Nib cleaning question

[Midnight Carver]

For Christmas I was lucky enough to get a Colwood detailer. YAY!!! I've been playing around with it a little, but had a question about keeping the nib clean. I noticed alot of posts mentioned using a strop. So my questions are: Do I just use a regular leather strop? Do I have to let the nib cool down before stropping or just as I'm working? How often do I need to clean it?
Seems like this will be a fun toy to play with, really looking forward to giving it a good test soon.
Thanks in advance

Eric

[WhittleBurner]

Nice gift! I use the same strop I use for my knives or micro fine sanding paper. I clean the pen when it start to feel like it's dragging on the wood or one of the edges goes dull if it's one of my sharp edged tips, I like crisp sharp lines at times. And yes, let it cool. It only takes a few seconds to cool down.

It's a feel you get used to as you burn more. Enjoy the new toy!

[Irish]

I also use a regular wood carving leather strop and rouge for cleaning. You do not need to work the tip back to a bright polish as the wire naturally takes on a gunmetal blue-gray tone with use. Just remove the carbon build-up.

Let the tip cool down before you work it across the strop. A hot tip is hot enough to burn the leather and melt the rouge ... plus it just plain smells bad.

Susan

[Midnight Carver]

Thanks for the advice! Another question popped up as I was playing. I got the replaceable tips, can I change them as soon as they cool down (seems around 30 seconds) and put a new nib in or do I have to wait awhile?
I played around for awhile last night, I can see why people enjoy this so much. I tried a little scene last night...I have a long way yo go ;-)

Eric

[Irish]

With Colwood's solid connections, yes, you can change out one tip with another as soon as it is comfortable enough the hold.

Susan

[Robson Valley]

Susan: would it be possible to use automotive finishing sandpaper? I have some 1200 and some 1500 grit.

[Irish]

Emery cloth is very useful for clearing off the carbon build-up! In fact I have even used very fine grit nail files with the foam core.

Just remember that what you are doing is removing the carbon that comes as a bi-product from burning on natural surfaces. Each surface tends to create that build up at a different rate.

Woods, in my experience, usually do not create a lot of carbon until you are in the high temp settings. Then it is the resin in the wood that causes the carbon. Paper mache tends to create a layer of grayish white ash at hot temps as do gourds.

So you want something that will clean without damaging the wire of the tip. Heavy sand papers leave deep scratches especially in your flat shader tips. One company sends along a metal scrapper thingie that reminds me of a kitchen knife rasp ... not good at all!

I use both aluminum oxide power and red oxide rouge on my leather strop. Strops and compounds are very inexpensive and well worth the investment to throw in your burning kits.

But ... if you want a super cheap and fairly effective cleaning surface ... next time you are in line at the grocery store ask for a brown paper bag!!!! Kraft paper, especially heavy weight as in grocery bags, is a wonderful fine grit sanding surface. I use small pieces, crumpled, to do the dress out sanding on my carvings. You can lay a small, 5" x 5", square on a flat board and drag your pen tip across it to knock off the carbon and brighten the tip's metal.

OOOPS ... do make sure that the burner if OFF before you do any tip cleaning steps. Leather, foam nail files, emery cloth, and even paper bags all burn nicely at low temp settings

Susan

[Winterkoning]

A tip from Sue Walters Australian [ World Famous Pyrographer ]

Suggested and I use it a Tea strainer....impress a dent when its upside down....works for me

Good Luck Regards Mike

[apburner]

LOL. I am an electrician and maintenance tech at a factory here and have been doing it for 35 years. i don't know where I learned it but I have been using paper to burnish metal as long as I can remember. The brown paper works great but in a pinch typing paper works too and post-it notes. It just take longer.
Steve