|
Burnt Offerings
|
|||
 Next, the pencil design comes off. We lightly(!) use an abrasive Scotchbrite pad in a mandrel on a flexible shaft grinder to erase the pencil marks. Here’s the piece without the pencil marks. It’s important to do this now before the dark areas are added. |
 Scotchbrite pads come in a variety of abrasive grits. This is a medium grit (purple color). We cut small squares off and chuck them in a 3/32" mandrel. They'll become round very quickly as you use them. Be sure to place small washers on each side of the pad, or the pad will simply rip free. We use them at about half speed in a Foredom flexible shaft grinder. |
||
 Now we begin to add in the dark areas. We do this by using the other tip, with the tiny point jutting out the side. It’s important to apply the stippling in random patterns, rather than lines or circles, which look too regular and have an odd appearance. Also, we work on a small area, then move to another area to allow the previous area to cool. The wood near where the tool is burning these tiny stippled dots tends to scorch when the tool stays in one area too long, so we hop around a little. |
 Here is a detail of the tip we use for stippling (the tiny burned dots). Stippling produces an area with dark dots, and a wonderful fine texture. This tip was modified from a standard commercially availabe tip with small grinding burrs. This tip is quite sharp so it will burn tiny dots. We also use this tip to burn in our signature. |
 Here’s the finished article. Time for a break to rest the hand and the eyes. |
|
All
contents copyrighted © 2002 | Tom Sterling
Tom Sterling PO Box 1621 Coupeville WA 98239
Last Updated: Sunday May 25, 2008