Have you ever seen something that totally blew your mind (like a magical wood burning gel), and you had to hunt down how to do it yourself?
Yeah? That’s totally me.
After all, why buy something from someone else when you can make it yourself for 3 times the cost, right? LOL
While browsing through one of the Designer groups I’m in, I happened across a post where the transfer had been burned into wood…seriously. BURNED into the wood!
Now, I don’t know about you, but I have tried wood burning, and it is not easy. And getting detail? Nearly impossible if you are not an expert.
Enter this DIY wood burning gel that I am about to share with you, combined with silk screen transfers or Cricut stencils?!
This lady shared a recipe she used to create a special gel that is activated by a heat gun. I, of course, bought all the ingredients to make my own and got to work!
DIY Wood Burning Gel Recipe
Here’s what I purchased: (these are Amazon links, and I do earn a small commission if you purchase anything through my links)
That’s pretty much what you need.
You will need to mix the following in a glass bowl:
- 1 Tablespoon Ammonium Chloride
- 8 teaspoons Thick It
- 1/2 Cup warm water
- 2 drops yellow food coloring (any color will work)
This will quickly turn into a gel.
How to use your gel
Now that you have made your DIY wood burning gel, it’s time to get to work with it!
I use them with silk screen transfers (from Chalk Couture or Amazon), but you can use any stencil…even one you create with your Cricut! ( I love using my Cricut to create customized stencils beyond what Chalk Couture offers.)
Place your stencil down on your wood. I have used the gel on untreated and treated wood equally well.
Using a squeegee, place a layer of the wood burning gel over your stencil, making sure you have filled in all areas. This is why we added the food coloring…it makes it easier to see your designs!
Remove your stencil, and allow the gel to “soak” into the wood for a few minutes – at least 2 minutes.
Now comes the fun part!
Put your heat gun on a high setting…you want some good heat coming out of it!
Run it over your wood design. It will take a few minutes to start to burn the design, but you will quickly see it starting to work.
The more heat you run over your gel, the darker the burn. You may even get some of the natural wood burning without the gel, so be careful with the amount of heat you’re putting over the design. I like to keep the gun moving so it is more even.
When you’re done, take a dry cloth and rub your design to remove any excess gel from the surface. Be careful…your wood will be hot!
Seal your design with food-grade mineral oil if it’s a surface that will come into contact with food. Otherwise, just a nice coat of wax will do while the wood is still warm!
That’s it…all there is to it!
I can’t wait to see what designs you come up with!
Thanks for supporting my small business!
If you love this, check out my finished products!
