Clayton M. Rines - The Pyrography, Woodcarving and Leather Crafting Beginners Guide with Exercises: A Beginner Friendly 3 in 1 Manual with Instructions on Wood Burning, Leatherworking and Woodworking

The term pyrography has its origin in Greek, and it means pur graphos (fire writing), and it has been in existence since man discovered fire. Evidence of ancient men practicing this beautiful art can be found on the walls of caves and other structures. Writings, drawings, and other messages were inscribed and drawn on wood, walls, leathers, gourds, and other surfaces to pass messages, honor gods or to beautify the environment. Going back to the times of the ancient African men, the Egyptians, and in Asia, there are quite a lot of pyrography artifacts which points to the skills and ability shown by craftsman during those times. This art was commonly known as fire needle writing or drawing then. This process gave the artisans and avenue through which they got to showcase their skills and bring the most common objects to life.

With the discovery of fire came the art of pyrography, which employs the use of a heated sharp-pointed object to draw and write. A metal that is heated in fire is mostly used in the drawing of beautiful artworks and other designs. Wood burning is another term used to describe the art of pyrography in putting their skills into practice on a variety of surfaces.

Traditionally, pyrography was a form of art used in designing and decorating musical instruments and a variety of tools and items. Guitars, jewelry boxes, kitchen utensils, hairbrushes were etched with signature art to make the piece unique and to show it belongs to a particular individual. Nowadays, however, the technique has gone a step further in the evolutionary scheme of things by actually burning designs on surfaces that are blank and devoid of any embellishments to convey on such pieces artistic values.

The pyrography pens are a relatively recent invention that has given rise to more elegant pieces of equipment.

The primary tool used in drawing and writing in pyrography is a heated metal tool, but in this age and time, you can make use of a whole array of tips in discovering and giving your piece of work that distinct look to make it unique and stand out. There are pyrography tools that are quite similar to the soldering iron, which allows you to draw solid lines, and there are others that enable you to perfect fine fainted shaded lines. The amount of pressure that you apply to the surface with the drawing tool will also determine the tone that can be obtained.

The types of woods that are used in pyrography are usually light in color, e.g., sycamore, beech, and birch are excellent surfaces for drawing on due to the light grain and color. Your choice of wood will be determined by the outlook you have in mind for your finished work.

It is essential that no matter your choice of wood, it should not be treated, avoid particle boards or pressure-treated boards as such materials have undergone some form of chemical processing or the other. When you apply your pyrography tool to such a piece of wood, the chemicals in the material are set free. If you are not putting on protective gear, you will most likely inhale the toxic fumes. The fumes are not the only harmful substances that are released when you burn wood, resins, sawdust, and wood shavings can also cause serious health problems if you don't adequately protect yourself.

With your materials ready, safety check put in place; you can begin to pour your skill and fine art onto the piece of wood. Your design can either be transferred to the wood surface by making use of a graphite paper/tracing paper, or you can draw straight to the wood surface with a pencil. Once the image is on the wood surface, the burning can begin. The range of items that you can put your signature design is determined by the limit you put on your imagination.

To get started with wood burning, you will need to get a few basic supplies which include the following;

Wood burning pen

Pyrography machine

The wood sample on which you are going to burn

Sandpaper

The design you want to wood burn

Tape (masking paper)

Carbon paper/tracing paper/graphite paper