Brush Holder

Hi all,
For my latest project I created a present for my wife's birthday. I got her a few other things but she enjoys it when I put a bit of effort in and make her something nice.

She has recently been doing a lot of painting and she keeps her brushes in a glass jar, which always worries me because because of the fire risk. Now before you start laughing, let me tell you a little story. A few years ago we had a glass ornament that sat on our wooden coffee table, anyway, we came home one day to the smell of burning and found that there was a huge scorch mark in the coffee table. Apparently, the sun had shone through the glass ornament and it had a magnifying effect, which could have started a fire.

Since then I have been very wary of leaving anything glass where the sun can shine through it, and seeing as my wife currently uses our conservatory for a studio, the risk of a fire caused by the glass jar she keeps her brushes in is a risk.

So I decided to make her a wooden one with fretwork leaves, which I did some pyrography on. Here is the finished article.

It took quite a while to make this box and do the pyrography work because I was having to do it in secret. My wife doesn't go out much on her own, so I had to rush and do a bit when she was in the shower or cooking etc. Cutting the bits out between the leaves with my scroll saw was nerve jangling stuff because one slip and the whole thing could have been ruined. The leaves cover three sides and it is all made from a sheet of 4mm plywood and finished with a clear varnish.

Her face was a picture when she ripped the paper off and that made the whole thing very worth while.

My next task is another surprise for her and I hope to be able to show you that soon. In the mean while, if you would like to see some more of my pyrography work or find out about my fishing books please visit my website.

Paint Box Done

Hi all,
Sorry about the late post, my pyrography time has been slashed due to my need to decorate our bedroom. My wife pointed out, in very clear language, that we had been sleeping in a grim shit hole ever since we moved into the shambles of a bungalow 18 months ago. I had done the rest of the place up but somehow the bedroom had been ignored until recently when it became the centre of attention

Anyway it is done now so I have managed to get the pyrography iron out again and finish the box I started a few weeks ago.

Here it is.

I like the design although I perhaps could have put a few more primroses across the bottom. The key to this sort of pyrography is to always keep a contrast between light and dark.  The primrose flowers are light, so I purposefully positioned the leaves of the middle bunches of snowdrops behind them Likewise, I tried to make sure that the snowdrop leaves formed a dark background for the snowdrop flowers.

Although I drew the primroses on paper first and transferred them to the box, I drew the snowdrops straight onto the box to save time. Once the pyrography work was done, I gave the box three coats of cellulose lacquer and it looks great.

My next project will involve the scroll saw and some pyrography because I have decided to make my wife a present for her birthday. She is an artist and currently keeps her bushes in a big jar that threatens to set her studio on fire when the sun shines through the window.

Anyway, I have sorted out the design so now it is all down to the cutting and burning. I will show it toyou in my next post. Don't forget if you want to see a gallery of my pyrography work please click here to go to my website.