Wood Burned Letters

I made these for my sister and niece for Christmas (oops! I hope they don't see this before the holiday!). They are easy enough for beginners and look good enough that experienced burners will want to do them, too!

Needed:

Wood letters

Wood burner or Pyrography pen of your choice and tips

sander, sanding block or sand paper

Black or brown paint

Small gems or other embellishments (optional)

Pencil

Modge podge or another clear drying protectant

For my demonstration, I used a smaller letter. This might not be as easy to burn designs on the surface of a the larger ones, but they come out as well. First thing is to sand the letter smooth and sweep or wipe the dust off.

Use a pencil to draw on the design. Mine are Zentangles, and on the A and B I used tangles that start with the letter I was using. On the R, I used tangles that I liked and a branding tip (more on that later).

Carefully burn the design into the wood. Straight lines are easy with the universal point, but I recommend using a finer tip for the curves. Do the curves slowly for best results.

I filled one of my spaces with designs made from a branding tip. Make sure it goes straight down on the wood and all parts of the surface touch the wood to make a mark.

The edges will look stark after the face is burned, so I painted the ones on the bigger, thicker letters. Burning would work as well, but it was going to take a long time to do it on those and I wasn't willing to spend that time. I used brown, but black paint would be fine as well. I burned the edges on the R because it was smaller and easier. If you get a letter that has been laser cut, you can skip this step.

I added little gemstones in places I thought they would fit, but it started as a cover for something I didn't like. Don't go crazy with the embellishment, but a properly placed gemstone can hide a little mistake.

Since I used Modge Podge to glue down the gems I used, I covered the whole letter with it. When it was dry, I sprayed it with a coat of Verathane. You can do what you want or you can leave it uncoated. If you want to hang it outside, a coat of outdoor protectant is recommended.