Wood Burning A Black Background

The following is a short tutorial for all you wood burners out there, on how to burn a black background.  There’s much more to it than just rubbing your burning pen back and forth all over (as I would have thought).  Read on and learn some tips on proper wood burning technique.  

Wood Burning A Black Background

Burning a black background is quite simple, but produces a lot of smoke and can add a few extra hours of work to a piece. The key is to be patient and take your time. (It’s also a good idea to use a respirator or work in a well-ventilated area.)

I use the Walnut Hollow Creative Versa-Tool wood burner and the shading point. Lay the point flat on the wood move it back and forth, very slowly, in small half inch sections. Working in smaller sections helps to hold the heat in the wood and keeps the point from cooling down too fast.

Go in the same direction as the wood grain if possible. Keep moving the tip back and forth until the wood gets very black then move over to a new section.

Don’t use too hot of a setting or you can scorch the upper layers of wood, causing irreparable damage. (I use the high temp setting on the Versa-Tool but other burners may be too hot on their highest setting. Experiment on a scrap piece of wood first to dial in the temp.) Just be patient and keep the burner moving at all times, keeping a soft touch. If you press really hard then you’ll dent the wood and bend the tip.

The burner will cool down a lot after a few minutes of black burning and you will see some carbon buildup as well. If you set the burner to the side and wait 5 minutes, it will regain optimal temperature and most of the carbon will burn off on its own. I usually use two burners and switch back and forth between them so I always have a hot burner ready to go.

Also, the type of wood plays a large factor in creating a nice black background. In my experience, it is almost impossible to get a good black on Pine. My preference is Basswood for making smooth, dark backgrounds. And as always, sand the wood until super smooth before burning.

Woods Commonly Used For Carving

• American Mahogany
• Apple
• Basswood
• Black Walnut
• Butternut
• Cherry
• Dark Red Meranti
• Holly
• Padauk
• Pau Marfim
• Persimmon
• Purplheart
• Red Alder
• Soft Elm
• Sycamore
• Yellow Poplar
• Zebrano

READERS’ COMMENTS

We have only one readers’ comment this time around.

spandexsplinters commented on my last post on Fitting a Baseball Hat on a Head and said: “This is super helpful! Thanks”

I‘m glad you found the information useful.  I hope more people did.

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Keep a sharp edge and keep on carvin‘!

Someone told me half of all car accidents happen within a mile of your home.  So I moved.