Creating woodburning art starts with a buttery smooth wood canvas. Even if you purchased wood that was sanded, it may not be sanded to a woodburning standard. Woodburning on a buttery smooth wood canvas allows your hot wire tip to glide unhindered across the surface. 

If you haven’t yet purchased your wood canvas, I invite you to read my blog on wood canvases and sources. I demystify softwoods versus “soft” hardwoods and explain why softer hardwoods are a woodburning artist’s best friend.

Sanding your wood canvas

The time you spend sanding your wood canvas is time well spent. Your woodburn marks will be smoother, and you won’t need to apply pressure to push your wire tip through uneven or rough wood grain. A buttery smooth wood surface also protects your wire tip from unnecessary wear.

Before I sand my live-edge wood canvases, I apply a thin layer of Mod Podge (Hard Coat) on the bark, using a synthetic, round watercolour brush. You can use any clean brush that you have on hand. The Mod Podge acts as a sealant, protecting the bark from flaking off. I allow the Mod Podge to dry 24 hours before sanding the front and back of the wood canvas.

I use a portable workbench with adjustable swivel pegs to secure my wood canvas while sanding. If you don’t have a workbench, you can place your wood canvas on a rubber mat to prevent it from sliding beneath the sander while sanding.

Since sanding produces dust, it’s best to sand outdoors. Even though my sander has a dust canister, there’s always dust to clean up after a sanding session. I use an orbital sander, which is also called a quarter-sheet sander given its square pad is the perfect size for a quarter sheet of sandpaper. I cut my sheets of sandpaper into four squares before I start sanding. Where you can, it’s best to sand with the grain to minimize visible sanding marks.

You may prefer to use a random-orbit sander, which has a round pad and uses sandpaper disks. The sanding marks of a random-orbit sander may be less visible than those of an orbital sander.

The advantage of an orbital sander is that you can sand in corners or up against the edge of your wood canvas. The standard size of sandpaper sheets may be more readily available at your local hardware store.

I used to sand my wood canvases to a 320 grit until I experimented with a 600 grit, which left my wood surface buttery smooth. I start sanding with a coarser sandpaper and then progressively sand with a smoother sandpaper. I start with a 120 grit, then switch to a 220 grit, and then to a 320 grit, before finishing with a 600 grit. I sand both the front and back of my wood canvases four times to achieve a buttery smooth surface. 

After sanding my wood canvas, I wipe off the dust particles on the wood surface with a dry cloth. It’s best not to use a damp cloth, as the dampness will cause the wood fibres to swell, making the surface less smooth.

Although I typically only woodburn the front of a wood canvas, I also like to sand the back. It adds to a more overall professional look to my pyrography art. I stamp the back of my canvas with my business name, PyroArtisan Boutique. The stamp that I use is a customized wire tip made by Razertip. 

If you have the option of cutting your own lumber into wood canvases, you’ll have more sanding to do, especially on the corners and sides if they are rough. In this case, you may want to start with a coarser grit such as an 80 grit. If you plan to woodburn the sides, you may want to progressively sand up to a 600 grit.

Sanding equipment

In my blog on woodburning safety, I mention the safety equipment that I use for sanding. I use safety goggles to protect my eyes and a 3M respirator (8511-N95) to protect my lungs from dust particles. To prevent my goggles from fogging up, I spray the lenses with an anti-fog solution.

In addition to the safety equipment mentioned above, I use the equipment and supplies listed below when preparing my wood canvases:

• Orbital sander with dust canister

• Sandpaper sheets (120, 220, 320 and 600 grit)

• Portable workbench with adjustable swivel pegs

• Mod Podge-Hard Coat (to seal the bark)

• Soft, round watercolour brush (to apply the Mod Podge)

• Dry, soft cloth (to wipe away sanding dust)

Is the surface of your wood canvas buttery smooth? If not, sand away! 

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