Keeping your Edge
If your woodburned marks suddenly become lighter or your wire tip no longer glides as smoothly, the cause is likely carbon buildup on your tips.
As you woodburn, carbon naturally accumulates on your wire tips. Carbon acts as an insulator, reducing the transfer of heat from the wire tip to the wood. If left in place, it continues to build up. Higher heat settings and longer woodburning sessions accelerate this process, so how often you clean your wire tips depends largely on how you work.
How to recognize carbon buildup
One of the first signs of carbon buildup is that your woodburned marks become lighter, even though your heat setting hasn’t changed. You may also notice your wire tip dragging instead of gliding smoothly across the wood, or see tiny black specks on the tip itself. The sooner you remove the carbon, the easier it is to clean.
Removing carbon buildup while woodburning
Whenever you notice these signs, take a moment to clean your wire tip before continuing. You can use a soft, brass bristle brush or a piece of scrap denim to remove some of the carbon that is accumulating on your wire tip.
Before cleaning your hot wire tip, reduce the heat setting to about mid-range. This helps prevent the brass bristles or denim from scorching.
Your denim should be placed on a scrap piece of wood or on a heat-resistant surface such as a pyro studio mat. I purchased both my brass bristle brush and pyro studio mat from Razertip's online Pyro Studio.
Removing carbon buildup while your wire tip is cool and not in use
Even if you remove some of the carbon buildup as you’re woodburning, you’ll need to clean your wire tips more thoroughly on a regular basis to remove any remaining carbon residue. I use a leather strop and fine (white) aluminum oxide to clean and polish my wire tips. The leather strop has two sides: a rough suede side for cleaning and a smooth leather side for the final polish.
Aluminum oxide is a very fine polishing abrasive that removes carbon without scratching metal surfaces. It’s also commonly used as a final polishing step when polishing rocks. I use the Polly Plastics 1200 grit fine aluminum oxide polish to remove carbon residue from my wire tips.
How to remove carbon residue with a leather strop and aluminum oxide polishing powder
Using a reusable plastic stirring stick, I place a small amount (about 1/8 teaspoon) of aluminum oxide on the rough (suede) side of the leather strop.
I gently rub the cool wire tip back and forth, and side to side, on the rough side of the leather until the carbon residue is removed. Depending on the shape of the tip, I polish both its curved and flat surfaces.
Once the carbon is removed, I use the smooth side of the leather with a very small amount of aluminum oxide to give the wire tip a final polish until it shines. I then wipe away any remaining residue with a soft, lint-free cloth.
Material
Leather strop with soft (skin) and rough (suede) sides
Aluminum oxide polishing powder
Soft, brass bristle brush
Piece of denim scrap
Lint-free cloth
Plastic stirring stick
Nitrile gloves
What to avoid
Avoid abrasive materials such as sandpaper, emery boards, razor blades, or tea strainers. They can scratch, weaken, or permanently damage your wire tips.
Keep your edge—and enjoy every burn!
