Proper Care
and Use of Colwood Burners and Polished Pens and Tips:
Both Colwood and Razertip
polished tip pens do not
need annealing before use. It is unnecessary and NOT recommended to
use any annealing process. Just open them up and burn away
If you can turn the burner down and still do
the job – do it! Your tips will last longer, you’ll have more
control, you’ll get a cleaner burn, your tip won’t build up carbon up as quickly,
and it’s cooler on the fingers. The other advantage to burning at a
lower temperature is that you will have more control over your burning!
NEVER use
abrasive sand papers, etc to clean fine detail pens!!!!
If you have a question that
I haven't answered here, please
contact me.
Frequently asked
questions:
Q:
If most of the woodburning pens are made from a nichrome alloy why and
how is there a difference?
A: There are a lot of different 'Nichrome' alloys made,
and different annealing/hardness options for each one, so each company
may use a slightly different material/composition. The difference is also in
the processing of their tips. Every company uses a different method of
finishing their tips so the finish will vary from company to company.
Some companies only offer polished tips and some offer both unpolished and
polished. The polishing process also varies with each company.
The more highly polished involves a lot more work but in my opinion it
is worth it.
I started out using
a Colwood woodburner back in 1999 with the original unpolished tips and found that they grabbed the wood
and required more frequent cleaning. I also struggled with trying to
improve my burning techniques but became very frustrated at being
"stuck" in a rut and not being able to get past it. It was not
until someone recommended Razertip and Optima pens that I saw the
wonders of how great polished tips were and how much I could improve my
techniques just by changing from an unpolished tip to a polished tip.
Polished tips burn
smoother without grabbing the wood, remain clean longer and are easier
to clean. This is not just my hype to sell the pens I sell, it's a
proven fact. Just ask anyone who has tried two similar style pens,
one unpolished and one polished and they will probably tell you the same
thing.
Colwood has now started
offering polished tips and it has made a huge difference in their
performance.
Q:
There are so many pens to choose from how do I know what to buy to get
started?
A: Over the years I have always recommended people start with
just 3 pens, a shader, writer and skew. With these three tip
styles you can do just about anything. When I started using and
selling Colwood burners and pens they made some pens for me based on my
requirements and specifications, styles similar to what Razertip made
for me. Those have become my favorite pens and are now best
sellers. They include my all time favorite the E45 and E45S
(HD5MP/HD5MSP bent spear shader), 5XS, 5S, 5M and the new ball stylus.
While every artist has their favorites here are the pen styles I usually
recommend:
Shaders: E45 or E45S.
These are the most versatile shaders I have found.
Because of their shape they can get into the tightest spots. I use the
E45 for 95% of what I do, including fine detail work, fur, feathers,
hair, undercutting, etc.
Writers: MC or Ball Tip
#1 or 2. These were designed based on my specifications and I
have found to be the most versatile and the best overall performance.
The ball stylus will glide more smoothly over the wood than the MC or C
writing tips but both styles are very useful.
Skews: KR or GR.
I like these for their versatility. Unlike flat skews, the
round-heel makes them more maneuverable for doing curved lines. Of the
two I prefer the KR because it's smaller and more maneuverable.
My feeling is that more is
not necessarily better. If you can do everything you need to with
three pens, why buy more? I am not in this business to sell you
things you don't need, it's my goal to help you make sound decisions
based on your personal needs and budget. If you have any questions
that I have not answered here please feel free to
contact me.
When I started teaching
classes and doing shows I realized the need to offer starter kits to
make buying a burner and pens easier. Based on my experience and
theory of starting with 3 pens I put together starter kits which include
everything you need to start burning right after you open the box. They
include the most popular and versatile pens, my book Pyrography 101,
wood, tip cleaning tools, etc. Using the KISS theory, a few years
ago I separated the kits from the burners to make it less confusing and
a easier for you to select the starter kit that was just right for your
needs. With gourd artists incorporating more pyrography in their
gourds I have added kits with the gourd artist in mind.
Q:
Do you actually use Colwood woodburning tools?
A: Yes, The Colwood Superpro II is the burner I started with
many years ago. While I loved the burner I was not pleased with
the unpolished tips so I experimented with other brands of burners and
pens until I discovered Razertip. I started using Razertip and
until Colwood began offering polished tips and foam grips I used it
exclusively. I now switch between the two based on what I am
burning. I have used and tested every Colwood pen I sell.
Several of the pens Colwood now makes were developed for me based on my
specifications and needs. Such pens as: E45 and E45S and the new
Ball stylus. With Al's help they also refined their polishing
techniques to make the pens smoother and even better than before.
Q:
There is a model burner and some pens I want that you don't carry can
you get them for me?
A: Absolutely! I will have them drop shipped directly
from Colwood and at our discounted prices.
Q:
My pens are not working. The light is on and flickering but I'm
getting no heat, what is wrong?
