Basket Illusions

Re: Basket Illusions

Don Evans

I'm not understanding what you mean by the curve is the facing the wrong way. Just turning the pen will change the curve orientation.

What burner are you using?

Several make fist tips.

Don

Re: Basket Illusions

Jerry Maske

The tip needs to go over the bead and down into the valley between them. Fish scale tips will lay the large part of the tip over the bead and make a really big burn mark. Standing them on end does no good because they are curved on the other axis.

Re: Basket Illusions

Harvey Meyer in Atlanta

You probably saw my video. Detail Master made the burning pen but they're out of business. After many trials and tribulations, I convinced Optima to make the pens. You can get the pens in either 1/8" or 3/16" from PJL Enterprises at www.carvertools.com. The 1/8" pen is 21AEF and 3/16" pen is 21BEF. You can get it without the "EF" extra foam, but I wouldn't recommend it. The pens are $31 each. You may also need a transition cord if your burner doesn't have the same plug configuration as Optima. He can set you up with that too.

Making A Fish Scale Tip

Doug Wolf

I found a web site that shows how to make a tip that looks pretty easy to get the exact shape you want.

http://www.edwalicki.com/making_fish_scale_tips.htm

http://www.edwalicki.com/images/step11.JPG

You can just leave it flat and not put the final curve on it.

Re: Basket Illusions

Dale Gillaspy

If you are going to order them from PJL, don't call them fish scale pens. He has other pens that go by that name that are actually shaders. You need to be specific as to the numbers Harvey outlined. Tell him you saw Harvey's video, and he will know exactly what you need. He is a small one man shop, so sometimes it takes him a few days to respond to you, but he is a good guy and will take good care of you.

Mke your own

D. Hansen

get some nichrome wire and bend it to the shape you want. connect to 120 volts and it will work. I think I got some on amazon.

Re: Mke your own

David Walser

get some nichrome wire and bend it to the shape you want. connect to 120 volts and it will work. I think I got some on amazon.

If you follow the link Harvey provided (www.carvertools.com) and click on the "Optima 1 Pen Styles" link in the left margin, you'll see a list of the pen styles available. At the bottom of the list are the "Basket Illusion" pens. You'll see from the picture that making these pens is NOT a simple matter of just bending some wire into the desired shape. I'm sure many of this group are capable of crafting their own version, but many more are not.

Re: Basket Illusions

Jerry Maske

Harvey,

Yes, I did watch your videos and enjoyed them very much. And I followed your link to get the right wood burning tip/tool. Called, had a nice conversation with them so I knew for sure we were on the same page and the pen is ordered. Looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I've tried every tip I've got and made a mess of things like you wouldn't believe. So, in the time between now and when the new pen arrives, I'm going to turn off all the beads and put on new ones.

I altered the process for putting on the burned spokes to do it with my index wheel. Works as slick as whale snot too. A lot easier than putting the lines on with a pencil and then burning things on. I made a flat top pen support the wood burner will lie on and do the same thing. Lot faster and one less step.

Thanks for the guidance and I'll let you know how things work out.

Jerry

Re: Mke your own

Dick Hines

Look at Molly Winton,'s web sight. She used to and may still make her own burning pens.

Re: Mke your own

walta

D. Hansen post may be the most dangerous bit of advice on posted to WoodCentral.

If you connect a random length of a random gage of nichrome wire to 120 volt you are likely get an electrical burn from your home made flash bulb with a side order of electrocution.

To prevent electrocution a transformer is required isolate the operator from 120 volt services ground.

Depending on the gage of your nichrome wire 15-25 feet of wire at 120 volts to avoid the flash bulb affect.

Most homemade wood burners operate a 12 volt transformer with a light dimmer to control the current.

Lets all be careful

Walta

Re: Mke your own

Jerry Maske

I was in the Navy for 20 years doing electronic repair, so I caught the danger in that post as well. I suspect that shorting a 120 volt plug with a piece of nichrome would do wonders for the circuit breaker. As long as the wire was lying on the work bench, you probably wouldn't have much more of a problem than a trip to Home Depot to buy a new breaker.

However, had you been holding the wire when you put power to it, you wouldn't have enjoyed what would happen. So, do it that way if you want to blow up your circuit breaker, burn your hand with the shape of the wire and run the chance of getting your eyeballs to go up and down out of phase.

Done some of that a couple times and it really isn't much fun. Does make for an interesting hair style.

Jerry

Re: Mke your own

Mike Brazeau

Years ago, this same site had plans for a power supply as you state with step down transformer from Radio Shack and a dimmer switch, actually had two dimmers, which would not work. The plan was eventually withdrawn. I removed one dimmer switch and added a mains fuse and made it work. Has worked well for about ten years. I use a pen I got from Lee Valley that allows interchangeable tips and custom tips.

