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 of their choice.
Time to move on.
Though effective, this method would have proven to be rather laborious as the poker would cool down very quickly at which point they would have to put it back into the fire. During the Victorian era (1837 - 1901) pyrography became a very popular art form. No longer did people use their fireplace for heating the poker as a better heating method had been developed. The new method involved heating a glass jar and using a particularly small bellow to push the hot air from the jar through a tube and onto the tip of the poker. The tool had a wooden handle to stop the heat from traveling up the metal and burning the artist’s hand. This method got the tip of the poker hot enough to burn designs into the timber. It was a lot easier and more practical than using a fire.
Professional pyrography
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.
Technology advances pyrography
Over the years the method of pyrography has changed dramatically but the
basic technique and method has changed little. Now there are very easy to
use electric tools that quickly heat to specific temperatures for different
types of timbers and effects. There are wires that are particularly good for
conducting heat and so are very conducive to this kind of work. Pyrography
is an incredibly valuable art form because of its attractive finished product.
The artist is able to decorate specific timber items with simple, easy to
execute designs and yet the end product is very professional.