A:
Often when you have a very tight connection the cord does not get
plugged in all the way. This is one of the most common things I hear and
the easiest problem to solve in most cases. Make sure your cord is
plugged in all the way by gently pushing it down as far as you can into
the burner and do the same thing with the pen side. If this does not
solve the problem call me or Razertip.
Q:
How do I know when it's time to clean my pens?
A:
While it is not set in stone, a good rule of thumb is when your
shading/burning starts to look muddy or you start dragging black carbon,
it's time to clean! If you burn on higher temperatures you will
need to clean more frequently. If you burn on materials such as
leather and gourds you will also have to clean more frequently.
Let your burning be your guide. Unpolished pens do seem to
accumulate carbon faster than others even at moderate temperatures. The tips made with a
polished nichrome alloy
burn cleaner and do not build up carbon as fast when burned at
moderate temperatures.
You will also find that
when you burn on certain materials such as leather and gourds or higher temperatures the tips will build up carbon
faster as well.
Q:
How do I clean my pens?
A: Great
question! I will address the proper procedure for cleaning
woodburning pen tips that are polished. For pen tips that are
not polished please be sure to check with the manufacturer for their
recommended methods of cleaning the tips.
If you tips are heavily
caked with carbon I recommend you start with a straight-edged razor or
the Razertip tip cleaner
and gently scrape off excess carbon. You can do this while
the pen is hot or after it has cooled. For the next step be sure
your tip is cool. Once you have cleaned off any excess carbon use
a strop
(leather or composite) with aluminum oxide powder.
I tend to burn mostly on
clean woods that are free of oil so regular cleaning with the strop and
aluminum oxide is all I need to keep my tips clean and carbon free.
When burning on gourds or leather I start with a razor.
How to
use the strop and aluminum oxide:
Make sure your tip is
cool. Add just a TINY pinch of aluminum oxide to one edge of the
strop and run the tip across the powder just a few times, then on a
clean area of the strop run the tip over the clean area to remove the
remaining powder and gently polish the tip. You need to do this
only a few strokes. I then wipe it on my denim jeans (you may want
to get a patch of denim to keep on your
work
area) to clean off excess polish. Remember your really just
polishing, so you don't need to try to remove all the discoloration.
These tips stay cleaner than many other brands so if you are burning at
a moderate temperature on wood you can probably burn longer between
cleanings. If you are burning on gourds or leather you will need
to clean more frequently.
If you need extra help
cleaning off carbon and using the aluminum oxide and strop don't remove
all the carbon, gently scrape it with a straight edged razor. That
should remove all excess carbon.
When burning on gourds,
leather and certain woods you will probably have to clean the tips more
frequently.
Remember that proper
cleaning maintains the life of the tips, makes burning easier and your
finished burning cleaner and keeps them in factory-new condition. If
you clean the tips regularly you will not have much difficulty
maintaining them.
Q: How often should I
sharpen my pen tips, and what should I use to do it with?
A: Usually, only once or
twice a year depending on usage. An overnight soak in oven cleaner can
sometimes take off heavy carbon deposits, but be careful that you do not
soak the brass or silver solder (read the directions for your oven
cleaner to see what metals it will safely clean). To determine if your
tip needs to be sharpened or "re-honed", examine your tips under a
magnifying glass. If the edge of the tip looks rounded or there is not a
well defined angle, you could probably re-sharpen the tip. BTW, over
buffing (using a "leather power strop" wheel for example) will
prematurely lead to the metal "rolling over" the edge, causing your tip
to get kind of a rounded edge. To sharpen your pen, use a fine stone,
(or if need be, 800 or higher grit wet and dry sand paper). Sharpen your
pen tips at a 30 to 35 degree angle. Do NOT sharpen them at a sharper
angle, as you will then carve too deep, and have problems in the
painting stage of your carvings. After sharpening polish with the
aluminum oxide polishing compound on a strop.
Q: Do I need to anneal my
pens?
A: Some brands do
recommend it but you should NEVER turn your power supply on high to
"anneal" pens with polished tips. This will just lead to premature
oxidation, and may damage some of the smaller standard style tips.
Our pens are ready to use right out of the plastic tube.
Q: My tip is a bit too
sharp and needs to be bent a bit more. Can I do it myself?
A: Yes, you can.
If you want to "modify" a pen, such as the Bent Spear shader, you would
need to buff the lower edge of each tip so that it is rounder using a
felt buffing wheel and buffing compound. You can then re-bend the tip
angle using a smooth-jaw pliers. It is best to bend it cold - just be
gentle and don't bend too quickly. Despite what some people say,
you should NOT bend the tips when they are "poker hot".
Q: How can I make the
tips last
longer?
