What is Pyrography?
Pyrography is the ancient art of burning images or writing onto a suitable surface. Often, this tends to be wood, but pyrography can also be utilised to burn onto other substrates such as leather, paper, gourds and bone.
Though the items we burn on have remained pretty much the same since humanity first discovered pyrography, the tools we burn with have changed considerably. Going from wood and metal pokers heated in a fire, to highly specialised machines with changeable shaped tips, multiple pen attachments and variable temperature controls.
With the expansion of interest in this art form there are now a plethora of available pre-made shapes and items to burn on as well as pieces of wood and plywood, making it a great craft for anyone to have a go and create something decorative and/or useful. But be warned, Pyrography is incredibly addictive!
In my own art I prefer to use natural pieces of wood, with the exception of the beech pebbles which have been shaped.
This is because for me the important aspect of pyrography is that more direct connection with nature and the woods I am using.
My Razertip Machine.
The workhorse
The Process
As with so many things in life, in pyrography the quality of the outcome really does depend on the quality of the preparation work. This is why artists spend hours on sourcing just the right pieces of wood to work with before sanding them to a perfectly smooth surface for burning.
Once the surface has been prepared it is time to transfer over a design, or draw it directly onto the wood. I use both methods, depending on the complexity of the design and whether I am taking something from my sketch book, a digital design or just going with the flow and seeing what the piece of wood feels it should have on it.
Next is the best bit, the actual burning.
This is often the most time-consuming part, with some pieces taking well over 100 hours to complete. Burning is a gradual process of building the image. Depending on the piece you may need to burn heavy lines, for instance when writing text as with my chopping/serving boards. Other areas could be a gradation, creating shade, or perhaps lines of different tonal values to give the impression of an animal fur or grass. It is easy to go darker with a burn but not so easy to sand back to return to lightness.
Once I am happy with the burning, the piece is completed, but not yet finished.
It is important to protect and nourish the wood at this stage so each work can look beautiful for many years to come.
There are a whole range of finishing products I can use for different circumstances i.e. if the item is to be used for food, it's imperative to use a food safe mineral oil where as if I’ve burned a house sign and the wood will be outdoors in all weathers, a Yacht varnish might be the most suitable.
It is also important to know what each finish is made of as a number of common oils and varnishes can include animal derived products which may not be suitable for all customers.
​
​
​
Sourcing The Wood
Most of the wood I use comes from my local timber merchants (less than 5 miles up the road) they have sheds full of waste wood and off cuts from jobs, which is perfect as it allows me to use responsibly sourced, high quality woods that would otherwise be thrown away. Most of the Sycamore, Oak and Walnut I use comes from here.
The other woods I use, including the pebbles and waney edge (bark still on) pieces are sourced from other small UK businesses
Caring for your Pyrography Art
-
Do not display in direct sunlight. Sun will cause the wood to change colour and the design will begin to fade over time. The darker the burn the more resistant it will be to fading.
-
Do not immerse in water. instead, wipe clean with a damp cloth and avoid using anything too abrasive.
-
Chopping boards will need a light re-oiling every so often, depending on use. Use a food safe mineral oil and lint free cloth to apply a thin coat.
-
Pieces with a live/waney edge. It is not uncommon for small pieces of bark to fall away over time, as the wood expands and contracts. To help avoid this, display 'bark on' pieces away from sources of heat or where there are large temperature changes.
-
When chopping on boards, try to avoid cutting directly over the pyrography design, to help maintain its look.
​​
If you are unsure of anything, please contact me to discuss.