Thread: What layout pen or markers?

Masking tape... draw to your hearts content, just dont leave it on for to long during summer.

Originally Posted by Poloris

Can anyone suggest a pen or marker I can use and remove without damaging the surface or finish? (Usually shellawax).

You can buy water-based markers for kiddies (easy to remove from walls, furniture, etc. with a damp sponge. ) and I find that these work alright if you sharpen the points with a razor blade.

I usually freehand most of my pieces, but I do use masking tape to define areas. ie. to "mark the lines" I'll be sketching between. I also use an ordinary marker on this tape to mark out guides for spacings, etc.

Poloris to burn on wood properly it must be unfinished, if you try to burn over a finish you will not get crisp detail. It smudges

To draw your patterns onto your turnings use a normal pencil as you can erase this easily when you have finished your burnings.

The lines are only a guide so if you do not follow exactly that is not a problem as you can erase them afterwards.

If you want to add color then use water color pencils as they work better than normal coloring pencils.

You can then add any finish you like over the top.

This is also the reason you leave the spigot on the base of the peice so it can be remounted back on the lathe to do your finishing or the other option is to leave it in your chuck and use the Woodcut Pro-Mont and have the chuck mounted to this while you do your burning as it rotates 360 degrees and you can set it at any angle and because it is still mounted in the chuck when you go to put it back on the lathe it will still be running true.

You can also buy oil colour pencils for colouring wood. The brand I have is "Walnut Hollow"

But that would be for colouring your finished pryography, not something that you would want to come off.

Thanks to everyone who gave me their good advise.

Jim you are certainly right about leaving the turning unfinished. The shellawax seems to absorb whatever I draw over it with, then smudges into the finish when I try to remove it.

I will sand off the finish on the the turnings I wish to sign, then reapply it with a buffing disc once I have used the pyrogaphy pen.

Thank you Poloris