Beat Inflation With A Pyrography Side Hustle



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Finding A Profitable Wood Craft 

Pyrography, Woodturning, Intarsia, Marquetry, Jewellery are all crafts which offer the opportunity of generating a supplementary income.

However many of these crafts do not create a worthwhile ROI (Return onwoodworking ianclarke 1 Investment) both in terms of money and/or time spent.


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So lets look at the potential of each of them……

Click on the image to learn more about that craft.

Woodturning

Woodturning rev 1

Pros  High quality products which are useful and attractive

Can use recycled timber which is environmentally friendly

Cons Lathe is expensive to purchase

A dedicated workshop is required


Marquetry Intarsia

Marquetry and Intarsia

Pros Unique artwork which can command a high price

Cons Takes a long time to make and cannot be mass produced. A lot of skill and patience required

 

No useful purpose for the product

 

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Jewellery

Pros  Needs very little financial outlay or workshop space

Cons Time consuming and requires a high degree of skill and experience


 

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Pyrography rev

Pyrography

Pros Pyrography only needs a small financial outlay

Wide range of affordable products which can be customised

Only requires small workshop space

The skill required can be learnt relatively quickly

Cons You have to be careful about harmful fumes and burns

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So I recommend that the best craft to take up to generate a supplementary income is……

Pyrography title 2


This article is aimed at the complete beginner. More sophisticated equipment and techniques will be covered in a later post.

Maybe you’re not a ‘crafty’ person but still need to supplement your income by working from home. If so I would recommend this excellent article, which describes seven ways of generating cash.

So what do you need to start a pyrography business?

Pyrography Pen

There are two types of pen…..the solid tip and the hot wire tip. The former is cheaper and recommended for beginners. The latter is more expensive and is primarily used for shading.

Make sure that the pen you purchase is compatible with the power supply of your country……2 pin, 110V for the US and 3 pin 240V for the UK.

Recommended Buys for Beginners

Click on the image for further information

 

Walnut Hollow Pyrography iron

Walnut Hollow pyrography pen with variable heat control. 110V For use in the US

 

 


Weller 240V Pen

Weller WHK30 wood burning pen

230V For use in UK

 

 

 


Blanks

The best wood to use is basswood with willow and aspen as alternatives. Basswood is light in colour, readily available and has an unobtrusive grain pattern. 

Here are a couple of suggestions for the sourcing of blanks.

In the US

Wood slices45 Wood Slices from Arteza

 

 

 

 

 


In the UK

Wooden BoxAll shapes and sizes of blanks from Turners Retreat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Other miscellaneous items

  • Pair of pliers to extract hot nibs

  • Carbon/graphite paper to transfer designs onto wood

  • Rest for hot pencil 

  • Fine sandpaper to prepare blanks

  • Scrap wood for practising strokes and testing the temperature of the tips

  • Watercolour crayons

  • Tape, 2B pencil. craft knife

Aerosol can of varnish to enhance and protect your completed work

 

Patterns

Here are three ways to source patterns…….

1. Draw the design yourself. Be inspired by referring to images in books and social media

2. Buy a book on pyrography which includes patterns.

Pyrography books
All of these books are available on Amazon.

Note The patterns in these books could be copyrighted, so you may not be able to use them for commercial purposes.

3. Search on the internet for free patterns. Trypyrography patterns for beginners

This Pinterest board has a lot of patterns

Transferring Patterns

There are three main ways of transferring your pattern onto the blank.

1. The Pencil Method

2. The Carbon Paper/Graphite Pencil Method

3. Heat Transfer Method

Here is an excellent article on this subject, which explains the methods far better than I can.

Burn Safely

There are several hazards to avoid when burning wood,….. principally from burns and fumes. The following guidelines should be followed to ensure your safety……

1. Remember not to touch hot metal tips

2. Always use pliers to remove them

3, Work on a robust table

4. Clamp the stand, on which you rest the pen, to the table

5. Always place the pen on the stand when not in use

6. Use dry, well seasoned. non toxic wood

7.  Wear a P95 mask

8. Use a fan to blow smoke and heat away from your face and fingers

9. Wear thin leather gloves or rubber finger guards

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Using the Pyrography Pen

There is no better way to learn the art of burning than by watching videos and practising the various techniques yourself. These two videos are aimed at the complete beginner…..

How To Wood Burn …..The Basics

Learn How To Wood Burn In 5 Minutes

There are many other pyrography videos on YouTube. Search other videos to fill in the gaps in your knowledge.

Take a look at Jannie’s  Top 5 Wood Burning Techniques  if you prefer a text tutorial.

Adding Colour

Watercolour pencilsYou can use watercolour pencils to enhance your design. Always add colour after you have completed burning. 

The crayon can be moistened to blend the colours.

Take a look at this video……

How To Add Color To Wood Burning


Suggestions for saleable items 

Candle Holder title

Coasters title

Bookmark title 1

Spoon 3

Jewellery title

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Where To Sell Your Products

If you are just starting your pyrography business you may be tempted to promote your products on sites like Etsy, Not On The High Street and Facebook Market Place/eBay.

However, initially, I would advise you to sell your products locally using a number of different methods….fliers, local publications, shop windows, business cards…..

There are several reasons for this approach…..

  • Minimal delivery costs without the risk of damaging the order.

  • Face to face contact with the customer to discuss how your product can be customised.

  • No fees payable to intermediaries

Evan and Katelyn have made a video in collaboration with Woodworking Edge calledHow To Sell Handmade Products’ which describes how they market their wares. You can visit their website here.

My Pinterest board on Pyrography has lots of original ideas and ways of applying different techniques.

You may like to read some of my other posts….

Wood Crafts…..Exciting Hobbies and Opportunities

Intarsia – An Introduction To This Exciting Craft

 

Quality Wellness Products at Affordable Prices

Down rev

 

Highest Quality

Also An Outstanding Business Opportunity 

Down revat
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Ian

I have always loved wood crafts. In my teens it was model gliders, ships in bottles, puppets, wooden toys.... Then I had to earn a crust and became a civil engineer designing and building bridges, motorways, schools...until I became a video producer. On retiring I started making dolls houses but now I am a blogger concentrating on my love of wood.

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