Pyrography door plaque

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joiner_sim

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My next pyrography project follows my teaching book, as the first project after learning techniques is a door number plaque. This seemed a perfect project to replicate as my parents house still has the same computer print out on card in the window that I did for them over 13 years ago! So after a quick measure up of the width of one of their door rails that's just above eye level I looked for some decent timber to burn. After a quick scavenge around I found a piece of 19mm thick Beech, which just needed ripping to 75mm and cut to length at 150mm. Then with a 1/4" router and decorative cutter I moulded all four edges. Drilled two 3mm holes for the eventual fixing of the plaque- I imagine brass screws and cups. And finally to finish the timber prep I used sandpaper by hand to get a smooth surface- 60, 80, 100 & 150 grits.

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I did consider burning the numbers freehand, however nerves and maybe.... common sense got the better of me and I resorted to using the computer. After fiddling about and a few trial print-outs I managed to get the font size to correctly match my timber. I also used printer settings to turn the image around as if it were in a mirror as this is required to correctly transfer to the timber.

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I then used tracing paper and drew the outline of the numbers using pencil. Turned it over to display the number the correct way around and taped it to my plaque.

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Then to transfer I simply scribbled over the outline and the pencil lines on the underside of the tracing paper went onto the timber.

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Finally, with all the surface preparation complete I could start the wood burning!!! To begin with I outlined all the numbers to be sure I didn't loose my faint pencil lines and then I began to fill in the number using a "stipple" type effect with a thick pointed burning tip (wire type wood burners may know it as a spoon tip).

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Sometime later, it's almost complete....

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And then finally after approximately 2 hours & 30 minutes preparation and burning time, the piece was finished! (Well, I say finished... but it still requires a coat of Danish oil and has to be fitted to my parents front door - final fitted picture will appear in due course!) But for now, here's the piece finished with no oil...

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The end grain above looks very odd, but it must be camera trickery because the moulding itself is very smooth!

I produced this in-depth work-in-progress for anyone who maybe interested in pyrography, but maybe unsure of how to achieve decent results, not that my pyro work is anywhere near professional standard yet, just the fact these simple projects are good for beginners like myself and it's have been nice to have something like this for me to look at before I started.
Please let me know what you think of this simple door plaque and any other comments you may have, thanks!
 
That is really nice work.
Much better than something from a hardware store.
I am sure your post will be a good starting point for the less experienced.

Do you have any ideas for future projects?

Rich
 
That is really good, I did something along the same lines on a piece of framed marine ply for our house, only when on holiday the wife bought a ceramic number for me to put up,obviously my attempt didn't meet with her exacting standards. :(

Baldhead
 
Thanks for the comments!

I do have a couple of ideas for future projects, one of them being an idea I've had since I started this pyrography lark. And that is to make a box to hold the basic tools for doing pyro... I'm thinking large compartment for the pen itself and separate small compartments for the individual burning tips, a space for the pliers to change the tips, a section to hold pieces of sandpaper, pencils, rubber & ruler. All of the box would be decorated in pyrography....

Also I do require a better surface for me to work on (one that's still portable though, due to no workshop space at home) at the moment I'm just working on 2 scraps of ply. It would be far better to have just one bigger piece to hold my pen when idle and also have an extension lead attached to it maybe or at the very least some sort of power lead support as at the moment I find the power lead to be awkward at times and it feels like its pulling.... This would also be decorated in pyro around the edges... Maybe..... I currently use my base I have now to test temperature, tips and techniques before burning the piece if I'm unsure.

Those are ideas that will benefit me directly and you'd have thought 'd want to do them straight away.... But like most boys and their toys,all I want do right now is experiment and play! So I do have a short list of things I want do, mainly taken from my learning book Step-by-step pyrography by Bob Neil. These include:

Coasters - small items that I can pretty much practise any designs on.
Wooden spoons - again small item, the book suggest decorating handle and tip, I'm unsure of doing the tip, but might just do it anyway as a way of decoration!

The two above are cheap and easy to do as well, as I can just buy the blanks for what they are. I don't have a lathe either and have already picked up a set of 3 beech spoons for £1.50
Also on my list are small boxes and picture frames, which could be bought as blanks also, however as a woodworker predominantly I do want to construct those items myself and the ily thing stopping me maybe a lack of decent timber for now.... I have only a small stock of oak and iroko and have yet to test a burn on those woods. With them being dark also, they might not be the best! So when money permits an order of some beech planks will be placed I think which will allow me to continue making and burning!
 

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