Step 4 of the process
Tips and temperature
Each tip shape makes one kind of mark: an edge for lines, a rounded tip for writing, a flat shader for tone. Heat is set by test, not by number: start low and raise it until a steady stroke leaves a toast-brown line.
- Lines and outlines
- universal, cone or skew
- Writing
- flow, ball or writing nib
A kit comes with a handful of tips and no explanation. Each shape has one job. The universal tip, a small angled wedge, draws lines on its edge and fills on its flat. Rounded tips such as the flow or ball glide in any direction, which makes them the choice for writing. Flat, leaf-shaped shaders lay down tone. The wood burning tip chart shows every common shape with the mark it makes.
Heat is the second half. Craft pens are not calibrated, so a dial number is not a temperature, and the right setting changes with the wood, the tip and the speed of your hand. Colwood puts a toast-brown burn at about 700 F at the tip, and soft pale woods need less heat than hard ones. The temperature chart gives a starting range for each wood, for lines and for shading.
Then test. On an offcut of the same wood, sanded the same way, start at the lowest setting that marks and draw steady strokes, raising the heat a little at a time. Stop when the line is an even mid-brown and the tip still drags slightly. A tip that glides with no drag and leaves a black line is too hot. Wipe carbon off the tip as it builds up: cleaning tips explains how.
Ready to move on when: A steady stroke on scrap leaves an even toast-brown line and you can feel the tip drag lightly on the wood.
Common mistakes at this stage
- Turning the heat up to go faster instead of slowing the hand down.
- Setting the dial once and using it for every tip and every wood.
- Forcing another brand's tip into the pen: threads are not universal.