Choosing your Woodburner
I discovered pyrography while searching for a way to draw on wood. Standing in the aisle of my local craft store, I found two very different woodburners. One looked like a soldering iron, while the other featured a small control unit connected to a lightweight, pen-like handle.
The kit included four different wire tips, giving me plenty to experiment with as I learned the basics of woodburning.
The pen-style woodburner felt much more comfortable in my hand, so despite the higher price, it quickly became my choice.
The soldering iron style used interchangeable solid nibs, while the pen-style woodburner featured replaceable wire tips. Both were manufactured by Walnut Hollow, and I ultimately chose the Creative Woodburner.
It was only after I purchased my first woodburner that I began to view videos on how to woodburn. That’s when I realized that there were more woodburners to choose from than what’s available at local craft stores.
Wire tips versus solid nibs
The woodburner you choose will depend on whether you prefer using a wire tip or a solid nib for woodburning. Wire tips heat up and cool down within seconds, while solid nibs can take several minutes.
Fixed pens or pens with replaceable wire tips
If you choose a wire-tip woodburner, you’ll also need to decide whether you prefer fixed pens or pens with replaceable wire tips. With the fixed pen option, you simply switch out the pen each time you want to use a different wire tip. You therefore need to purchase a separate pen for each wire tip you want to use.
If you prefer to use a pen with replaceable wire tips, you can opt for the ones that snap in with two prongs or those that are screwed in at the end of the pen.
I like the simplicity of switching out a pen without having to manage wire tips, hot or cold. If you want to customize your own wire tips, the pen with replaceable wire tips is your best option.
After experimenting with the Walnut Hollow Creative Woodburner for about a year, I bought a professional woodburner.
My first woodburner taught me the basics while giving me time to explore online resources, watch other pyrography artists, and build my confidence. Before long, I was hooked on woodburning!
I was ready to experiment with a woodburner that offered more precise heat settings and a wider selection of wire tips. With my first woodburner, I had to snap the wire tips in and out. This time, I wanted to invest in a dual woodburner with a fixed pen for each wire tip I wanted to use. I also wanted to have two pens at the ready with the flick of a switch.
Choosing the right features
There are many excellent woodburners available today, each with its own features and advantages. Rather than focusing on a particular brand, I recommend considering the features that matter most to you—such as heat stability, ergonomics, the type of wire tips available, and whether you prefer a single or dual-pen system.
There are many helpful reviews available online that compare different woodburners and pen options. Although price wasn’t one of my deciding factors, many woodburners are quite affordable, and several manufacturers offer starter kits for beginners.
Read my blog on woodburning techniques and choosing wire tips.
Razertip woodburners
After comparing the options available at the time, I chose a Razertip woodburner because it offered the features that mattered most to me. I purchased Razertip’s SS-D10 dual-pen woodburner along with several standard fixed-tip pens. Purchasing a woodburner that offers good heat stability can be an advantage when it comes to producing consistent woodburning marks.
A year later, I also bought the Razertip SK (a single pen woodburner) and a few heavy-duty, fixed-tip pens. I use the SK with a fixed-tip pen that Razertip designed for me. The tip is customized with my business name. I find it more convenient to brand the back of my products with this customized tip than to woodburn each letter of my business name individually.
The best woodburner is the one that inspires you to keep creating.
