Father’s Day Gift – Wood-burned Plaque (free printable!)
Lately, I’ve really loved wood-burning! It’s so fun and the smell is almost therapeutic for me . . . I love when the whole house smells like burning wood!
Here’s a cute and fun-to-make Father’s Day gift idea since Father’s Day is only a couple days away – a wood-burned plaque with “#1 Dad” and a tie on it! I had a scrap of wood about 6″ x 6″ that I used for my plaque. I made a simple design on the computer, printed it out, and, using transfer paper, transferred my pattern onto the wood, and wood-burned it on. Turned out so cute and it’s definitely a unique gift for any dad! On the free printable I included two designs . . . click here to print.
Wood – you could use an old scrap you have or you could find a plaque at your local arts and crafts store (such as Michaels or Jo-Anns – make sure you check for a coupon before you go š ). I really love this look especially for wood-burning!
Burner – I use a VersaTool burner with 11 interchangeable points. I love being able to swap out the points for thicker and thinner lines. (*As always, with a hot tool, be sure to keep it out of the reach of children!)
Transfer paper – I got my transfer paper at Michael’s for a whopping $2!! It came with two sheets of paper and I only used a 6×6 square so it looks like I’ll be doing a project with transfer paper again soon š
Alright-y, let’s go to the workshop and get started!!
After you’ve printed out your design, cut a piece of graphite paper the same size as your square of wood. Place the graphite paper graphite-side down. Put your printed design on top and tape on the edges – you don’t want the paper moving around while you transfer the image.
Now, it’s time to transfer! I took my wood-burner and traced along the lines of the tie. For the letters, I just simply used a pen and traced the outside and inside lines. So easy you guys!!
Peel off the layers of paper to reveal your design – how easy was that??
Now, it’s time for my favorite part –Ā the actual wood-burning! Always make sure the burner is heated up all the way before you start – that way you won’t have to press down too hard. I started with the #1 and tie using the tapered tip. (*I added a line to the bottom of the 1 because it looked like it needed a little something more.)
After I finished the tie, I kept the same tip on to do the outlines of the D-A-D letters – I kept with the tiny tip because I wanted to make sure I didn’t have any lines running into each other.
*Note: When switching tips, ALWAYS make sure you use pliers! Even after cooling for a long time, the wood-burner can still be very hot!
After I finished with the letters, I added some lines to the tie and an outline around the wood piece.
Erase all your lines and ta-dah you’re finished burning!
After all the wood-burning was done, I decided I wanted to apply a clear finish. I had some Minwax water-based Polycrylic protective finish that I brushed over it and let dry for a few hours. I love how the finish emphasizes the dark burnt lines!
There you have it – a beautiful and unique Father’s Day gift that only takes a few hours!