Home > Arrows and Arrow Making > Pyrography Pen
Pyrography Pen
Reviewed By Steve , 26 September 2009
One of the joys of archery for me is the making of arrows, the satisfaction of having an arrow that not only is matched perfectly to your bow but looks good is hard to beat.
There are innumerable products on the market aimed at the home arrow maker who likes to paint or crest his arrows. I do get fed up with coloured cresting though, a seemingly endless precession of arrows with different coloured rings becomes boring in the end.
I also find that although certain crest and feather combinations look fantastic in the quiver they can actually be a handicap whilst shooting, any arrow with a dark cap dip and dark fletches are tricky to see once they have left the bow. Great if you are a hunter, red is a popular colour as the Deer can't see it. Not so great if you can't see where your arrow has gone and need to take a second. My favourite combination is a white cap, white nock and 3 white fletches, these babies zip through the wood like tracer. I am convinced that shooting "tracer" arrows or at least arrows where you can clearly follow the flight path will speed up the learning of instinctive archery, it's like the flight path gets burned in your mind.
So you go to all the trouble of Cap dipping, staining, putting on a stunning crest in 3 colours and lacquering your arrows - you then go to a shoot, lets say an NFAS shoot - to comply with all the rules you must have your name on the arrow and identification as to whether this arrow gets shot 1st 2nd or 3rd, so you grab an indelible pen and scrawl away ruining the beauty of a set of arrows.
There is another option, use the information you must provide as part of the art of the arrow.
From my point of view this is perfect, I like simple arrows, I like arrows I can see in the woods.
So to be in keeping with my simple is best philosophy I purchased a pyrography pen, this one was pretty cheap from Axminster, but there are many others out there all ofering on pretty much the same principal. A brass nib is screwed into a soldering Iron like device which can be used just like a pen.
As Standard this tool comes with 6 different shaped nibs, each can be used to burn a different thickness of line, it comes too with a small rest so that you don't burn down the workshop. At the same time I purchased an extra pack of patterned nibs which cost around a fiver, so for £20 I am in the pyrography business !!
It's dead simple to use, just plug it in, heat it up and get writing. It does take a bit of practice to get the pressure and speed right but it does produce a very simple and clean finish, some of my favourite arrows have just one barred cock and 2 white fletches, they are finished with a simple band, my name and the arrow number.
Sometimes I find it useful to put all the arrow information on it, the weight, the spine, the shaft ( it could be Rogue River, Hexshaft, Pine, POC or whatever), I can number the arrow or even name it - I once had a set of Roman Generals and have made sets for people with the names birds of prey. I have never seen others doing this but I guess someone must, perhaps I just don't get out much !
| Rating | |
|---|---|
| Features & Design |   |
| A heating Iron with nib attachments, it is well designed and easy to use | |
| Performance |  |
| An excellent alternative to paint crests and if you shoot primitive arrows with this finish will make a simple and complimentary addition to your kit. | |
| Value for Money | |
| Cheaper than most models but with all the same features this offers excellent value | |
| Overall | |
| Fun to use, cheap and gives a nice finish | |
Steve Nicholson and Andy Gilfrin, are real archers interested in the best archery suppliers have to offer. In our search for the very best bow, arrows and equipment we have shot, used and worn pretty much everything on offer.
We value feedback from users and suppliers and are keen to hear from you if you wish to contact us about anything on the website.
Contact Steve .. steve@archers-review.com
Contact Andy .. andy@archers-review.com
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| Essential Details | |
|---|---|
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What : Pyrography Pen Price : £14.95 |
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Plug in Electric Wood Burning Pen.
Comes with a variety of intechangeable nibs.
Offers a nice rustic touch to simple arrows.
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Magazine |
Magazine
We were very pleased to give our support to the James Whale Kidney Foundation shoot which we cover in this months magazine. We were also contacted by Lars Pilø with news on the archery related finds on Jovfonna, and while we couldn't get out there ourselves Lars kindly filled in some background information for us.
A mixed bag this month, me in the South West, Geoff putting the record straight, a chat with Keith Stay and the wisdom comes from South Cox of Stalker bows.
We take a tour the length and breadth of the British mainland to visit Scotland with Border Bows, Yorkshire with Aidy Hayes, the Wirral with Jason from thelongbowshop.com, down South with the Company of Canterbury Longbowman, and Geoff is in Spain.
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Quick Links |
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Your Comments
Tell us what you think, do you agree with the review or have something to add?
Posted by: Eli Jensen on Dec 30, 01:54
Wow I’m so glad to see someone had the same idea. I’m just getting into arrow making and I cant really afford a cresting kit, and I like things more rustic. My idea is to take a different approach. I’m planning on getting a brass tube that fits over the arrow. I’m going to file out a nice design on the tube, and then put it over the arrow and use a butane mircro-torch. This should leave a consistant and rustic design on all my arrows.
Posted by: Steve@archers-review on Dec 30, 12:05
Eli, I like that idea, we would really be interested to see how it turns out so once you have done a couple please send in some photos, we are starting a new section to the website in the spring and would love to include an article about alternate cresting, your idea sounds perfect. I am a big fan of rustic arrows too.
Steve
Posted by: Phil Anning on Mar 11, 11:33
I bought this after reading your review and it’s great! Very simple, but you do need a steady hand. Having said that it even managed my curly writing. I like the simple, unfussy, traditional look. Fantastic value, buy one and try it.