"PYROGRAPHY 101©":
ORIGINATION OF THE TITLE, BOOK AND ONLINE TUTORIALS
"Pyrography 101©"
is an original book and online tutorial that was created, written,
originated and published on this website in 2002 and in print in 2003 by
the artist and author, Nedra Denison.
Nedra Denison has been
recognized as the originator of the "Pyrography 101" title and should not
to be confused with other pyrographers who have recently started using
this title on their websites and videos.
ABOUT THE TUTORIALS
IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE PLEASE
READ THE TUTORIALS:
BURNING MATERIALS & SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS & GOURD PYROGRAPHY 101 & SAFETY
Pyrography
made easy! These
tutorials are just the tip of the iceberg. Check out
my books, "Pyrography 101: A Lesson in Woodburning", "Lifelike Pyrography from
Photographs" and "The Art of Pyrography: Taking Woodburning to
New Limits" for more detailed information and step-by-step instructions. These tutorials are intended to provide some basic
information for people who are just starting out.
"Lifelike Pyrography
from Photographs" was my first book was first published
in 2003. It was revised and reprinted in January, 2005.
"Pyrography 101: A Lesson in Woodburning", my second book was published in 2003 and
was revised and reprinted in July, 2005. My latest, and last
book, The Art of Pyrography: Taking Woodburning to New Limits" takes you to new limits with Pyrography.
Step outside the box and experiment with burning on other materials
besides just wood. All of my books have been on Fox
Chapel Publishers best seller list continuously since they were first
published.
FREE TUTORIALS....WHAT ARE
YOU CRAZY!
I started these free
tutorials back in 2002 when I created this website. Like my first
book, it was a
compilation of hand-outs I gave out in my classes as a means of giving
people something to have at home and keep as a reference as they began their
journey. After getting so many requests from people for information
on woodburning I decided it was
a great way to reach people who could not attend my classes and so I
started putting all that information on my website as a tutorial. As my
hand-outs grew so did these tutorials.
Some people said I was crazy
for giving away all this free information while most everyone else was
thrilled at having access to all this free information at their fingertips. A fellow in
our woodcarving club, who also teaches, said to me "why on earth would
people buy your book if you give away all this free information on your
site". My response to him was that I do it because I love woodburning and
want to share my passion with others. My goal has always been to help
people learn as much as possible about woodburning any way I can. I
knew that not everyone could attend my classes and I want people to have
the opportunity to learn and give them access to as much information as
possible to help get them started. I guess I'm not so crazy because
now many others have started offering free online tutorials. The
best part of these tutorials is that I can update them anytime which is
something that can't be done once a book is published. So, as as
something comes to mind that I have not included in these tutorials
already I update these tutorials giving you the best up-to-date
information possible.
These tutorials
will provide people with opportunities to learn more about pyrography,
including techniques, safety precautions, wood selection and preparation,
woodburning pens and their uses and more. I will also include some works
in progress to help you visualize how I begin and progress through a
project.
Some of the information in
these tutorials are in my books but the books are more like taking my
hands-on class
with step-by-step instructions that are not available in the tutorials.
Here's just some of the information you will find in the tutorials.
Things to consider when
buying Woodburning tools
I do not have a tutorial on
this subject for a reason, it's a complicated decision-making process and
everyone has an opinion. I have used just about every brand of
woodburner on the market and have sold three other brands in the past so I
have experience with just about every major player in North America.
What I have found over the years is that most burning units (the power)
are basically the same, they use a transformer. Some have a bit more
power than others. What I have found is that more power isn't
necessarily better because you don't need it. So I tell people to forget
the power and wattage claims of the companies and buy based on what you
need. Generally speaking as a pyrographer you will probably use
mostly the mid range on the burner anyway. The best burning is done
in layers rather than scorching it using a poker hot tip. Using the
lowest setting on the burner to accomplish the task is the best and
building on the tones to get the deep rich tones when you need it.
Things you need to really
consider when buying a unit are: The company's reputation, customer
service, reliability, price, and does the company make the pens that will
meet your needs. Most of these things will come from talking to
other pyrographers. Many will say their burner is best but how does
it compare with others. How does the company handle problems or
complaints. How do the pens perform...do they get hot or remain
warm. My chief concern when I consider a burner whether for personal
use or for sale is the "after sale service". If I have a problem is
the manufacturer going to bend over backwards to resolve my problem or am
I going to get lip service. Some companies put disclaimers on the
warranty such as "manufacturing defects". Well, what is a
manufacturing defect? I guess that depends on the company and
whether they really want to stand by their product and take care of the
customer or whether they just want to sell products and don't care about
what happens after. Dealers are just that, they sell the product but the
manufacturer is the one responsible for taking care of problems with the
tools. If they don't do that or are slow then you want to stay away
from them. How do you find out, well that's another story. You
have to ask others who have the product or the company you bought it from
and hope that they will be honest with you.
Don't get talked into
buying more than you need. One of the biggest problems with
dealers is talking customers into buying more pens/tips than you need.
Overall you can accomplish just about anything with no more than 3 or 4
tips. So, don't get talked into buying more UNLESS you really need them.
