Читать книгу Woodburning with Style - Simon Easton - Страница 53

Once you feel you have practiced enough to achieve a satisfactory line quality you are able to create regularly, you can start to consider the other variables that can change the appearance of pyrography marks. See sidebars here and here.

Temperature is an obvious factor that can be adjusted readily if you have a machine with a thermostat dial. Experiment with drawing lines at different temperatures so you can see what qualities each has in their physical appearance. Too high a temperature will leave orange scorch flares around the edge of the mark. While you may be able to use these deliberately to your benefit in some situations, they do detract from the quality of the line in detailed work or lettering. One method I often use to cool a nib for a short period of time is to blow gently on it: this saves time waiting for a nib to cool down and allows you to work with a wider variety of potential marks more quickly than relying on the machine’s settings. It can also be very useful if your pyrography machine does not have an adjustable setting mechanism.

Pressure is another element with which you may experiment. While pressure can result in unsightly scorches or deep burns in the wood, you may also identify a texture or mark with a certain quality that is perfect for a design you work on sometime in the future.

Adjusting the angle of the pen or the nib will alter the amount or shape of hot metal in contact with the wood, and change the appearance of the mark. When a bladed nib is used on a surface, the length of the blade will give a straighter and crisper line than using the tip alone, due to the amount of metal in contact with the wood. The blade of such nibs can be used to cut through the figure of the wood where other nibs might catch or snag, ruining the quality of the line.

Using the length of a blade is good for long straight lines as the blade will cut through the wood and follow its own track. Using just the tip will allow you to change direction more easily and make curves or shaped marks.