In blog I’m going to review the Goodcrafter professional pyrography tool 939D II.  Goodcrafter contacted me to see if I would review their machine.  Let me state right up front that I did not pay for the machine, but this review is my honest opinion based on my personal experiences. 

Let’s get started and see how this machine does.

I have a video version of this product review.  Click on the image to the left to watch the YouTube video.

Here’s a link to the Goodcrafter pyrography machine on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3zSbhJA

Full disclosure.  The provided link is an affiliate link, so if you purchase the machine using the link, I get some small amount of money from the sale.    

Please, do not take that as a plea to purchase one.  I just wanted to be fully transparent about the link. 

UNBOXING

The box is not very big.  It measures 11 1/2 x 7 x 4 1/8 inches (29.2 x 17.8 x 10.5 cm).  Without even opening the box, I’ve got my doubts about the machine.  I find it hard to believe that all of the stuff they claim is in the box can fit.

First off, I find the packing slip and instruction book.

The way the box was compartmentalized was rather impressive to me.

I kept lifting flaps of cardboard away to discover carefully packed items.

In this picture you can see another box inside the main box.  This smaller box contains the burner.    I won’t bore you with a photo of me removing each and every item.  Instead, I’ll show pictures of the box contents.

The instruction manual.  It’s not very big, and the information provided is very basic. 

I can’t complain about this because the Colwood burner burn I own costs more than double of the Goodcrafter machine, and it didn’t come with any instructions!

The burner.

The handset holder tray.  This can be attached to the machine or used as a standalone unit. 

Two handsets; I’ve got both equipped with pens.   The one on the left is the wire tip handset and the one on the right is a brass tip side.  Some people refer to the brass tip side as a soldering iron or craft burner.   For simplicity, I will call it the brass tip hand set; it is the side that handles the solid metal tips. 

A small metal canister holds the wire tips.  There is a piece of double-sided tape on the bottom to secure it to the handset tray.

There are a total 20 wire tips included in the kit.

Also included is a small plastic box that has a hinged locking lid.  This contains all of the brass tips.

There is a small tab on one side of the box, so it could be hung on a wall.

Almost all of the dividers in the box can be moved around.

There are 21 decorative brass tip stamps.

 

 

29 other brass tips.

 

And a X-acto knife set up.

 

 

This shows the X-acto knife assembled and equipped on the handset.  This will be the only time you read about this particular tip.  Other than equip it on the handset, I didn’t do anything with it.  

A small Phillips screw driver and a set of pliers is included. 

NOTE:  At the time of writing this blog (August 2022), the Phillips head screw drive does not fit any of the screws in this kit. 

Goodcrafter was made aware of this and is taking steps to remedy the problem.  Most likely the issue has been fixed by now.

There are 15 pieces of small plywood.

Each piece measures 2 3/4 inches square (6.7 cm). 

There are 12 assorted stencils.  Most are sheets are themed; Christmas, Halloween, beach, birthday party, etc.  There is also a small stencil for the lower-case alphabet and one for numbers.

A small blue sponge that measures 2 x 1 3/16 inches (5.1 x 3.0 cm).  The sponge is used when soldering.  

Two extra set screws for the wire tip handset were in the bottom of the wire tip canister.  I will mention that I that was an extremely thoughtful inclusion. 

I am rather impressed that they got all of this stuff to fit into the box.  I seriously doubt that I could get it all to fix back in there!

GENERAL INFORMATION & SIZE

Here’s the front of the machine. 

The left side is the brass tip handset control. 

The temperature displays in the screen along the top of the machine.  The temperature range is 200-400 degrees Celsius or 392-896 degrees Fahrenheit.

The right side controls the wire tip handset.  It has a range of 250-750 degrees Celsius or 482-1392 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Note: I do not have a thermometer that can verify this, and I’m not buying one to do so.  We will assume the ranges are accurate.

The back of the machine states that model 939D II has a voltage range of 110-127, and wattage of 48.

The burner measures 4 1/8 inches wide, 3 3/8 inches tall, and 5 1/2 inches deep (10.5 x 8.6 x 14 cm).

The width of the machine changes when you include this odd little side compartment.   The compartment increases the width of the machine to 5 inches (12.7 cm).

This shows the bottom of the compartment with the cover removed.

