How would I begin simple wood burning as a hobby?

Yes Pyrography is what it is called. You can purchase the tool at Walmart for around $14.00. You could go to the craft store and pick up the soft wood to practice with. Now note the Walmart tool or the cheap tool bought from anywhere doesn’t have a thermostate so it will lose it heat while you are working with it. It is agravating at times cause you have to stop to let it reheat again.
Get a piece of wood to practice with to try the different tips and the amount of pressure to make it look the way you want it to. Don’t get discouraged, it takes practice. Start with something that dosen’t have a lot of detail for your first project.
If you are like me and can’t draw that well get a piece pf laminat or plastic, cover it with masking tape overlaping the tape, find a picture you like and put carbon paper under the picture on top of the masking tape with the carbon paper inbetween. Trace the design onto the masking tape. Once this is done remove the masking tape. Place the masking tape with the drawing on it onto your wood. You can burn through the tape.
There are a few good books you can get at the libary but the best one I like by Sue Walters. This book you would have to buy or get it as a loaner from the libary You would have to order it.
You might want to join a pryography yahoo club they are very friendly and can help you with any problems you might run into.
If nothing else they have photo albums with completed work and they might inspire and motivate you.
What ever you do don’t try working on a gourd first. These take extreme tallent to do becuase the outer shell is hard and once you break through it with the burner it becomes soft wood.
Here’s a link for a good pyrography group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PyrographicArtists/
if you’d like I am a moderator and can send you an invite or just go to the link and go through Yahoo to join.
Here is a link to a few great pyrography artists to inspie and modivate you with eye candy.

Joan’s Pyrography : http://art-burn.co.uk

DogWood Carving & Pyrography
Katie Greer, Dallas, Texas
http://dogwoodcarving.com

Pamela’s Pyrography
Pyrography Collection
http://www.picturetrail.com/pcarico

Free Art School
Includes Pyrography
http://www.freeartschool.com/

Carving Magazine
Includes pyrography articles and patterns
http://www.carvingmagazine.com/

Detail Master about $125.00 but well worth the money if you decide you want to do this craft.
Burner manufacturer
http://www.detailmasteronline.com/index.html

Razertip
Burner manufacturer & carving supplies
http://www.razertip.com/

get a fire pit?

You can get really cheap woodburning tools at craftstores, as well as blank pieces of pine to practice with. You can use the cheap one to see if you like it at very little cost, and if you do, then you can get better woodburning tools at woodworking specialty stores.

Also, it’s called pyrography, so that you know what to search if you decide you want to research it on the web.

Hi:

Here are some book on the subject you can at any bookstore or at your local libray if they have it:

Blue Ribbon Techniques: Burning and Texturing Methods
by William Veasey, Tricia Veasey (Photographer)

Woodburning: 20 Great-Looking Projects to Decorate in a Weekend (Weekend Crafter Series)
by Betty Auth, Katherine Duncan (Editor)

Burnt Wood Collectibles – Pyrography: The Burning Passion
by Richard Smythe, Richard Smythe

Amazing Art of Pyrography
by Robert E. Boyer

Wood Burning with Sue Waters: Rural Scenes
by Sue Waters, Joanne Tobey (Photographer)

Pyrography Handbook
by Stephen Poole

Basic Wood Burning with Sue Waters
by Sue Waters, J. A. Tobey (Photographer), Joanne Tobey

Learning the Art of Pyrography: Burning Images on Wood, Paper, and Leather
by Al Chapman, Leslie Bockol (Photographer)

Step-by-Step Pyrography Projects: For the Solid Point Machine
by Norma Gregory

Gourd Pyrography
by Jim Widess

Pyrography Designs
by Norma Gregory

The Art of Woodburning: 30 Useful & Decorative Projects
by Betty Author

Woodburning Basics
by Dick Armstrong

Designs for Pyrography and Other Crafts
by Norma Gregory

Complete Pyrography
by Stephen Poole

Step-by-Step Pyrography
by Bob Neill

Introduction to Pyrography: The Art of Woodburning
by Daniel Wright

Here are some websites:

nedraspyrography.com/Pyrograph…

http://www.firestarterpyrography.com

southwestwoodcrafts.com/pyrogr…

http://www.pyrography.co.uk

http://www.rockler.com/findit.cfm?pag... – 36k

carverscompanion.com/Ezine/Vol…

http://www.burnt-offerings-pyrography...

http://www.suewalters.com

for tools here some websites for it:

http://www.woodburning.com

http://www.azwoodman.com/books-pyrogr...

http://www.shopping.com/xGS-Pyrograph...

nedraspyrography.com/pyrograph…

http://www.geocities.com/mot@swbell.n...

http://www.amazon.com/PYROGRAPHY-WORK...

Also go to Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby an buy yourself a Wood Burning kit it will run you about 25 to 30 dollars get some scrap wood – practice some wood burning basic techniques – and it not as expensive as you think unless you doing a very big wood burning project . Then start drawing your outline and go from there. Don’t be discourage if you make a mistake Most mistakes on this are correctable Just learn from it. Okay

Good luck and my best wishes to you on this endeavor.

P.S: I hope to see you work feature somewhere. So go out and try it. You might just have the gift for it.

woodburning sparked your interest! YES! 10/10