Name Tag Using Wood Burning (pyrography) Technique

Pyrography (a fancy word for wood burning) is the free handed art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks resulting from the controlled application of a heated object.

Though it is very simple, here is a step-by-step instruction to make a personalized name tag!

Supplies

Materials required: Wood, a thread, glue gun, drilling machine, woodburning kit, varnish (optional), carbon paper, plain paper, a pen and a pencil, sanding paper of all textures, hand saw, tape

Pick a Design

Pick a design for your name tag that is practically doable.

Cutting the Wood to the Desired Shape

Take a flat piece of wood. Cut out the edges to make sure that the piece is a bit bigger than the chosen design.

Drill Holes on the Side of the Wood

Use a drilling machine to make two holes in the piece of wood. Make sure they are the right size to fit in the thread.

Glue Thread in the Holes

Use a glue gun to glue the thread into the holes. Make sure it is secured in place. Also make sure that the glue does not come out of the holes.

Preparing the Design

Draw the design on a piece of paper or print the desired design.

Prepare the Carbon Paper and Design for the Imprint

Place a carbon paper (carbon side must be facing the wood) on top of the wood, and then place the design paper on the top. Secure it in place with tape.

Making the Imprint

Trace the design, preferably with a pen as the imprint will be more prominent.

Prep the Wood Burner

An imprint of the design will be left behind on the wood. In the meantime, prep the wood burning tool.

Make sure it is heated enough. If it is overheated, let it cool down a bit, because the burn may be inconsistent at places.

Wood Burn

Once the tool has enough heat, gently trace over the design. Gradient shading (like in the picture) can be done by darkening the ends while leaving the middle part of the design fairly white.

*You can use different heads that comes with the wood burner to shade the surface to match your design. Change the heads before heating the wood burner or after it cools down.*

Remember not to press too hard on the surface as the wood burner will create black inconsistent dots.

Finishing Touch

Optional: Use spray varnish or paint varnish as a finishing touch

Voilà!

Here is the outcome of your efforts!

If you have attached the thread, you can hang the name tag on a door or some other place.