A Little Pot

Hi all,
I have been in a bit of a muddle for the last week. There are so many things I want to have a go at with my pyrography iron, but I found it difficult to focus on any major projects. Eventually, I made a decision, but then found that I hadn't got any suitable veneer left. I do have some steamed beech, but after doing the boat and the hares I've decided that it is much too dark for most pyrography work.

The veneer on the left is white beech and  the one on the right is steamed beech. By the time varnish has been added to the steamed beech the pyrography marks are not as distinct as I would like. So, if you ever want to have a go at doing some work on veneer, I suggest you use white beech.

 The veneer I use can be ironed on and be purchased in suitable lengths from ebay. I have been using the veneer by sticking it onto MDF which I got from B&Q. I had to buy a big panel which I cut to suit the size of the frame that I am going to use on the pyrography work. The results of sticking the veneer to the MDF are very good, but next time I'm going to buy a panel of plywood. It will be just as rigid, but will not have the health implications that come with MDF. I saw the stuff up and sand it outside but you need to be very careful about inhaling the dust.

Another tip I would give to anybody going down the veneer route is to visit your local charity shops before you start any work. In most of these shops you can buy very nice second hand picture frames for a couple of quid each. You get a cheap frame and the charity shop gets a donation, so it's a win win situation. If you buy the frame first you will know what size to cut your MDF to.

Anyway, while I was waiting for the veneer to arrive I decided to do something with my pyrography iron and went through the blanks I had available. One of these was as a small trinket box upon which I drew some dandelion seed heads. I then burnt then in with the pyrograph iron and painted the feathered end of the seed head with some of my wife's special paints.


I quite liked the results and the amazing thing is that it came together very quickly. Instead of taking days like some of my pyrography projects it was completed in a couple of hours.

My next project will be related to this one and if I get a few minutes I will let you have a look at the preliminary sketch that I will be doing for it. My biggest issue now is the weather. The days are getting warmer and that means it's time to set about the garden before it turns into a jungle. Between writing my books and weeding the garden, I expect the time I can spend on pyrography will be diminished over the next six months. Ah well, that's life.