After seeing some of the pyro work posted here and elsewhere, I stopped in Hobby Lobby and bought the cheapest woodburning kit they had. I've got all of about $20 invested in my setup, but I didn't want to drop a fortune on a new tool only to find out that I hated the process. After playing with it for a bit, I think I like pyrography... I'm still not convinced that I need to upgrade, but I'm sure that comes with time and experience.
Here are a couple of shots of a finished piece and one of a practice doodle. Both are bradford pear and finished only with BLO at this point. The vase form is about 4 or 5 inches tall with a blackwood collar. I used a little India ink to darken the stippled areas.
Comments, criticism, and advice greatly appreciated. I'd love to know about any online tutorials for pyrography techniques that may exist, too.
bradford-pear-pyro-2.jpgbradford-pear-pyro-1.jpgpyro-practice.jpg