What types of tools are needed?

As a kid, you may have used a “soldering iron” for your first attempts at woodburning projects. These old-time units were satisfactory for rough detail, but as the need for finer detail arose, new tools were created with sharpened wire tips that could burn much finer lines with more control. If you are a beginner to woodburning, you may wish to purchase a pre-packaged “starter tool kit” from your local craft or art store that includes all of the tips and points needed for woodburning, soldering, leather craft, stenciling, and cutting.

 

Solid-point machines, or burning pens, offer a variety of tip shapes that can cover a wide range of uses and techniques.

· Fixed tip units have the tip permanently soldered into pen. Look for a high-quality silver soldered “tip to pen” joint for the best possible electrical connection.

· Replaceable tip burning units have tips that unplug from the pen. A replaceable tip pen can be a less expensive initial investment if you want many different tip styles; however, it poses a potential problem in the future if the connections get loose or corroded. As a beginner, you really only need two or three pen tips.

 

Wire-point machines allow the artist to shape the wire into a variety of configurations, to achieve broad marks or fine lines. This time-consuming work is done entirely by hand.  

Branding Irons are custom tips or units that “brand” an image, logo, or name into the wood. A personalized branding iron allows woodworkers to mark their projects as originals, or repeat a pattern multiple times on one piece.