A: To make your tips last longer:
NEVER use sandpaper of any grit to remove carbon. For best
results, longest tip life, reduced carbon build-up, and maximum comfort,
always use the lowest heat setting that will do the job. Burning at lower
temperatures will keep carbon build-up off of the tip in the first
place, and keeps the tips from oxidizing. Put your pens back into
their pen tubes after each use, a pen tip hitting the floor is the most
common type of tip damage. Stick a small amount of foam or Styrofoam
into the pen tube's cap if you are transporting your pen a lot. I have
seen our tips last over 10 years, when properly cared for!
Q. The tips on some of
my pens keep breaking, what am I doing wrong?
A: One of the most common
problems we hear about is this! This is a common problem with
people who are heavy handed, new to burning or use too much pressure on
the pens, especially if you have been using a single temperature burner
and upgrade to a detail burner. Keep in mind that you do not need
a death grip on the pen, lighten up on the grip and let the pen do the
work.
Q:
Should I get replaceable tips or fixed-tip pens?
A:
We primarily recommend and sell the
Colwood
fixed-tip pens and
some of the popular replaceable tips used by carvers.
Fixed tip pens are highly
recommended for flat and gourd burners who burn for longer periods of
time and do not tend to change tips frequently. Replaceable tips
are recommended for intermittent work such as woodcarvers use for
enhancing a carving.
Fixed-tip handpieces
operate cooler than replaceable tips. Also, because the tips are welded
in, they provide better control for more precise burning. Replaceable
tips require
regular maintenance to work effectively. Every 6-8 hours of use (or more
if the pen is malfunctioning) the tip should be removed, cleaned with
steel wool or Scotchbrite pads, bent at the back of each
tip post, and re-inserted so they fit as snug as possible.
Replaceable tips are
inconvenient to change and a non-welded tip can have bad intermittent
conductive properties between the nichrome tip and the brass carrier.
These conditions are high heat, electricity, and two dissimilar metal
alloys (a very bad combination for preventing corrosion). Colwood
replaceable tips have friction fitted "brass to brass" connectors, will
eventually suffer from corrosion, and have poor intermittent
conductive properties. Colwood replaceable tips are changed by
using a puller, a jumbo tweezer, which may be inconvenient.
One nice thing about the
Colwood replaceable tips is that when you use them the tip is the same
distance from the handle as it is in their fixed tip pens therefore
giving you more control over your work. The other advantage of
replaceable tips is the cost, which is considerably cheaper than buying
fixed tip pens.
Q: Some of my pens get
very hot and burn my fingers?
A: Because
our art form involves using heat to make images and detail, our
challenge is always to get as much heat to the tip as possible (good
heat) without that same heat building up in the pen and affecting the
fingers (bad heat). Every user has different needs and will therefore
have a different experience. Posting problems & possible solutions on
forums like this are great ways to share information and I am always
interested to see the many creative ways people go about overcoming
challenges. Handpiece heating is a much more complex issue
than most people realize, and there are many factors that go into how
hot your handpiece gets.
These are a few
suggestions to help ease the pain!
1. Don't hold the pen
close to the tip. When holding the pens, move your hand back
slightly away from the tip. The closer your hand is to the tip, the
hotter it will be.
2. Work at an angle.
Try working on a drafting table or one of our pyrography
tables. This not only keeps the pen cooler but it is more comfortable
and will help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.
Here are a few factors concerning the "hot fingers" issue:
1. Power and current.
Hot-wire tools are designed to operate with a primary voltage of around
115-117 volts. If your wall voltage is higher (say 120-125 volts),
you'll get more heat at the tip. More heat at the tip usually means a
hotter pen body. All hot wire burners convert the wall voltage to a
lower output voltage. Razertip power supplies drop the voltage to 2
volts or less. Razertip pens are designed to operate at 2 volts or less.
Some burners (i.e.: Detail Master and Burn Master etc.) operates at around 3
volts. This gives them more power, but can be problematic for handpiece
and cord heat. Razertip pens tend to get quite a bit hotter on the
fingers when used on a 3 volt power supply. They perform best on a
Razertip power supply. It is generally true that most pens will perform
best on their own power supply.
2. Operator technique.
Razertip (and I agree) always recommend using the lowest heat setting
that will get the job done - in other words, if you can turn the heat
down and still do the job, DO IT. In addition, hold your pen at an angle
so the heat from the tip can rise into the air, not into the pen body
and your fingers. Moving your fingers back a bit from the tip can
help sometimes, too. If you must use high heat settings for long
periods, I recommend getting a second pen and switching back-and-forth
when one gets uncomfortable. This will be easier on your fingers and on
the pen and tip. In the long run it will be less costly as your pens and
tips will last longer. Also if you ever damage a tip and need
replacement you have a spare to use while the damaged one is being
repaired.
