Craft Wood Burning Pens

Craft Wood Burning Pens

Craft wood burning pens are a specialty tool used by hobbyists to burn patterns into wood, leather, paper or other materials in an art form known as pyrography. The tool uses a heated wood burning tip that can be used either free hand or in conjunction with stencils to create intricate designs. The time honored hobby of woodburning has yielded many beautiful works of art and these tools are often sold as a soldering iron or as part of a woodburning kit with everything the new hobbyist might need to learn the craft and begin creating their own pieces.

What is a Versa tool?

The Versa Tool is a wood burning pen with a variable heat setting and a grip that has been designed for increased comfort while working on detailed projects. This tool is often sold as part of a kit which contains a variety of accessories to create various burn effects.

How do you burn wood safely?

1. Beginners should start with soft wood, such as aspen or pine. The lack of pronounced grains makes these woods easier to work with than hardwood pieces.
2. The use of stencils may make the process easier for beginners. These stencils can be found with many design options and are often available with the pen kit or as a separate purchase.
3. Practicing on a scrap piece of the same wood, experiment with the different free hand techniques to learn what each one does and how long it takes to get the desired effect with your particular woodburning pen.
4. Use a gentle pressure when burning wood. Too much force can cause damage to the tool, stencils or the project materials.
5. Always practice safety. Woodburning tools inherently produce high amounts of heat. Keep them out of reach of children and away from flammable materials.
6. Keep the tool clean. A clean tip will produce better results.

How Do You Clean Wood Burning Tips?

Carbon build-up is a natural by-product of wood burning. Over the course of use, the carbon deposits that accumulate will render a burning pen ineffective as the carbon does not conduct heat very well. When this happens, cleaning is necessary.

There are two methods of cleaning woodburning pens. For routine cleaning, the hot cleaning method is recommended but, in cases of extreme build-up on the tip, the cold cleaning method may be necessary.

For Hot Cleaning:

1. Dampen a soft cloth with water.
2. Carefully, wipe residue from the heated wood burning tip.
3. Remember the woodburning tool will be very hot so exercise extreme caution to avoid burning yourself or causing fires.

For Cold Cleaning:

1. Allow the pen tip enough time to cool before cleaning.
2. Using a fine sandpaper (320 grit or higher), scour the carbon build-up from the pen tip.
3. While perfectly acceptable for bringing an older tool tip back into usefulness, this method is abrasive and will cause premature wear to tool woodburning tips so it is not recommended for routine burning pen maintenance.