I asked Goodcrafter about the function of this compartment and was told it was purely decorative.   

The machine weighs 2.37 pounds (1075 g).

The power cord is 39 1/2 inches long (100.2 cm).  This is from the base of the machine to the end of the plugin, but doesn’t include the prongs on the plugin. 

 

The plastic tray measures 2 7/8 inches at its widest, 6 1/8 inches long, and 1 1/2 inches tall at its tallest (7.3 x 15.6 x 3.8 cm).

 

 

The coiled metal handset holder measures 3 inches wide, 5 3/8 inches long including the plug in, and each opening is 7/8 inch in diameter (7.6 x 13.7 x 2.2 cm).

One thing I’d like to point out is that the wire tips do not touch the metal coils, but the brass tips do.  I think this is awesome. 

The wire tips are more delicate, so should be protected. 

The brass tips take a long time to cool down, and the metal coils act as a heat sink helping the tips cool down quicker.  

Fully assembled, the burner measures 6 inches tall (15.2 cm) without the handsets in place.   With the handsets in place, the unit measures 11 ¼ inches tall (28.6 cm).

The brass tip handset measures 6 7/8 inches long (17.5 cm) without a tip equipped. 

It has a circumference of 3 1/4 inches (9.5 cm).  The cord is 43 1/2 inches long (110.5 cm) from the end of the handset to the end of the plugin.

The wire tip handset measures 5 1/8 inches long (13.0 cm).  Has a circumference of 3 1/2 inches (8.9 cm).  The power cord is 44 inches long (111.8 cm).

Holding the two side-by-side you can see that the brass tip (right) is longer and slightly thicker. 

Both handsets have a thick insulating foam grip.  I think people with larger hands or anyone with a touch of arthritis would find the grips easier to hold and control. 

ASSEMBLY

Assembly is super easy and intuitive.  The tray has a slot just past the spot where the metal wire tip canister sits.

 

Just slide the metal coil holder into the slot.

 

 

 

I checked to see how stable the tray is, and without pen tips, it’s very stable.

With the handsets inserted, it becomes tipsy.  The red arrow is pointing to the spot where the tray is lifting up from the table.

Also, I had problems removing a handset.  I had to grab onto the base to stabilize it before the handset would come free.  I do realize that the photo doesn’t convey the problem, but I do show this in the video.

The set screw for the handset tray comes installed on the burner.  To attach the tray to the burner, first remove the set screw.

Snap the tray into place.  This is designed so that there is only one place it will fit.

Screw in the set screw.   I thought it was easier to attach the tray when the metal coils weren’t attached.  Yes, I’ve tried both ways.  I discovered that some of my video footage wasn’t very good, so I had to disassemble the machine and start over.  

The tray is securely attached to the burner and sturdy enough that you can lift the machine by the tray.

Slide the metal handset holder into the slot on the machine.

 

The brass tip cord has a 6-prong plug in.  There is also a notch, but it’s tough to see.

Align the notch onto the outlet, push it into place, and then twist the threaded coupler into place to securely lock the cord to the burner.

The wire tip cord has a two-prong receiver that also has a notch along the top.

Slide back the plastic covering.

Align the notch and push the cord onto the burner receptacle.  Then twist the threaded couple to lock the cord to the burner.

Afterwards, slid the plastic covering back into place.

 

Lastly, you can place the small sponge and metal canister into their spots on the tray.   I took a photo without the handsets and metal coil because it was easier to see things.

MY MODIFICATIONS

Let me state right off the bat, that the modifications I made were to make things easier for me.  They are not necessarily things you need to do.  I will explain what and why I did things.  You can decide if it might be beneficial for you to do the same.     

First modification I did was to add some white marks to the dial indicators.  This made it easier for me to see what the dials were set to.   I did let Goodcrafter know about this.  They liked the idea and might incorporate it into future burners.

I use a basic white gel pen I had on hand.  I’m sure any white ink pen would work or even white paint.

Next, I organized the pen tips. 

I grouped them by type, so that it would be easier to see what is there and find what I’m after.

I placed the pen tips into pieces of reclaimed foam.  The foam arrived in some tool order Todd had placed.  The timing worked out well because I was able to take some of it before it was tossed into the garbage. 

The wire tips easily pierced the foam.

I had to cut a small incision into the foam for the brass tips.

