Do you use sandpaper or other aggressive means to clean carbon off of wire tips? Raise your hand if at any point that’s how you were told to do it. 🙋♀️ Yep that’s me holding up my hand. I also used to use fine grit sandpaper to clean my wire tips and boy was that a costly mistake. You are not alone. It's easy to stop and shift course for the sake of your tips & pocketbook. Unfortunately bad information is harder to get rid of… this is my goal. A note right off the bat. I am not trying to shame anyone about their tip cleaning methods. Honestly, I think most people don’t even realize the harm they are causing their tips until it is too late. I am just trying to get the most accurate information out and help you to save a little money in the meantime.
HOW
How did this wrong information spread faster than a wildfire? Well, I went looking for just that. Where did the misinformation of using sand paper on wire tips get started? Upfront, this is a hard subject to get any real clear picture, all I can do is make educated guesses. The misinformation comes from many locations & sources, but at some point it became a bad game of telephone. From what I can tell, especially as the company is still currently doing it, the misinformation could have started as way back as 1979. The company claims that is when they started making the first wire tip burner on the market. Therefore that is many years & people spreading the misinformation.
Now, I don’t think it was just this company. Like I said this information comes from many sources, with the latest and fastest spreading culprit being social media. The only wood burning book I ever bought was in 2006. It recommended sandpaper to clean off carbon. This was reinforced when I bought my nibsburner and Alice echoed the same information. If you have read my wood burner journey post, I mentioned this very thing. So as you can see, I got the information from 2 sources. Two sources that I don’t believe meant any harm, it's just what they heard others saying. Later on Alice did talk more about a strop and told me how to make one. I made it in 2012, but was still using fine grit sandpaper until at least 2016… that is 10+ years of abusing my tips. By this time the damage was already done.
I paid for this mistake. In 2012, I spent over an hour on the phone with Alice learning how to adjust the trimmers in my nibsburner. It was running too hot on lower settings. Alice thought the higher heat was happening due to electricity fluxes. We were moving as Jason was retiring from the Army, so we (Alice & I) decided to wait until we moved to Flagstaff, AZ and get settled to go any further. I made adjustments and just kept burning. In 2015, I just couldn’t handle having to keep adjusting. I had taken the nibsburner apart at least 2 more times to lower the heat here in Flagstaff, but it wasn’t working. I paid $60 and Alice exchanged my base. Nope, still having issues and I had to adjust this one as well. I should have mailed her back my pens when I mailed back my old base. The answer was very clear but we just weren’t seeing it… it was my tips. This is why I spent over $1k buying new burners. I panicked and thought my nibsburner was broken and since Alice retired the company in 2016, I thought I was stuck.
New v. Old tips
On the left is a new interchangeable nibsburner spoon tip. On the right is the fixed tip / fixed cord spoon I used for everything. This is what it looks like now after about 8 year of lightly using fine grit sandpaper to clean my tips. Each fixed tip / fixed cord pen cost $27-$32 at that time.
(This tip was retired in 2016)
WHY
What are the main issues with using an aggressive approach to cleaning your tips? The biggest issues are metal removal and micro gouges. Sandpaper and other harsh methods remove metal; thinning and reshaping the tip. Each tip is created to burn a certain way. When you start taking metal off, it changes how that tip burns. Lower heat will burn hotter. You should never see any tip showing red any where on it at say a setting of 3-4. If you do, there is a problem. You have changed the thermodynamics of the tip and it isn’t heating properly. The micro gouges can cause the same issue. Both of these problems will also cause your tip to not glide properly on the wood & build up carbon easier. Build more carbon, clean tips harshly, build carbon faster, clean tips again harshly… see the pattern? Sooner rather then later you just killed your favorite tip and have to but a new one.
2016
This photo was taken in 2016. Cherry red like this normally didn't happen until heat seating 6. I lost all low end burning, meaning no light tones.at all.
WHAT NOT TO USE
These are the biggest offenders of killing your tips. These are not the only ways, just the ones I see recommended the most often.
