Wire Nib Burner vs Solid Point Burner | Their Uses and the difference between the two

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Written by Jared Watson

Jarred Watson is a pyrographer with 10+ years experience and has worked with brands like BOSCH & FORD. He is always looking to learn and share his passion of wood burning with others.

Have you ever tried wood burning? And if you have had, what about the tools that are needed? Did you succeed in laying your hands on the right tools and equipment? If you are working on a project, then you must know about the correct style of tools to be used. Two of them are Wire Nib Burner and Solid Point Burner. Here, in this write-up, I will help you to know more about both of them in detail.

Wire Nib Burner

Also known as a professional burner, a wire nib is a wood-burning tool that helps you to burn the wood without much difficulty. It is more like an actual pen.

What does it look like?

  • The wire nib burner appears more like a pen because it has a wire at the end which heats up frequently. However, it gets heated up and cools down very quickly.
  • It has adequate control of temperature.
  • Also, there are various types of wire nib burners. Some of them are Fixed Nib, Interchangeable Nib, etc.

What is it for?

  • It is satisfying and easy to use for wood burning because it is faster and more powerful.
  • It is great for beginners as they don’t have a huge budget to buy an expensive one.
  • It is prominent for specialized artists who have more patience in them.

Solid Point Burner

A solid point burner is more like a pen made to be used by beginners.

What does it look like?

  • A solid-nib burner has a long-heated shaft under which the screws can be directly put into the shaft. 
  • The placement of your hand is far away from the surface so that you won’t get burned.
  • This tool has the facility to control the temperature along with single temperature varieties.
  • However, the only drawback that this style of nib has is that it takes more time to get both heating up and cooling down.

What is it for?

  • It is also another style of wood-burning tool whose ultimate goal is to help you to burn the wood.
  • This is suitable for artists of all levels as per their convenience.

Difference Between a Wire Nib Burner and a Solid Point Burner

Wire Nib Burner

Pros Cons
Fast heating up and cooling down Expensive than the Solid Point Burners
Easy to insert and remove the nibs The power supply is very bulky
A variety of nibs can be selected  The hand is nearer to the burning surface
Nibs can be customized  Chances of shorting the burner
Useful for experts in this field The voltage needs to be set 
It has a thinner handle Chances of getting the surface heated are more adequate

 

Solid Point Burner

Pros Cons
Less costly than the Wire Nib Burners Heating up and cooling down takes time
Easy to screw in and out No customized tips
Hands are not near the burning surface It is bulkier than Wire Nib Burner
No separate mode of power supply Brass, when heated, becomes soft and may make the pen useless
No danger of shorting out the pen Long waiting period for heating of the tips
Great temperature control Loosening of the tips when being heated

Which one is better?

So, after knowing about both the nib styles, you might be thinking about which one will be better to use in wood burning. But before buying one, you need to have an idea of what you want to do. The style of the pen depends upon the kind of art that you are going to present.

And if you are not sure, you must go with the Solid Nib Burner to play safe. After getting used to the environment, you can opt for other options such as Wire Nib Burner. Nonetheless, it all depends on what you want to opt for.

Summary

Both Wire Nib and Solid Point Burners have their advantages and disadvantages, which will differ in terms of the kind of work you want to use them for. While Solid Point Burner may help you initially, using Wire Nib Burner will give the professional touch of pyrography.

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