3. Operator sensitivity.
Some people have very sensitive fingers. The original standard pens some
people would complain after a short period of time that the pen was
uncomfortable yet other people had no problems. Another
possibility is that I use a lighter touch with my pens and as I tell my
students, "you don't need a death grip on the pens". Let the pen
do the work, not your hands.
4. Pen/tip design and
construction. Detail burning pens are designed for finesse and fine
detail work. The
solid-tip burners, such as the Wall Lenk and Walnut Hollow are intended
for the heavy work and compliment a hot-wire tool or as refer to them as
detail burners. Different tip
types heat differently. Tip length is also a factor in pen heat.
The longer the tip, the cooler the pen. The thicker grip can help, too (see
below for information on removing and replacing the grips).
Testing has shown us that cork and closed-cell foam have similar insulative properties, with uncompressed foam
often performing better than
cork. However, some users grip their handpiece tighter than
others, and in compressing the foam grip, reduce its insulating
abilities. If you can loosen your grasp on the grip it may help.
Also when grips get old or have been used a lot they flatten out and
should be replaced. Most of our customers have indicated that they
prefer the foam grips, but if cork works better for you then go for it.
One word of caution, whether you use a glove, or cover the pen with
something to insulate it: don't let the pen get too hot or you may
damage it internally. Give it a regular chance to cool.
5. The handpiece cord can
also make a big difference. Colwood makes a standard
(super-flexible) 18 gauge cord for fine work, and a HD 16 gauge cord for
heavier work. The HD cord is always your best choice for hotter
burning and here's why - When burning, you have to consider two heat
factors: Ambient tip temperature is the temperature of the
tip when it's not in contact with the work surface. Working
temperature is the temperature of the tip when it is in contact with
the work surface (i.e.: wood). When you use a heavier 16 gauge
cord it is possible for more electrical current to flow to the tip,
resulting in not only more tip heat, but in faster tip heat recovery.
In order to burn at, say, 700 degrees operating temperature, you would
require an ambient temperature of perhaps 900-1000o with an
18 gauge cord, but only around 750-800o with a 16 gauge cord.
The 16 gauge cord will not only perform better, but will result in the
handpiece staying cooler for a longer period. However, it's a bit
heavier to hold, and there are times when a slow tip heat recovery is
actually desirable (certain shading techniques for example) and an 18
gauge cord is preferred.
6. Ambient air
temperature, humidity, and air movement can all affect handpiece heat.
Working in a hot, stuffy room with high humidity, your handpiece will
get hot faster than if you're working in a cool, dry room with a bit of
air movement. You might also use a small fan to "pull" air away.
Finally, there is always the possibility that there is something wrong
with a pen or tip. Contact Colwood directly if in doubt.
Q: I use a Burnmaster (or Detailmaster) burner and my pens get
too hot what can I do?
A: The Burnmaster
(and Detailmaster) woodburner operates at 3 volts instead of the 2 volts
that most other burners operate at. This means they have more
power (not necessarily good or necessary) and because of that many brands of pens may get hotter when when used with either
of these burners. You can do a number of things to help keep the
pens cooler.
1. Reduce the heat
setting on the burner to avoid burning out the pens.
2. Use a large grip
instead of the standard grip.
4. Burn at an angle
so that the heat is deflected away from your hand.
Q: How can I remove my
old foam grip and replace it?
A: Often you will
have to cut the old grip off a heavy-duty pen, The new one is installed
by wetting the front of the pen with a bit of soapy water, stretching
the hole in the new grip over a pair of needle-nose pliers that have
been dipped in soapy water, and then carefully sliding the grip over the
pen body. Watch out for the sharp tip!
Q. My burner
won't make a dark mark on wood until its set at "5" or higher? Why?
A. Colwood burners are
designed to give a very broad range of heat. The lower half of the dial
is used for waxes, plastics, or for detailing wood without leaving a
brown mark. The top half of the dial provides enough heat to scorch
wood.
Q.
Sometimes my burner works great at a certain heat setting, and the next
day I have to use a different setting to get the same burn. Why is this?
When the voltage from a
wall plug changes, the temperature of the tip will change with it.
Colwood
burners are set to
perform optimally at their rated voltage. We have seen wall outlet
voltages vary by over 20 volts. Wall outlet voltage can change depending
on time of day and demand on the system especially in some geographic
areas where there is a problem with low voltage.
(on the left) because it is
a bit smaller and the most versatile so I don't need to have more than one
blunt-heeled
knife. 
more
money! This pen is great for a lot of things. This is good
for hatching, cross-hatching, undercutting and so much more. It
does beautiful curved lines, calligraphy and can even be used on the
side for shading. Experiment and have fun!
version
I used when I started burning.
It is
H is pictured on the left. They are great for hatching and
cross-hatching; cutting, detail, fine straight lines. Some
people even use them for shading. 
chisel-type calligraphy pen for heavier writing. It is less
prone to digging in than most other calligraphy tips.
