Wood Burning Techniques | Trash to Treasure

Wood Burning Techniques | Trash to Treasure

I have another trash to treasure wood burning piece where I’m going to show more wood burning techniques! I found this old rusty wire buried on our property, so I decided to keep it and turn it into a new piece along with a poplar wood canvas, wood burning designs and a little bit of acrylic craft paint color. Watch me create something new from something old. 

Getting Started

I have a large poplar canvas that will fit the rusty wire piece perfectly. And it leaves a lot of room for me to sketch designs all around the wire for me to burn.

I really like the curves and pattern of the wire, so I’m going to freehand sketch designs onto the wood that mimic it. I don’t really have a plan for the designs, I’m just sketching and seeing what happens. You know how I like to experiment with my designs.

Once everything is drawn out, I’ll move onto burning the design.

Outlining the Designs

I set the wire aside. I need to burn the patterns, add color and varnish the wood before I add it back.

The first thing I’m going to do with the burn is outline with my Colwood Super Pro II. This is a wood burning techniques I always do when I burn. I like to outline all of my designs with a straight edge tip. It adds a solid border with a nice crisp line around all of the patterns. Then I can go back and fill in the patterns with a messier texture.

Filling in the Texture

I really love to use my lettering tip to create texture patterns. Adding textures lets me add in different patterns that add more appeal to the finished pieces. It’s an easy wood burning technique that allows you to get creative.

Adding Color

I’m using craft acrylics on this piece. I wanted a more solid light blue color to contrast against the orange rusty color on the wire. I grabbed a craft brush and started adding accent color all over the board.

There just needs to be a small amount of color. I don’t want it to overwhelm the piece.

Now, I’ll varnish the wood and seal it before adding the wire. I like to use Danish Oil for varnishing. I wipe on a couple of coats and let it dry.

Adding the Wire

I wasn’t sure how I was going to go about adding the wire, but I knew it needed to be stronger than glue. It’s not the kind of thing you want to fall off later.

You can buy those U-Shaped nails at the hardware store or online. Just make sure to look at the size of the nail so that it will fit around the item.

I grabbed the dark colored nails and used four total to fasten the wire. It was a little tricky to hammer them in, but I was gentle with. I also added a couple of dots of glue in random places for added protection.

All done!!

• 

• 

Watch the Video

FREE PYRO PACK

This FREE (and highly detailed) digital packet is overflowing with information for getting started in pyrography.

• 14 tools supply list – the best tools in pyrography
• 5 pyrography patterns to use in burning
• 2 step-by-step pyro projects with templates

I put together a digital download packet that highlights wood burning tools and projects perfect for pyro beginners.

“what burner should I use?”

“what’s the best wood to burn?”

“what are my safety options?”

“where can I get these tools?”

“where can I get pyrography patterns?”

“what should I burn?”