Question for Lora Irish about Colwood

[GaryHanson]

Hi Lora,

I have just ordered a Colwood burner with two outputs. The kit comes with interchangeable tips. I have heard that fixed tip pens conduct heat better than replaceable tip pens. I have read your review of Colwood and was wondering what your experience has been.

Thanks,
Gary

[Irish]

Hey Gary ... Colwood has a firm, strong connection with their interchangeable tips that uses a heavy plug-in style end at the base of the interchangeable tip wire that inserts into the slots of the pen handle. They are very, very easy to change and I have never noticed any difference in the temperature of one of their interchangeables compared to their fixed tips.

The only other burning system that I have used, and do use regularly, is the Razortip. On their interchangeables the wire tips are held to the pen using a sodered screw, one of each arm of the pen handle. You open the screws, slide out the first wire tip, slide in the second, then tighten the set screws. I found this style to take more time and I went through several pen handles quite quickly because I was putting too much force on the set screws, bending the arms out of placement .... So for the Razortip, in my opinion, if you don't get the wire set correctly or the screws to the right tightness, your pen will not heat properly.

Irish

[GaryHanson]

Thanks for the input Lora. It sounds like interchangeable tips is the way to go.

Gary

[GaryHanson]

Hi Lora,

Another question. I just received your book "Great Book of Woodburning" and I was wondering what tips you would recommend getting for the projects in your book? I have a Colwood Super Pro.

Thanks
Gary

[GaryHanson]

Hi Lora,

I just received your book "Great Book of Woodburning" and I was wondering what tips you would recommend for the projects in the book. I have a Colwood Super Pro.

Thanks
Gary

[Irish]

Gary, I use two tips with every project ... a standard writing tip and a spoon shader. The writing tip is a tightly bent straight loop that is my line tip and the shader is a small flattened round that adds the tonal value shading.

Those two are my favorites and really all I need for any project with my style of shading. But pens are not that expense when you consider that they last forever so have fun picking out a few extras with which to experiment to discover which ones work best for you.

Susan