I've got a small one-time woodburning project for which I need to burn
about 20 alphabetic characters onto a chunk of cedar 2x6".

Got a little Weller burning iron. I've been trying to layout the
lettering using a pc printout and carbon paper. It doesn't layout
well at all.

If I had a solid (i.e. plastic or metal) stencil of the right size,
I could probably get it done OK, but I don't.

Anybody know a neat trick for something like this??

Thanks,
Will

On Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:44:02 -0500, Wilfred Xavier Pickles
wrote:


I've got a small one-time woodburning project for which I need to burn
about 20 alphabetic characters onto a chunk of cedar 2x6".

Got a little Weller burning iron. I've been trying to layout the
lettering using a pc printout and carbon paper. It doesn't layout
well at all.

If I had a solid (i.e. plastic or metal) stencil of the right size,
I could probably get it done OK, but I don't.

Anybody know a neat trick for something like this??

Thanks,
Will

Print out your pattern. Spray on some 3M glue and fix the pattern
onto the wood. Burn your characters and peel (or sand) off the
pattern. I use this method all the time with very good results. The
spray glue works better than white glue although either will work. I
checked, no carbon paper is sold in my town.

In article , wrote:

I've got a small one-time woodburning project for which I need to burn
about 20 alphabetic characters onto a chunk of cedar 2x6".

Got a little Weller burning iron. I've been trying to layout the
lettering using a pc printout and carbon paper. It doesn't layout
well at all.

If I had a solid (i.e. plastic or metal) stencil of the right size,
I could probably get it done OK, but I don't.

Anybody know a neat trick for something like this??

Use a graphics program (e.g. Corel Draw) to make up a mirror-reversed image of
the lettering. Print it out on a laser printer. Lay the paper onto the wood,
printed side down, and iron it. The design will transfer to the wood.

If you don't have a laser printer available, print it on whatever printer you
have available, photocopy it, and use the photocopy.

On Sat, 06 Jun 2009 08:00:50 -0400, Phisherman wrote:

On Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:44:02 -0500, Wilfred Xavier Pickles
wrote:


I've got a small one-time woodburning project for which I need to burn
about 20 alphabetic characters onto a chunk of cedar 2x6".

Got a little Weller burning iron. I've been trying to layout the
lettering using a pc printout and carbon paper. It doesn't layout
well at all.

If I had a solid (i.e. plastic or metal) stencil of the right size,
I could probably get it done OK, but I don't.

Anybody know a neat trick for something like this??

Thanks,
Will

Print out your pattern. Spray on some 3M glue and fix the pattern
onto the wood. Burn your characters and peel (or sand) off the
pattern. I use this method all the time with very good results. The
spray glue works better than white glue although either will work.

No spray glue. I'm testing with white glue. Takes longer than I
thought to set up. I wonder if spray polyurethane would work.

I checked, no carbon paper is sold in my town.

No loss: it doesn't transfer to most woods very well anyway.

Thx,
Will

Wilfred Xavier Pickles wrote:
I've got a small one-time woodburning project for which I need to burn
about 20 alphabetic characters onto a chunk of cedar 2x6".

Got a little Weller burning iron. I've been trying to layout the
lettering using a pc printout and carbon paper. It doesn't layout
well at all.

If I had a solid (i.e. plastic or metal) stencil of the right size,
I could probably get it done OK, but I don't.

Anybody know a neat trick for something like this??

Thanks,
Will

If you want some really tedious chores, print the characters onto a
clear sheet of mylar, cut out the characters with a fine Xacto knife,
then trace as a stencil. Or, just print the characters onto regular
computer paper. Get some graphite (like carbon paper) at a fabric or
art store and trace onto the wood.