The small incision was enough to allow the threaded base to fit into the foam.

I could get everything to fix into a store bought craft box that measured 8 x 8 x 2 inches (20.3 x 20.3 x 5.1 cm).

All of the wire tips come flat or straight.  In fact, most of the pen tips I’ve seen ship that way from the manufacturer.  I burn on flat boards, so that style makes them difficult for me to use.

To make using them easier, I bend the tips to a 45-degree angle.  This composite photo shows the shader I’m bending.  I use two sets of pliers to do this.  One set holds the pen tip in in place, and other set does the bending.

I only bend tips that I will use as a shader.  I don’t bend writer or ball pen tips.

After I bent all of the tips I’d use as shaders, I had to get a longer piece of foam.  The reason was they took up more room, and I needed to able to see, grab, and return them.

Another thing I did was create a micro writer pen tip.  I often work on small very detailed artwork, and I need a pen tip that is precise.  The pen tip on the left is the micro writer tip I modified from a standard writer show on the right.

Begin by using pliers to squish the two wires together.  I tried using one set of pliers, but the tip kept twisting instead of squishing together.

Here’s how the writer looked after I was done squishing the wires together.

Next, I rubbed the tip over a metal needle file to shape it.

The needle file came from this set that Todd purchased at Harbor Freight Tools.  The set costs less than $5.00 dollars.  

 

It doesn’t take long to shape the tips.  In 48 seconds, I had removed a significant portion of the right side.  A yellow arrow is pointing to the spot.

It took less than 5 minutes to transform the standard writer (on the left) to a micro writer (on the right).

I also used a needle file to remove a sharp edge on one of the tips. 

PEN TIP BASICS

The pen input nozzle twists off of both handsets revealing the heating coils.

 

 

Twist the nozzle to make sure the fit is nice and tight before powering on the machine.  The wire tip handset in my kit was a bit loose on arrival.  For some reason the brass tip handset kept loosening when I removed the tips.  Probably means I was gripping onto the barrel along with the tip.

Most likely after a few uses the nozzle will tighten up to the point where you can’t remove it.  At least mine did.

To insert a wire tip, first loosen the set screws.

 

Then slide the wire pen tip down into the openings on the handset.

Tighten up the set screws, and the pen is ready for use.

Sometimes I have problems getting a used pen tip to slide down into the openings.  If you look at this photo you can see that the end of the wires splay outward where the set screws touch them.  Maybe this is a sign that I’m tightening the set screws too much?   Not sure. 

To fix I use the supplied pliers to straighten the ends of the wires.

While the wires are not perfectly straight, they are straight enough that they aren’t catching on the set screws or whatever the issue was.

The brass tips are super easy to install; just screw on.

 

 

Because of testing and usage, I know that the wire tips take a minute or longer to cool down. 

If I’m burning, I don’t have the patience to wait that long. 

I turn off the power, loosen the set screws, and use pliers to remove the tip.

I place the hot tip into the canister lid that I have sitting on top of the sponge.

Then I insert the tip I want.  I’m very careful not to touch the metal on the handset because it is still hot even though the power is turned off.

I do not recommend removing hot brass tips!  

I have read several different stories about the thread base breaking off inside the handset when people tried to remove them before they had cooled down.  

Wait until a brass tip is completely cool before you remove it.

This photo shows a pen tip with a little carbon build up.  

Gently rub the tip over a strop that has polishing compound on it.  Check periodically to see if the tip is clean.

I use the Sharpal brand of compound.

 

 

Once the tip is clean, then wipe the tip on a clean section of the strop to remove any residual compound.

Now the pen tip is nice and clean.  One thing I’ve noticed is that after the tips have been cleaned, they resist carbon build up.  Future cleanings are easier to do.   

I clean the brass tips the same way I do the wire tips.

It is much easier to clean the tips while they are still inserted in the handset.

DUAL PEN TEST

Goodcrafter advertises that you can use both pens at the same time.  This is true.  What I wanted to know is whether or not it could maintain the same burn color output.

To test this, I started burning with the brass tip side.  I have the temperature set on the maximum, and I’m getting very dark brown to black burn results.

Then I powered on the wire tip side and set it to the maximum heat setting of 750.

Afterwards, I resumed burning.  I burned for a little while to see if the color would decrease in value.  I couldn’t detect a color change.

