What is Pyrography?
Pyrography is the art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks resulting from the controlled application of a heated object such as a poker. It is also known as “pokerwork” or “wood burning”.
Pyrography means "writing with fire" and is the traditional art of using a heated tip or wire to burn or scorch designs onto natural materials such as wood or leather. Burning can be done by means of a modern solid-point tool similar to a soldering iron. Various tip shapes can be used for "branding" the wood or leather. Another tool, the “Hot Wire Tool” allows the artist to shape the wire into a variety of configurations, to achieve broad marks or fine lines. Two more basic methods include using a metal implement heated in a fire, or even sunlight concentrated with a magnifying lens.
A great range of natural tones and shades can be achieved - beautiful subtle effects can create a picture in sepia tones, or strong dark strokes can make a bold, dramatic design. Varying the type of tip used, the temperature, or the way the iron is applied to the material all create different effects.
Pyrography is time-consuming, done entirely by hand, with each line of a complex design drawn individually. After the design is burned in, wooden objects are often colored, sometimes boldly or more delicately tinted.
Light-colored hardwoods such as sycamore, beech and birch are most commonly used, as their fine grain is not obtrusive. This means the grain is not bold enough that it detracts from the design of the artwork. The light colors of these woods produce a pleasing contrast. Other woods, such as pine or oak, are also used when required.
Pyrography is also applied to leather items, using the same hot-iron technique. Leather lends itself to bold designs, and also allows very subtle shading to be achieved. Special vegetable-tanned leather must be used for pyrography. Modern tanning methods leave chemicals in the leather which are toxic when burned.
Pyrography is also popular among gourd crafters and artists, where designs are burned onto the exterior of a dried hard-shell gourd (a type of squash), usually with dramatic results.
Pyrography has been practiced by a number of cultures including the Egyptians and some African tribes since the dawn of recorded time. Hundreds of years ago pyrography as we know it was vastly different from the simple art form that it is now. The basic method was to get a metal poker and nestle it into the hot coals of a roaring fire. The poker would heat up to a glowing red. When the correct temperature had been reached the artist would then take the poker carefully out of the fire and apply it to the timber (wood) of their choice. In the early 20th century, the development of the electric pyrographic hot wire wood etching machine further automated the pokerwork process. Pyrography is also a traditional folk art in many European countries, including Romania, Hungary, as well as countries such as Argentina in South America.
The art of pyrography went beyond merely being a hobby. In fact, it was quite popular in the late 1800’s for companies to use pyrography on their furniture. The designs would be carefully burnt into the furniture and, as you can imagine had a magnificent effect. To find an antique item of furniture with pyrography on it today is a real treasure.