# Burning my 63" mahogany speargun? 8 questions.



## jerbee (Jul 9, 2012)

Hello, all! I'm new to pyrography, but not woodworking. There isn't a pyro section, so I thought woodcarving was closest. Hopefully some people on here are knowledgeable about this niche… I recently purchased a new JBL 63" solid mahogany speargun and would like to begin "tattooing" it. Before I get started on it, I have a lot of questions. Ok, maybe not LOTS, but I do have 6 (for now).

1. Is it OK to do practice burns on "regular" wood, or should I try finding pieces of mahogany to work with prior to burning my speargun?

2. Is it ok to stick with a 'typical' small wood burning kit on Amazon, or should I spend more on a 'laser' kit?

3. Depending on your answer to 2, what would you recommend I buy for my stated purpose?

4. Is there anything that I need to know that I might not be come across just through reading the tutorial guides on here?

5. Should I sand it down before working on it?

6. What should I use to re-seal it once complete?

7. What screw-ups are most likely to happen when I finally begin working on the mahogany speargun?

8. Other than screaming and raging, what should my reaction be to said screw-ups from number 5?


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## mpounders (Jun 22, 2010)

> Hello, all! I'm new to pyrography, but not woodworking. There isn't a pyro section, so I thought woodcarving was closest. Hopefully some people on here are knowledgeable about this niche… I recently purchased a new JBL 63" solid mahogany speargun and would like to begin "tattooing" it. Before I get started on it, I have a lot of questions. Ok, maybe not LOTS, but I do have 6 (for now).
> 
> 1. Is it OK to do practice burns on "regular" wood, or should I try finding pieces of mahogany to work with prior to burning my speargun?
> 
> ...


You can certainly practice on regular wood, but use basswood or poplar rather than pine. You want something that doesn't have such pronounced growth rings. But you should also practice on mahogany, to see what it is going to look like. Burning doesn't always show up that great on darker wood.

i don't know what you consider a typical small wood burning kit, but I wouldn't recommend wasting money on those burners that are like soldering irons. Lasers might be expensive for one that could handle something as long as your gun. I suggest something like a Colwood Detailer and a pen with replaceable tips. You would be doing your designs freehand but it gives much better control and results than the soldering iron type.

You would get better results and be safer if you are burning on bare wood. Lots of finishes give off toxic fumes when you burn them. No idea what finish would be suitable for a spear gun. Maybe fiberglass resin?

Sketch your design in pencil on the mahogany. Using a pyrographic pen is similar to using a regular pen. You adjust the temperature and the speed that you move it to control darkness. Buy a book on pyrography and do the practice burns. Try not to stab/burn yourself! You can erase mistakes with a knife/sandpaper to a certain extent.

I don't own a spear gun and have no idea what they cost. But I would practice quite a bit and make sure my skills and artistry would produce results I could live with before I decided to carve on a brand new rifle or start pin striping my car!

Here is a knife I did. I ordered it with a maple handle with no finish. I used a combination of burning and painting with acrylic wash and I believe I just used polyurethane for the finish. But I don't use it underwater! Hope this helps.


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