Colwood Question

[GaryHanson]

I just ordered a Colwood unit with dual connections for an upcoming class that I am taking in a couple of weeks. It was a kit that included an interchangeable pen with several tips.

My question is do fixed tip pens work better than interchangeable tips? I have read that some woodburners work good regardless of the pen type. What is the best pen to use with the Colwood?

Thanks
Gary

[Eddy-Smiles]

I have never heard any one say that the fixed work better than the interchangeable. You may find some folks who prefer the fixed over the interchangeable for one reason or another and vice versus. I use the interchangeable because I can carry my burner and my entire collection of tips and pens in a minimum of space when I travel. So we me it's a matter of space savings and my Colwood Detailer has yet to let me down on any task I've asked it to perform.

As far as the best pen....It all depends on the job that you are doing. And even then some folks will prefer one pen while others another so there really isn't a good answer to this. It's best just to have a small selection of pens at your disposal so that you can pick and choose youself.

[Hooked on Carving]

What I have read and heard is that over time the carbon of the metal builds up on replacement tip burners on the connections and they don't burn as well as when they are first bought.

[Irish]

I have used my Colwood extremely hard ... through the production of several tutorials and one new manuscript that will be out next spring. One of my favorite, always on the table, pens is an interchangeable tip pen with a spoon shader. It has never shown any corrosion or carbon build up on the connecting plug. Works great and I can't tell the difference in burning temps or time between this one and my two permanent tip pens, a standard and micro writing tips.

With my razortip's interchangeable pen it's a whole 'nother story.

Susan

[Donna_T]

Likewise, I've had a Colwood for nearly 20 years--and have both fixed tips and replacable ones. I may not use it for 2-3 months, then will use it 20 hours in one week. So it takes a beating! So far, I've not been able to tell any difference in the working of the pens whether they are replacabled or fixed. I know there's other woodburners, but I love my Colwood. I use one main tip, I think it's an "F", for most of the work, but have 6-8 other tips for specialty work.
Donna_T