Choose the best TYPE OF wood to engrave with Febo
What is the best type of wood to use when doing solar pyrography with Febo? This is a question that you may ask yourself when drawing with the sun for the first times. Of course, both hard and softwood are engravable with Febo, yet there are some woods that are definitely easier to burn than others. Surely, soft and light woods burn easy and fast, being a perfect choice for solar pyrography beginners. We selected some of our favorite woods to engrave effortlessly and easy to find in most DIY stores.
Common woods for solar pyrography
Poplar
Poplar is characterized by a white and even color tone, a slightly greenish tint and an unobtrusive grain. Being a softwood, it is easy to engrave when hit by sunlight focused by Febo. Moreover, it is a cheap wood and easy to find, which makes this material a popular choice for solar pyrography beginners. A great alternative to poplar is aspen, which is slightly harder but still burns very easy.
Balsa
Balsa is another good option to start creating with Febo. This is one of the softest woods, has a light tone and minimal grain, which will make your design stand out. Also, balsa panels are cheap, and for these reasons this wood is commonly used to create construction models.
Basswood
This is another common choice for solar pyrography. Like the previous two woods it is soft, has a light color, and is still very cheap and easy to find. These things make basswood a perfect wood to choose when starting your solar engraving with Febo.
Pine
Pine panels are easy to find in many DIY stores and are unexpensive. This wood has a rough grain, which makes it a little bit tricky to engrave: its light parts burn very easily but the darker areas and knots take more time and patience. Also, it is quite sappy but maybe you’ll enjoy the smell of the resin burning like incense.
Beech
Beech is a semi-hard wood, so it may be a bit more difficult to engrave. Nontheless, it’s a good support for engraving, especially during hot days of sun. This wood has a light appearance, sometimes with a pink, creamy tint, making it a very nice canvas for your solar engravings.
Hard Woods
Of course, you can also experiment on harder wood panels. In fact, there are many beautiful options with incredible textures and colors. For example, birch, cherry, walnut, and oak are great for pyrography, though they need high temperature to burn and longer times. So, if you’ll ever decide to try Febo on these woods be sure to have a shiny sun above your head!
Cork
We have a soft spot for cork! Even though it’s not properly a wood, but a natural plant tissue coming from the bark of cork oak, this material is so enjoyable to engrave. Of course, cork is even softer than wood so Febo will easily flow on it. Usually you can find this material sold as trivets, that you can personalize to add a unique touch to your kitchen.
Logs, barks, Reeds
You don’t have to buy a wooden panel from a store when you can forage materials from nature itself. Using Febo for your solar pyrography projects, you’ll get to spend lots of time outdoors. So get inspiration from what nature has to offer! For example, use wooden logs, barks, branches or reeds as canvases for your ideas. Just check the wood is dry enough, because humidity doesn’t help with the engraving.
To sum it up, when using Febo to engrave on wood, the only limit is your creativity. Try many different woods and find the best wood for solar pyrography according to your experience! In any case, we suggest you to avoid woods with finishes or treatments, as they can release chemicals while burning. Also, very dark woods are quite hard to engrave and don’t create a great contrast with the burnt lines of your design.
Other than this, have fun engraving with Febo and share with us your creations on social media, using the hashtag #madewithfebo!
