Pyrography: learning to burn

Tonight, Tracy and I are trying pyrography, an activity (and rare opportunity) where it's actually OK to burn things.

In keeping with Bonfire Night – a celebration so unjustly eclipsed by Halloween and Christmas – we're burning wood. You can also use leather, bark or cork if you prefer.

For this workshop, we’re upstairs in a bar. The room is set out like we’re about to enjoy a homely dinner, but instead of colouring in the placemats, we’re etching our own designs onto some pre-chosen pieces.

Before each of us is some scrap wood, a chopping board, two flat spatulas and a hanging decoration of a heart – perfect for a partner or a pretentious Christmas tree.

Amber, our guide for the next couple of hours, introduces us to the craft and lays down the safety essentials.

What tools do you use for pyrography?

You burn the wood with a heated tool that’s electrical. To create your designs, you use a combination of intricate stamps and a blunt, rounded tool for free-hand drawing.

Plyers feature heavily as your bird-billed companion, twisting stamps tight and loose to change them, making sure you don’t singe your fingerprints off as you drop your used stamp in a glass depository. In this case, it's a repurposed Gü pot ramekin: the most delicious recyclable.

Initially we all put a different stamp in our tools and experiment with them by moving on one seat every few minutes, getting a feel of how each stamp moves across our piece of scrap wood’s unique grain.

Cracking on with design

Then it’s on to our own pieces. There are guides in the booklet provided, along with some tracing paper and charcoal.

It soon becomes apparent that some of us are more prepared than others. A woman across from me outlines her own elaborate lobster design while I sketch a bunch of onions based on a picture that I pulled up on Tesco’s website using my smartphone.

The wood’s grains can send your rod off in unexpected directions, which makes sticking to your brief all the more difficult. Amber interjects with some thoughts on tools you could use to perfect your piece as well as design ideas.

Though you do pick up these techniques as you go, shading with any accuracy proves tricky. That is to say my onions were mighty burnt in certain areas. I’d love to find out more about shading techniques, but that’s reserved for a more advanced class.

Tracy’s designs are beautiful and imaginative, making creative use out of the stripy triangle stamp. She's just amazing like that.

What did you think?

Like my onions, I’m thoroughly sweated by the time I get to my last piece. Nevertheless, pyrography is a fun way to unravel mid-week. The waft of burning wood is comforting, like somebody’s lit the fireplace for a cosy night in.

Wood burning workshops aren’t cheap, though. It sets us back almost £50 each, but the price does include a tote bag to take our creations home in and a drink at the bar. Rest assured, it’ll probably be cheaper outside London.

Tracy and I went to a pyrography workshop run by London Craft Club, held in Dead Dolls House, Islington. Take a look online for workshops nearer to you.

Interested in having a go?

I catch up with Amber after class to find out more about this ancient craft.

Why should people do pyrography? Pyrography is a great craft to get into because once you've learned the basics, your imagination is the only limit to your design! It's also a very durable and practical craft because, as long as you take good care of your finished piece, it will practically survive forever. It will never fade.

Personally, I'm drawn to it because of the charm of working with natural materials – every piece is as unique as the tree the wood came from. Is it best to start with a class or can you buy tools and do it at home? I would say that it is best to start with a class. Pyrography is a craft that requires specific tools which can be dangerous if used incorrectly.

You’ll be sure that you're getting the right safety information so that you can be confident that you won't have any accidents.

Of course, another benefit of going to a class is that you will get practical tips on achieving your desired effect from someone with practical experience rather than having to learn by trial and error.

Doing it this way lets you see whether you enjoy it before investing in equipment too.

What kind of costs are involved, particularly when you're starting out? Pyrography equipment is relatively inexpensive – a decent kit costs around £20-£30 – making it a very accessible craft. You can buy them from Hobbycraft, eBay and some local retailers.

After that, your only costs are materials to work with. Good-quality wood can be a little pricey if you're working on a big project, but wooden homeware is fairly easy to find at reasonable prices. You can start with something as small as a clothes peg!

The most important thing to remember is never to burn any treated, coated or reconstituted wood as it can release dangerous chemicals. What technical things should you know before you start? Safety information is vital. Careless use of a pyrography tool can cause very serious burns.

There are also a number of top tips to help achieve your design. These include which ends are best for making different kinds of marks and drawing as well as how to best take advantage of the nature of your tool in your design process.

I find that these tips are best learned with a tool in your hand and the wood in front of you. It means you can really experiment and practice as you learn, which is part of why I think going to a class is the best way to start. What is the most rewarding and the most challenging part of pyrography?

For me both the most rewarding and most challenging aspect of pyrography comes from the same thing: the individuality of working with natural materials. There can be physical variations in your wood, like grain and knots, that require special attention when you're working on your design.

I believe that every mark is part of what makes your finished piece unique and beautiful, like a fingerprint. Where can people go to see examples of previous work for inspiration? There are lots of places online to see other people's projects. Pinterest is full of fantastic ideas.

Current methods using the tool with interchangeable ends are very new in relation to many other crafts. That gives plenty of scope to be the person who comes up with something fantastic that has never been done before. It’s one of the most exciting things about pyrography. The only limit is your imagination and your artistic ambition!

Get involved! If you're doing any hobbies or activities that you want to share, post them on Instagram with the hashtag #gieitlaldyblog

#pyrography #woodburning #BonfireNight #ArtsandCrafts