Re: Basket Illusions

Joe Fleming

Graeme Priddle converts a car battery charger into a burner. If you search on his name, you can find several references. I took a class with him where he converted several for students. I passed. Then, I thought more about it and did it on my own.

His conversion is essentially what has been described here. The advantage of using the battery charger is that you get a nifty case and a meter built in if you wire correctly.

If you do it, make sure you thoroughly understand what is happening in the circuit. Nobody needs a fire, a severe burn or worse.

Joe

Re: Graeme Priddle's Wood Vaporizor *LINK*

Stuart Johnson

I think this is still a valid link.


Graeme Priddle's Wood Vaporizor

Re: Basket Illusions

Jerry Maske

Joe,

That sounds workable and I'll give it a look. My problem, however, isn't the power source. Rather, it's having a tip shaped appropriate to the curve of the bead. Optima makes them and I have one on order. Once I've tried it, I'll report back and see if there's more research to do. I suspect his will be just fine, but thanks for the advice.

Jerry

Nichrome is cheap

Dick Coers

Looks to me like they just flatten the nichrome and grind in the shape. A little file and Dremel work looks like is all that is needed. Might have to warm it up once and a while to anneal it, I don't know if nichrome work hardens or not.

Re: Nichrome is cheap

john lucas

I looked at one long and hard this weekend and it looks hard to make. You do flatten the wire but getting those sharp corners looks really tough. I may try it when I get back from Atlanta next week.

Monochrome "heat hardens"

Ken Vaughan

It becomes significantly more brittle after becoming red hot and cooling.

An observation confirmed but Molly Winton at a workshop.

Difficult to do much but grinding after heating without a marked failure rate.

Thanks Ken

Dick Coers

I've seen Mollie bend and wrap her wire when new in a video, your comment confirms why.

Re: Monochrome "heat hardens"

John C Lucas

Its been a while bjt i seem to remember it works pretty much like heating steel. If you heat it red hot an cool it slowly it isnt brittle. What happens is it cools pretty rapidly because its thin and then it is no longer annealed but kind of hardened. If i remember ill run a test when i get home today. I have lots of nlichrome wire.

Re: Monochrome "heat hardens"

Jerry Maske

Thanks folks, I'll be looking forward to how your nichrome wire tests work out. I used to do a lot of high temperature glass work and have plenty of element wire around that's about the same as nichrome, maybe a little thicker. So I have plenty to work with.

Yesterday I FINALLY remembered why you're not supposed to turn platters on the end grain. What a friggin mess. And it's hard Rock Maple too. Poured on wood hardener that actually soaked through to my work table. Tried turning and sanding today, made some progress, but I'll never turn on end grain again! Added a bunch of beads to hide the "ugly" and will do some design work on them once I get my new wood burning tip. One more thing to do while I recover from hip surgery.

On a prettier note, I turned a beautiful piece of Cherry Burl today. Terribly wet so I left the walls thick and will hope it dries evenly. I had a piece of Maple actually split while drying and I don't know why. But, a wet paper towel laid over the split and put the entire thing in a bag and the crack is healed perfectly today. Amazing what a plastic bag will do.

Jerry

what tools are you using Jerry?

Dick Coers

With shear scraping, you can get a shine off the chisel on end grain hard maple.

Re: Basket Illusions

Jerry Maske

Harvey et all. I ordered the proper wood burning tip and it works like a dream. Matches up to the D way beading tool perfectly. We've put several together and have them colored. So, thank you for your guidance.

I'm working on a platter with the design on both sides even as we speak. I liked your pattern for the edge; what you called a "Herringbone." It's not a Herringbone but it's a nice weave anyway. Took a bit of work with graph paper to get it sorted out but it's on and I'm doing coloring. Again, thank you.

In your video you commented on how some color markers smear. We've been doing some experimenting with them and have had different results than you did. The brand you recommended is a good one but they don't have a lot of colors. So, we did some tests with others from Walmart, including Sharpies and found that if you don't apply them too thick and put on a good coat of some sort of seal, that they do just fine. So I think the jury is out on which color source will work the best. And, as with so much other stuff we tamper with, test, test and test again.

I'd turned a large Maple bowl in Rough Turn to let it dry and it not only warped but it looks a lot like a football. And that's a red flag from my bride. She grabbed it and did everything I'd normally do on the lathe, but she did it all by hand. And she produced a lovely bowl to put a basket illusion on. No telling where that may wind up but she's already got a lid fabricated for it with the cutest finial with a basket illusion on that too. Can't trust that lady.

Thanks again for that great video and all your advice.

CU

Jerry

Re: Basket Illusions

Jerry Maske

And here's a picture of one that worked out pretty well