Читать книгу Woodburning with Style - Simon Easton - Страница 23

Woods with a very strong grain can be difficult to work on: the heat of the pyrography pen can travel along with the grain against the intended direction of the mark. This means that a line may not appear even or neat, despite the best intentions and efforts of the craftsperson.

Soft and sappy woods, such as pine, can be a little tricky to work with due to the sap or resin contained within. The heat of the pen can make the wood weep a little, causing the pen nib to get clogged up or sticky. This does not mean these woods are completely useless for pyrography; it just means you need to exercise more patience while working on them, and clean your pyrography pen more frequently. Woods like this are often best suited to bold, simple designs rather than intricate artwork with a lot of fine detail.

MDF (medium density fiberboard) and similar materials should be avoided above all else! These materials are made of compressed wood fragments combined with strong glues or chemicals at high pressure to make something almost plastic in its characteristics. Most of the chemicals used in the manufacture of manmade composite materials can give off harmful or toxic fumes when heated. Of course, plastics themselves are also not suitable for pyrography.