Blog Archives

DIY wood burning

6/4/2021

Wood burn projects have always amazed me. They are so elegant looking and yet so rustic and natural. They seemed so challenging UNTIL I discovered you can use stencils & a heat gun to create your designs .

MIND blown!

YES you can have the look of wood burn but the perfection of a stencil.

There are a few different products on the market to use: Scortch pens, scortch paste, torch paste.
The struggle many have is that when using a stencil would need to avoid bleeding under, yet you need to be able to apply enough product to have it work.
Thanks to other crafty minds a wood burning DIY gel has been created (recipe below)!

Why a Gel?
Gel is thick enough to not bleed under your stencil yet thin enough to go through mesh if using a silk screen style stencil (perfect for multiple projects of the same design!)

Ready to DIY this mind-blowing wood burn gel?

Supplies:
Warm Water
Food colouring (2-3 drops)
Thick-it
Amonia Choloride

In a glass bowl, combine 1 Tbsp Amonia Chloride, 8 tsp Thick-it, 1/2 cup warm water and food colouring.
Stir well.

The food colouring is so that you can see your application as this gel is clear. The colouring will not affect your project.
Place in container.
This will make plenty of gel for your project as you use very little! You may wish to 1/2 this recipe.

A Tip we have picked up from using this gel. Over time it will turn back to liquid. To slow this process store your gel in the fridge.

Using your gel paste with silk screen stencils.
Just like paste, ink or etching cream the gel is very easy to use! Simply apply a small amount across your image & use the squeegee to remove the excess.
Remove and wash your silk screen stencil.
Grab your heat gun and start burning that wood. Be sure to move the heat around so that you do not over burn one spot. You will see the wood start to change colours-- more heat = more burn, less= less burn.
Play around and figure out the look that you want to achieve.

Bonus of wood burning... it's food safe! Simply sand your finished item gently and apply mineral oil over top. Grab a bamboo cutting board & give it a fun design!

We want to see your creations! Be sure to tag us @ChalkElegance on Facebook & @Chalk_Elegance on Instagram when posting your Burn gel/silk screen creations!