Fine grit sandpaper
Tea strain
Wire brush
Balled up aluminum foil
Rotary tool polishing tip
Honing paper/pad
I do think that some people upgrade from a craft burner to a wire tip and unwittingly migrate their cleaning habits as well. Then they see in fb groups where others are repeating their same cleaning methods and the cycle continues. Let’s break this cycle together!
PROPER CLEANING TOOLS
We do have safe options in cleaning our tips, Yay!
Leather strop with aluminum oxide
Paraffin wax / canning wax
Denim with aluminum oxide
If you can’t find a leather strop that you like or isn’t the underside (fuzzy) leather; I’m going to tell you how to make one. This same method can be used with the denim as well. All you need is an old worn leather belt or old blue jeans, a scrap piece of wood and glue (I used hot glue). Cut the belt up (about a 4” piece) and glue the strip underside (raw leather) up to a piece of wood. If you are using denim, be careful gluing this down as the glue can soak through. In fact, consider cutting the denim twice the width of your wood and wrap it around pulling tight and glue underneath on the back side only. Now you have a handmade strop. If you prefer to purchase one, I will have a link down below.
My homemade strop. Unfortunately, I didn't have aluminum oxide to use when I made this, so this is why there isnt any white.
CLEANING STEPS
Strop & aluminum oxide method
(cold tip method)
The longest part of cleaning with a strop is how long it takes your tips to cool down and heat back up. Meaning this is a quick process.
1. Turn off your burner! This method is only done with a cold tip.
2. Apply a very small amount of aluminum oxide (AO) to one end of the strop. I use the powder version and it goes a very long way. If you have the block, rub it on one end of the strop. You DO NOT have to or rather should not reapply the AO to the strop every time you clean only when you see nothing left. If the one side of your strop is really white, you applied to much. Do NOT dip a hot tip directly into the AO and then wipe off on the strop.
3. Swipe your cold tip over the oxide that is on the strop a few times and then move to the clean area of the strop for a few more swipes.
4. Look at your tip. If you see black or discoloration, but run your fingernail over it and it is smooth; that is oxidation, not carbon. Don’t try to remove it as it is good for your tip. It will make it easier to clean off the carbon next time.
5. Once clean, turn your burner on and get back to burning.
Tip
If I am in a real big hurry, I will blow on my tip or wave it around fast to cool it off faster. My Optima tips already cool off very quickly, but other brands and higher settings may not.
Paraffin wax method
(hot tip method)
This method is great for ball tips. I also use it if I have heavy carbon build up from a dark background. Paper pyrography can also cause a larger build up of carbon. I have a block of canning wax sitting right next to my strop ready to go.
1. When I have a lot of carbon, I turn my heat setting to 9-10. This will very quickly burn off any loose material.
2. Then quickly with the tip still hot, dip it into the wax. If it is my large shader, I swipe it across the wax a few times.
3. I allow the wax to quickly burn off (1-2 seconds) and then shut off my burner. Turn down the dial to your original setting as a “just in case” for when you turn it back on later.
4. Once the tip cools, I wipe it off on a paper towel.
5. If there is stubborn carbon, I then use the strop method to clean off any residual carbon & wax. The wax loosens it up so that it only takes a couple swipes across the strop.
6. Turn your burner back on and away you go.
Down below I have a video on how to clean your tips safely.
Tip
You should see black carbon in your wax. More carbon build up should mean larger dots of black. Some people will do the steps 1 thru 3 of the wax cleaning and then turn the heat setting back to the original number and keep burning. I prefer to wipe off the tip first just in case, so I do steps 1 thru 4. Either way, always pay attention to where you hot tip is at all times!!
What not to do!
Only clean your tips when it is needed. If there isn’t carbon, there is no reason to clean. Carbon is a dark gray with texture. Sometimes it can be a really dark gray. If the gray is gone and running your fingernail over the tip feels smooth; your tip is clean. Don’t keep swiping over the strop.
