[dproman]

Hi All,
I was wondering, does woodburning an area before you carve it help? In the case of my on-going dragonstaff project, which is Ash, would this help at all in smaller detail areas?

Thanks for any and all suggestions,
Dave

[AlArchie]

Not exactly sure what you mean, Dave, but I burn outlines on my staffs and canes in place of stop cuts. The fine burner tips, run deep and true and are easy to control on curves and corners, especially on cylindrical staffs, etc.

Al

[dproman]

Al,

Excellent! That's exactly what I mean. I wasn't thinking stop cuts at first, but I like the idea. I was thinking of burning deep shadow areas and then carve away some of the burned material. I guess I was looking for any easier way to carve Ash.
Speaking of fine burner tips, do you have any suggestions of what brand or kind of burner to use. I currently have the cheap 5-in-1 soldering iron/woodburner. I was looking for something with temp control.

Thanks,
Dave

[Pyrographer]

Hi Dave, there's been a lot of discussion on that subject if you do a search...at least I think you can here. Colwood and Razertip are popular among carvers and pyrographers. Optima and Detailmaster are also widely known and used. Pros and cons but depending on what you intend on doing with it you might have some things that are more important. Flat/gourd burners tend to like polished tips over non polished tips. Some prefer foam grips over cork. So, depending on what you intend to do with it you have to decide what will work best for you.

I'm a flat/gourd burner and I very much prefer foam grips and polished tips. Polished tips will not drag, accumulate carbon as much and are easier to clean. I prefer foam grips although my friend Orchid prefers the cork grip so that part is very much personal preference.

Nedra