspyrography and woodensuppliers. spoons Usually minimum needed to give you a guide youbought will from need kitchen to smooth shops the or surface from with The machine can be used on wood, to the pattern. You cannot get rid of finespecialist sandpaper pyrography before suppliers.you use it. leather,excess cork toner. and certain plastics and Usually you will need to smooth the fabrics.MATERIALS It can be FOR used PYROGRAPHY for shaping, Leathersurface with fine sandpaper before you weldingThe machine or cutting can thermoplastics be used on wood, and use it. toolingleather, wax cork models and certain provided plastics there and is LeatherLeather can be easily worked and gives adequatefabrics. fumeIt can extraction.be used for shaping, aLeather good contrast. can be easily Use light worked coloured and welding or cutting thermoplastics vegetable-tannedgives a good contrast. tooling Use leather light if you Woodand tooling wax models provided cancoloured obtain vegetable-tanned it. Do not breath tooling the fumes. there is adequate fume extraction. leather if you can obtain it. Do not The best wood to use is a hard white Wood Corkbreath the fumes. wood such as sycamore, maple, holly, The best wood to use is a hard white Cork hornbeam or boxwood. The harder the Cork mats or sheets of self adhesive wood such as sycamore, maple, Cork mats or sheets of self adhesive surfaceholly, is,hornbeam the better or the boxwood. result. Dark The cork applied to a firm substrate offer an alternativecork applied surface to a firm and substrate can give offervery woodsharder can the be surface used but is, theythe better will not the an alternative surface and can give striking results. giveresult. such Dark good woods contrast. can Good be used results but very striking results. arethey difficult will not to give achieve such goodon softwood contrast. Good results are difficult to achieve CHANGING THE POINTS (pine) because it is so soft and the resin CHANGING THE POINTS gumson softwood up the point. (pine) Wood because which it isdarkens so soft and the resin gums up the point. with age such as fruitwood (eg apple, Wood which darkens with age such cherrywood) will gradually lose contrast. as fruitwood (eg apple, cherrywood) will gradually lose contrast. PlywoodPlywood A good,A good, economical economical material material to topractice onpractice is birch on plywood is birch obtainable plywood from DIY To change a wire point proceed as stores.obtainable Choose from a hard, DIY whitestores. sheet. Choose Birch a To change a wire point proceed as follows : is hard,rather white soft however, sheet. Birch and is it rather is difficult soft tohowever, achieve fine and itdetail. is difficult to achieve SwitchSwitch offoff andand allowallow to coolcool forfor aa shortshort fine detail. while. Loosen the terminal screws taking care not to bend the terminal Veneer 4 An excellent surface is sycamore support struts. Remove the old point 4 and replace with the new point or The coil develops a lot of heat for alternatively replace with a short heavy burning of large projects such as loop of wire. house nameplate lettering. Used just The wire must above the surface it can be used to be clamped "toast" the wood to give a soft edged while.