Bamboo stinks.
I mean that literally, not figuratively. Bamboo is actually a fun wood to work with. But it stinks. Maybe it's just the type of bamboo I've worked with in the past. Maybe the bamboo I was using was coated in a protectant that gave off a foul stench. Or maybe time and use had given it an unpleasant scent. I don't know.
What I do know is, I've worked in bamboo four times now. And three of those times, it stank. The smell is, to me, something between a dirty wet rag and a burning water chestnut.
If you can get past the smell, though, bamboo is a novel choice to burn, extremely eco-friendly, durable, and yields quite a unique look.
I mean that literally, not figuratively. Bamboo is actually a fun wood to work with. But it stinks. Maybe it's just the type of bamboo I've worked with in the past. Maybe the bamboo I was using was coated in a protectant that gave off a foul stench. Or maybe time and use had given it an unpleasant scent. I don't know.
What I do know is, I've worked in bamboo four times now. And three of those times, it stank. The smell is, to me, something between a dirty wet rag and a burning water chestnut.
If you can get past the smell, though, bamboo is a novel choice to burn, extremely eco-friendly, durable, and yields quite a unique look.
Photo taken by Karina of Divergent Crafts.
In
color, bamboo is a rich ochre (a dark yellow-orange brown). It has a
close-spaced, pronounced, straight grain. It's very dense, very hard,
and naturally resistant to just about anything. Including heat.
Like balsa wood, burning bamboo can be a nightmare, but for exactly the opposite reason. What makes it so very useful in the kitchen--density and natural resiliency--makes it tough to burn. If you have a professional pyrography pen, be prepared to use a higher heat setting than you are used to. If you're using a craft-store pen, be prepared to spend a very, very long time on your project.
No matter what, it's going to be difficult to shade on bamboo. That heat resistance comes into play here, too; at first, nothing, and then, POW! a black scorch mark.
It takes a fair amount of practice to "feel" when that "pow" is going to hit, and getting the bamboo to show any values between Nothing and Black is tricky.
Like balsa wood, burning bamboo can be a nightmare, but for exactly the opposite reason. What makes it so very useful in the kitchen--density and natural resiliency--makes it tough to burn. If you have a professional pyrography pen, be prepared to use a higher heat setting than you are used to. If you're using a craft-store pen, be prepared to spend a very, very long time on your project.
No matter what, it's going to be difficult to shade on bamboo. That heat resistance comes into play here, too; at first, nothing, and then, POW! a black scorch mark.
It takes a fair amount of practice to "feel" when that "pow" is going to hit, and getting the bamboo to show any values between Nothing and Black is tricky.
Day of the Dead Sugar Skull (Calavera) cutting board, in bamboo.
I
know, I know, it sounds confusing! But for the life of me I can't
think of how else to put it! You're going to need to practice the
shading, and there's just no getting around that.
In fact, you might want to just stick with linework (like the cutting board to the right) and forget about shading all together.
The good news is, this wood looks gorgeous when it's done. It gives a strikingly rich black burn. The burned lines are slightly raised, but since bamboo is very hard to gouge, the finished design looks smooth and even.
Burning on bamboo is dynamic and dramatic, and looks, simply put, rich.
My
advice? Bamboo is great if 1) you're eco-conscious, 2) you need
something that will last (just remember to burn deeply!) or 3) you want
something very striking in appearance. Be prepared for the smell, and be
prepared for the burned fingers. But the end result is probably going
to be something you'll be quite pleased with.
In fact, you might want to just stick with linework (like the cutting board to the right) and forget about shading all together.
The good news is, this wood looks gorgeous when it's done. It gives a strikingly rich black burn. The burned lines are slightly raised, but since bamboo is very hard to gouge, the finished design looks smooth and even.
Burning on bamboo is dynamic and dramatic, and looks, simply put, rich.
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