Oxidation v. Carbon
Pictured here is oxidation. You shouldn't try to remove the black spots… let them grow to cover your tip. The oxidation is stronger than the carbon, allowing carbon to be removed more easily. I don't have a photo of carbon on a tip, sorry!
Aluminum oxide is a very fine grit polish and it can remove metal if you over do it. If you are using an Optima tip, you do not want to rub it down to the raw metal. This ruins the special finish it has that helps to repel most of the carbon. This can also inhibit that nice gliding over the wood action that others tips don’t have. The Optima tips can get a carbon build up with high heat or over time. Contact Pat about re-polishing your tip if you have removed the polish layer.
Do NOT skip cleaning your tips. This will affect the tips as well. As carbon builds up, you will find you have to raise the heat setting to get a similar burn tone as you had a while back. When you burn with continuous high heat over a period of time, you weaken the tip. This allows a tip to break more easily. This process of weakening the metal doesn’t take very long.
Do NOT burn cherry red all of the time. Turn your heat down. Only use the highest heat setting that is needed. I realize some woods are harder and require a higher setting to burn, so adjust accordingly. Lower your setting as much as possible and slow down your pen speed. A lot of times we are in a hurry for what ever the reason. Slow down and you will have a better final burn. With lowering your heat, you should find you are cleaning your tips less often. I can go for months without having to clean.
Additional information
Your strop will get dirty! This is completely normal. Even dirty, your strop should last you a long time. My strop will be 4 years old February 2021 and has plenty of life left. For me, I place the aluminum oxide in the center and use either ends to wipe clean. This is just my preferred placement.
I actually have to much aluminum oxide on my strop from demos. This will last for a while. I recommend using at least half of what you see pictured here.
If you buy the aluminum oxide in the powder form, don’t breath on it and blow it around. You can inhale the particles. I use one of my shading tips (cold!) to dip in the jar and remove a tiny amount on the end. I sprinkle it in a couple of areas in the center. This small jar should last a lifetime, only needing to be purchased once. Pretty good for a $6 investment. It really does only require a tiny amount for multiple cleaning sessions.
My most used Optima pens look basically brand new even though a few of them are over 3 years old. My 18S & 18M spear shaders have hundreds and hundreds of hours of use from heat settings 1 thru 7 (I very rarely ever use 7, but it has happened once or twice). They have only been cleaned as needed using the strop & wax methods.
Final thoughts
I have made the horrible mistake of using fine grit sandpaper on my tips based on incorrect information, and I have paid the price. I don’t want you to have to go through this as well. I have seen comments similar to, “Yeah I know. I will just buy a new tip. They break anyways.”. This really grinds my gears! It drives me nuts, like nails on a chalk board nuts. WHY? The tips don’t have to have a shorter life span. Tips should last years, not months.
An $8 tip having to be replaced once a year for 5 years due to abuse/breakage, has now cost $40 plus all of the shipping charges. It starts adding up. If you wish to burn this way, go ahead. You have the correct information now… the choice is yours. All I ask of you is to please stop recommending improper cleaning methods to others; unless of course, YOU are going to pay for their tip replacement.
If you take care of your tools, they will take care of you. I know the people I just mentioned have less burning experience, but bottom line it’s just a bad way of thinking. What bugs me even more is when these same people make videos showing burning with a cherry red tip & cleaning harshly. They continue to perpetuate this bad information further. Please dismiss that information, they aren’t the ones replacing your tips based off of their wrong cleaning methods… you are! Love your tips, care for them and they will help you to create your amazing art. Without them, well bottom line you just can’t burn anything. Is that really worth it?
Supplies:
Strop and aluminum oxide kit: https://mountainwoodcarvers.com/collections/woodburning-accessories/products/burner-tip-care-kit-5022-1224
canning wax: https://amzn.to/2X09Shd (can also be purchased at a grocery store)
Optima 1 wood burner: www.carvertools.com