In the middle of a burn stroke, I turned off the power and kept burning.  Again, I couldn’t detect a change in the color output.

Now for the wire tip side.  The heat is on the maximum setting of 750, and I’m getting some smoke from the burn.

I turned on the brass tip side and keep burning with the wire tip.  I didn’t notice a decrease in color.

Lastly, I burned with both handset at the same time.  The heat is set to maximum on both sides.  About the only thing I noticed is that I’m not very coordinated at using both handset at the same time. 

The burner passed this test with flying colors.

TONAL RANGE TEST

Given the temperature range of the machine, I should be able to get a wide range of tonal values when burning.

I started each pen tip at the lowest setting, and gave it time to warm up.  Then I tested to see if I could detect a burn result.

Once I got a noticeable burn result, I wrote down the temperature the result happened at.

Then I incrementally increased the heat setting by 25 degrees.  I created a little test burn with each new temperature to document how the tonal value changes.

I not only tested the wire tips, but I also tested the brass tips.

There are a lot of brass tips included in this kit.   I only tested ones that I thought I might actually use in pyrography. 

I only tested two of the decorative stamps.  I didn’t have the patience to test all 21 of the stamp tips.

Since burning paper is similar to burning on wood, I didn’t see the point in testing every single pen tip.  Instead I just tested two of the wire tips on paper.

In fact, I only tested two tips leather.   I tested the same two wire and brass tips.  I finally got smart with the brass tips and tested both the paper and leather together.  That saved some time.

Here’s the test board from the wire tips.  All of the tips performed well. 

The bottom 6 tips started producing a tan color between 275-350 degrees Celsius.  

The larger tips didn’t produce color until 425-degrees or higher.

The brass tips I tested started to produce a tan color somewhere between 325-400 degrees. 

Some of these tips didn’t produce really dark burn results, but the majority of them did.

Paper required higher heat to produce results.  I was expecting this since I’ve burned on watercolor paper before.   

The wire tip flat shader I was testing required a heat setting of 275 to produce color on wood.  That same tip required a heat setting of 350 to get easily noticeable results on paper.  That brass tips didn’t start producing color until the 350 mark.

Leather required low heats to produce results.  Almost all of the tips started producing color on the lowest setting.

I stopped testing the wire tips long before I reach the highest heat setting.  Even at 650, the tips created unpleasant smelling smoke. 

WARM UP

After the tonal test was done, I let the pen tip cool down completely.  Then I cleaned it, set the heat to a predetermined value, and started checking for noticeable burn results.

Once noticeable burn results were achieved, I wrote down the time it took.

I did this test on all of the pen tips (both brass and wire) that I had tested in the previous section.  

The wire tips took between 14 – 21 seconds to warm up.

The fastest time was 14 seconds achieved with this half circle round wire tip. 

Note that the name of the tip is something I made up.  My made-up names make it easier for me to keep track of things.

These 3 wire tips tied for the longest warm up time of 21 seconds.

 

The brass tips took between 47 seconds and 1:31 minutes to warm up.

This calligraphy tip was the fastest at 47 seconds.

This small, but long chisel tip took 1:31 minutes to warm up.

COOL DOWN

After I tested the warm up time, I immediately tested how long it took for the tip to cool back down. 

I help a digital thermometer to the end of the tip, and timed how long it took to reach 100-degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius).   I wrote the time down on the board.

The wire tips ranged between 1:08 – 1:33 minutes.

This half round flat wire tip had the fastest cool down time of 1:08 minutes.

This flat writer tip was the slowest at 1:33 minutes.

I knew the brass tips would take considerably longer to cool down.  Call me lazy, but I had zero desire to hold the thermometer in place for 10 minutes or longer.  My solution to the problem is this rather high-tech set-up.  Yes, I know it’s rather impressive.  🙂

Since the brass tips took so long to cool down, I only tested a few of them.

I didn’t have the patience to test them all.  Plus, I didn’t want to waste the video time.

A couple of the brass tips were double-tested.   The second test was done with the handset resting in the metal holder.  

The metal holder acts as a heat sink, so I wanted to see how much time it saved on the cool down process.

These are the brass tips I tested.  All of the times listed are in minutes.  The two on the right are the tips that were double-tested.

