Wood Burned Picture Frame

I was at Michael's a few months ago and they had wooden frames on sale for twenty cents each. Needless to say I bought quite a few. I had bought a wood burning tool recently and I was dying to try it out. Wood  burning is now probably my favorite craft. I love the smell of the burnt wood and it gives pieces such a unique look. It's also mess free up to the last step, which is purely optional. This craft is great for busy lives, you can stop and start again easily. The art is called pyrography. Some people create amazing drawings with shading and such, but

This is a wood burning tool. Plug it in about 10 minutes before you are ready to start. Note the rounded tip that I use. I find it's the best one for drawing projects because it glides easily over the wood without hardly any abrupt stops. Now keep in mind this is a Walmart wood burner that I got for about $10. If you have a bigger budget, I recommend this one because it has a temperature gauge. When I get really good, I'm going to save up for this set which is way more intense and expensive.

Begin by stenciling on your design. If you have graphite paper you can do much more intricate designs. 

This was how my final tracing looked. I did the letters free-hand. That's why they're sloppy :)

Start burning by gently touching the pen to the wood and slowly moving it across the surface. Don't hold in one place too long because it will make a pit. It happens though, so don't feel too bad. 

There are two burning techniques. The first is just to fill in the letters or shapes top to bottom.

The second is to outline the letters and shapes and then fill them in. This is my preferred method. 

Experiment with patterns. Do every other shape or do them all. It's your project. (The place where the tips screw in is very close to the tip. You may accidentally touch it to the wood. Try not to--that's why my E looks terrible!)

This was how my burning turned out. 

You can end here if you wish, but I prefer a more unique finish. However for a day of gift or if you are short on time, this is beautiful as is.

Sand the frame to give it a softer look. It's not required, though. I used an average grain of sandpaper here. If you have it on hand, though, use the fine grained stuff that looks like a nail file. It's all black and only $3 at Home Depot. It is much less aggressive.

I got this stain from Home Depot. It's a beautiful color, but I recommend testing it on a piece of scrap wood. If you used maple, test on maple. If you use pine, test on pine. The colors look different on different wood. I've also experimented with a number of brushes. I like the sponge brush because of the way it makes the grain of the wood look. You'll see in the next picture. 

Apply the stain in an even coat. I typically think one coat is enough, but use your judgement. Try and start and finish off the wood to avoid stop breaks like I have on the bottom. As you can see, this color really brings out the grain which was hidden before. 

 Let it dry and then put your picture in! 

Let me know how your art turns out, and remember to stay tuned for the next project of the day!