First Burn

Phaeton · #1 02-28-2006, 10:03 AM

Hi Guys,

I got my new Razertip D10 from Nedra and oh-boy do I LOVE my new toy

The only thing I had carved was a decoy, they are not usually textured but I just could not help myself and I burned it...lol

Trails
Bill

Colin_Partridge · #2 02-28-2006, 11:02 AM

Looks like you and your new toy get along just great you did an excellent job on that decoy and an excellent job of burning.
Colin

Mottles · #3 03-01-2006, 08:26 PM

Hi Bill, good job on the burning and the carving is top notch. When I got my Razortip nothing was safe from my burning tips lol. Hope to see more of your work.
Kathy

Phaeton · #4 03-02-2006, 07:26 AM

Thanks Colin,
Many of the feathers look ok but there are many that look like Christmas trees, if this duck could fly he would be bumping into more things than the Windex crow.

Thank you Kathy
I ordered some thin stock to try my first pyrography and then I checked out many first attempts here including your "Pheasant, on birch panel" and you ALL really set the bar high.

Bill

Mottles · #5 03-02-2006, 11:00 AM

Bill, one thing that I did before I did the Pheasant is some practicing. I bought some thin birch panels and divided them into fourths--and just practiced the different strokes and heat settings. I also made a cross-hatched value guide recommended by 'Irish'. It's in this forum in the back pages will locate for you and link.
Eager to watch your progress and please don't hesitate to ask for help. There are some really good burner's who have lots of knowledge to share.
Kathy

jax · #6 03-02-2006, 10:58 PM

Bill,

Good looking canvas back....feather texturing is easier with a burner.... when I started carving decoys I did it with a knife... now I use the burner to texture the feathers....I believe that most decorative decoy carvers use a burner.

Jax.

Mottles · #7 03-03-2006, 01:01 AM

Well, here is a link to 'Irish's' sepia scale example. I also made one but can't find it and I know it's in this forum. Oh well her's is better anyway.
Pheasant On Birch
Kathy

Phaeton · #8 03-03-2006, 09:03 AM

Jax
I was not sure how much the texture would fill in when it was painted so I
used a setting of about 7.5 but a lower setting may have been better not to mention the pen got really hot, I have a full body Tupelo cut-out and when I feel more comfortable with the texturing I'll try again.

Thanks for the great tips Kathy,
The proper color for shading will take a lot of practice with different settings so I'll do that too before I start.
My Kodak EasyShare has a "SepiaTone" in the edit - fun effects, it looks like it may be helpful with the shading.

Would you recommend any special type of pen that would be required for this type of burning? I have the HD 5MP Shader and the HD 14M Round Heel Knife (medium).

Bill

Mottles · #9 03-03-2006, 10:51 AM

Would you recommend any special type of pen that would be required for this type of burning? I have the HD 5MP Shader and the HD 14M Round Heel Knife (medium).

Bill the pen that I use for 80% of my burning is the medium writing tip and my heat settings for this tip is between 6 and 7. I have the spear tip blender and it gets good use too. But I feel I have more control with the writing tip. We each develop our own likes for the different pens. I don't use my large skew all that much, but I'm going to give it a try on a relief soon.
Kathy

Pyrographer · #10 03-07-2006, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phaeton

Jax
I was not sure how much the texture would fill in when it was painted so I
used a setting of about 7.5 but a lower setting may have been better not to mention the pen got really hot, I have a full body Tupelo cut-out and when I feel more comfortable with the texturing I'll try again.

Thanks for the great tips Kathy,
The proper color for shading will take a lot of practice with different settings so I'll do that too before I start.
My Kodak EasyShare has a "SepiaTone" in the edit - fun effects, it looks like it may be helpful with the shading.

Would you recommend any special type of pen that would be required for this type of burning? I have the HD 5MP Shader and the HD 14M Round Heel Knife (medium).

Bill

Hi Bill, sorry I haven't chimed in sooner...been busy!!!!

Anyway, I usually recommend people start with a temp setting around 5 - 6 and go up or down as needed. Also if you have the dual unit check your temp at the low setting and see if that is ok. If not, you might want to adjust your low end setting before proceeding. You DON'T ever want your pen to get red and it's best if you actually layer your burn rather than trying to achieve the depth of shading all in one fell swoop. I keep my burner pretty much at the same setting 5-6 most of the time (except portraits I turn it down) and use my technique to get the "color" I'm looking for rather than upping the temperature. This helps in several ways....first you get better control over the burning and second layering gets the burning deeper and will help prevent fading over time. It seems that burnings that have been done dark with high settings fade faster than those that are burned in layers. I've used this layering technque for several years and while it takes longer I like the results better.

A very popular pen for duck and bird carvers is the quill-maker (5MC, 5SC). It's not used much by flat burners (non-carvers) but it used a lot by carvers and is a great pen. I had the 5MC actually redesigned for me by Cam to make the 5MP bent spear shader. Now it's one of the most popular tips. Unlike Kathy, I use the 5MP for 99% of my work. I started using it (or something very similar) about 5 years ago and use it for everything now...even the tiniest detail on portraits.

As Kathy said everyone has their own style and preference and a lot will depend on what your doing. Flat burner's and carvers do have different needs and that's why there is such a variety in pens.

I'm not a carver but when I do flat feathers I use the side of the 5MP so you might want to try that. It does a wonderful job and since the only differences between it and the quill maker is that the 5MP bent spear shader is bent at a 45 degree angle and is not sharp and the 5MC/SC quill maker is curved and sharp. Experiment with the 5MP and roll it in your fingers to get the curve in the feathers and see how it works.

Just remember that there is no right or wrong way, it's what works best for you.

Nedra