Power to the Pyrographer!
Your main goal, as a pyrographer, is to burn onto some surface in order to create the design or picture you desire. You maintain control over the burning in order to create your work of art. In this newsletter and website, you can see many examples of pyrographic burns.
There are many tools available that allow you to maintain control over a burn. Whether each burn takes the form of lines or some sort of shading, control of the burn is required.
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The main parts of all tools are the same. They all have a handle, or pen body, that can be held by the pyrographer. The end of the pen body holds a tip that is the heating element which actually creates the burn on some surface. The style of the tip determines the type of burns that you can do. You also need power to cause the pen tip to heat to a temperature sufficient to cause the burn. This usually takes the form of electric current in 'modern' burning tools. |
As a pyrographer, there are several things that you can control when burning: You can control the style of the tip, using one that will do what you need to do at any particular time. You can also control the pressure of the tip and the time it is left on the surface you are burning. This may cause a darker or deeper burn. Finally, you can, or would like to, control the power to the tip of the pen. Controlling the power to the tip allows you to control the temperature of the tip. This allows you to have control over the 'color' of the burn, from a slight golden to a dark brown burn.
When you want to change the temperature of the tip, you want the temperature to change as quickly as possible and to maintain that temperature while you are burning. The design of the burner you use will determine how well you can control the temperature.
Before I continue, you need to know that 16 AWG wire can carry more current that 18AWG wire. The lower the AWG (gauge) number, the more current the wire can carry. (See http://www.wiretron.com/nicrdat.html for more information on wire.)
All the wiring within the controller of the Optima 1 that carries the current to heat the pens is 16AWG. The wire running through the handle of the HD (Heavy Duty) pen body is also 16AWG. Therefore, it makes sense to use the HD 16AWG cord for burning with this system. That way the wiring is 16AWG from the source of the power to the tip of the pen.
Now, you may say that the 16AWG cord would be stiffer than
an 18AWG cord, and thus may get in the way of burning. Normally you would be
correct! However, the cords that are made for the Optima system use a super-thin
covering (insulation). Also, the wire itself is of the type that can carry more
current while being thinner than older type wires. That is why the Optima cords
are called Super-Flex! The HD 16AWG Super-Flex cord is actually more flexible
than most 18 AWG cords, and a lot more flexible than standard lamp cord (also
18AWG).
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Cord Size Comparison:
" The cord on the left is a standard
18AWG cord. You can see that the Optima HD cord is no
larger than a standard 18AWG cord. |
All this talk about 16AWG cords carrying more current means that more power gets to the pen tip; very little is wasted in the internal wiring, cords, and pen body wire. Power, when wasted, is heat where you don't want it! Therefore you won't find the cords or pen body of the Optima system getting hot - only the tips!
Since the power is not wasted, the temperature at the tip of the pen is more stable. Once you get the temperature set to burn a certain shade, the shade will not fade as you pull the pen across the surface of the wood or whatever you are burning. It stays consistent.
There is much more that could be said about how power affects the woodburning tool, or you as the pyrographer using the tool. It is hoped that this article provides you some needed information on this subject.
You may see the Optima 1 burning systems, and over 25 different pen/tips at The Woodburner. Also, there is much more information on the Optima 1 system.
If you have any questions concerning the Optima 1 System, please do not hesitate to contact me at Ralph@woodburner.com
Ralph Dulaney
The Woodburner.com
http://www.woodburner.com
Ralph@woodburner.com
Ralph started pyrography over 18 years ago. Besides doing
pyrography, Ralph has been an electrical engineer for a major engineering firm
for over 20 years. It is this combination that gives Ralph good insight into
how pyrographic burners operate. For a little more biography on Ralph, visit
http://www.woodburner.com/about.html