To get started get the basics (an all purpose shader, writer and my
recommendation of a round-heeled knife). I always recommend the most
versatile ones in each category and I strongly recommend buying only
POLISHED TIPS. You don't need 2 shaders so buy the one that will do
the most. The same goes for the others. In addition to the burner
and pens you MUST also have some thing to clean the tips. I
recommend a straight-edged razor to clean off the excess gunk and then a
strop and aluminum oxide to polish the tips. If you do this your tips can
last a lifetime. I have my original bent spear shader that I have
used constantly for almost 10 years and it looks and performs like one
that is brand new.
Over the years I have used
sold several brands and most I stopped selling for one major reason...poor
customer service or quality control by the manufacturer. I figure if
they don't give me good service what are they going to do for my customers
so I move on. I have consistently had great service and support from
Razertip which is why I have been selling it for over 8 years. The
burners perform well and while I have never had a problem with it those
customers who occasionally have had problems have had them taken care of
immediately, not 3 weeks or 3 months from now as some companies do. While
I have not been using or selling Nibsburner as long I have to say that
they are right up there in customer support and quality with Razertip.
Alice has been bending over backwards to take care of my needs just as
Razertip does and they understand the importance of quality service and
products.
So, I urge you to do some
homework when shopping for a woodburner and don't just buy because you got
the best deal.
Woodburning pen tutorials...The
Nibsburner, Colwood and Razertip tutorials provide you with a wealth of information
that can be used with just about any brand of woodburning pen such as
Optima, Detailmaster and Nibsburner. I have included a list of FAQ's for
Nibsburner, Razertip and Colwood.
You will also find
information on how to clean the tips, photos of some of the most
frequently used pens along with samples of some of the things you can do
with each pen. There is also a tutorial on the single temperature
(solid point) burners as well.
Safety...Anyone who knows me, knows
that safety is one of my pet peeves. Please do not rely on the
recommendation of other people without researching it yourself. Just
because people are expert pyrographers or gourd artists does not mean they are experts in
other fields such as chemistry, toxicology, etc. Please be safe and keep
pyrography a safe art form. Don't risk your health or that of others
in your household for a shortcut!
For help with burning on
gourds please check out my new
Gourd Pyrography Tutorial.
Classes...My
classes are not just demo's on how I burn. They include hands-on
instruction at YOUR level of burning. I spend time with each student
working with them on each project in a positive teaching environment.
If you are interested in taking one of my hands-on pyrography classes please check
out the events
calendar. Only classes with space available are listed.
If there is nothing scheduled in your area, please feel free to contact me
to discuss the possibility of scheduling a class in your area. I am
not teaching as much as I have in the past but I am still teaching from
time to time.
My goal on this site is to
reach out to anyone interested in learning more about pyrography and
provide them with some basic information. If you have any ideas or
suggestions for my tutorials please feel free to
email me. I'd love to hear from you
and I will be sure to give you credit for any additions that are used in
these tutorials.
Happy Burning©!
Nedra
Here's an email message I
received recently from someone regarding my free tutorials. She lives
across the big pond and was not a customer but the tutorials helped her
make some important decisions.
"I
was, and still am, eternally grateful to you for those precious free
tutorials. They alone prompted me to choose Razertip over any other
manufacturer.
Just think of it. A total newbie, knows nothing about woodworking,
starts to play with a soldering iron on wood and enjoys it. Graduates to
a DIY store single temp for a couple of months, then longs for something
more refined. There is a bewildering choice of manufacturers out there,
but where to start? Which to choose? What are all those nibs, whatever
do they do - manufacturers provide adequate info about their equipment,
but nothing on how to use it. Then she stumbles by accident (probably
Google) on to a website packed with information about burners and pens,
techniques and advice, written by someone with solid, hands-on experience
of woodburning, who obviously cares, and willingly shares that knowledge
with anyone who wants to read it.
Your tutorials contain, first and foremost, vital basic information. They
also provided all the answers, and all the guidance I was seeking. They
formed my choice. Your peers may have considered it nuts to diffuse free
info, but in my case, the above just proves the contrary!
So thank you again. And for recommending the new pen. With best
regards, Katy Spence"
"PYROGRAPHY 101" COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
No portion of the printed
book "Pyrography 101" or the web pages containing "Pyrography 101"
or "Gourd Pyrography 101 Safety Tutorial" may be copied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
in any form or by any means without prior permission of the publisher and
copyright owner.
Material from this site may
not be, in part or in whole be distributed, redistributed, published,
republished, copied, reproduced, altered or modified and sold or otherwise
made available to others in any form for any purposes whatsoever.
"Pyrography 101" is a
registered domain name owned by this website and the original author,
Nedra Dension.
"Pyrography 101" is
the original title of the book and online pyrography tutorial series,
"Pyrography 101" that was created, written, originated and published
on this website in 2002
and in print in 2003 by the artist and author, Nedra Denison.
Nedra Denison has been recognized as the originator of the "Pyrography
101" title and should not to be
confused with other pyrographers who attempt to use this title for
their own pyrography lessons or
tutorials
on their websites and videos.
The registered domain name, title of the book, it's
contents and
tutorial series, "Pyrography 101" are owned by Nedra
Denison and are protected under the law.
This page has been updated
on 3/1/10