This shows the results from the double-testing.  The metal holder definitely decreases the amount of time it takes for the brass tips to cool down, but the brass tips still take a long time.  

Be aware that all brass tips, regardless of the machine, take much longer to cool down than wire tips. 

Most things I’ve read about brass tips say that 10+ minutes is a pretty common time frame.

LEARNING THE PEN TIPS

I will have to admit that I wasn’t familiar with the majority of the pen tips included in the kit.  That statement is true for both the wire and brass tips.

To help me learn about the capabilities of each tip, I created a grid on a piece of plywood.   Each square became my testing grounds for one pen tip.

I began by burning my four most commonly used burn strokes: circular motion, uniform strokes, pull-away strokes, and zigzags. 

I drew an image in the grid using one of stencils, and then I burned in the design.  Again, only using that one pen tip.   

The goal wasn’t to try and create beautiful artwork.  Instead the goal was to try and learn more about the pen tip.   

I tried to incorporate shading and a variety of textures into the design.  This enabled me to learn more about the pen tips capabilities than I would if I burned the design to a uniform color.   

I highly recommend do you something similar with any pen tip you’re not familiar with.  As you do this exercise, ask yourself questions and try answer them while burning.  Some good questions are:   

How did the pen tip perform with the different burn strokes?   Some tips are great for burning lines and dots, but not so great for shading.   Some tips might dig into the wood more than others when trying to burn zigzags.   

Does the tip feel comfortable?  We all have our personal preferences.  A tip I might like, you might hate.

Can I easily control the tip?  I liked the shape of some of the brass tips, and thought they would make wonderful shaders.  Unfortunately, several of them were very difficult for me to hold in the right way to get consistent results.

What size of burn stroke does it produce?   The size of the burn stroke is how I pick pen tips.  I try to match the size of the burn area to the burn stroke size of pen tip.   

These are all things to notice, so that it helps you down the road when you’re creating artwork.

I did the same exercise with all of the brass tips.

You can see that I’ve given each pen tip a name.  The names are things I made up that had meaning to me.  Mostly I used the names to help me match up the tips to their corresponding burn grid, so I didn’t have to consult with video clips.   

It can be helpful to note temperature you had to use to get burn results.  The exact temperature won’t be the same for every board, but it gives you a general idea of what is needed.

Don’t be afraid to be creative with the pen tips.  I’m rolling the side of this brass tip along the edge of a board to see if it would create a border.  I think it can, but it needs a better set up than just hand holding both the pen and board.

I got very creative with the decorative brass tips.

 

I dragged them down the board, and overlapped burned strokes.

I wiggled or rotated them as I moved them down the board.  This meant that some part of the tip is in contact with the board at all times.

I also tried to create patterns.  My goal was to try and discover pleasing patterns I could use as a border.  Or, interesting textures that could be used for backgrounds.

This is my discovery board for the wire tips.  After the next two pictures I’ll cover the tips in a bit more detail.

The discovery board for the brass tips.

The discovery board for the decorative brass tip stamps.

Now I’m going to share with you my thoughts about the pen tips.  Please keep in mind that we are all different.  Something I dislike another artist will love.  It is really important to try out all of the pen tips you have to see what works best for you!

I put an image of the pen tip used below each panel grid. Working from left to right, here are my thoughts:

• I didn’t care for this pen tip. It didn’t feel precise to me.  I wasn’t sure where I was burning or how wide the resulting burn would be.
• This pen tip wasn’t much better than the round wire version. I did kind of like the horseshoe image I could create when used like a stamp.
• This one was okay. It created zigzags without digging into the wood.
• Slight improvement over the round wire version.

This group of tips has two I really like and one I can’t stand.

• This is one of my all-time favorite pen tips. It is extremely similar to the J shader I use by Colwood, so it was very familiar and comfortable for me to use. I think that is pretty obvious from how I burned in the stencil design.
• I did not like the spoon shader. I’ve tried them before because I saw some artist on YouTube using them and creating great artwork.  My issue with them is that I can’t tell how close to the edge of something I’m getting.
• This is another pen tips I really like. It works very similarly to the first tip, but the point allows me to get precision burns I couldn’t accomplish with the rounded tip.

I think the only pen tip in this group that is suited for flat work is the first one. 

The others I think were designed for gourds or 3D models.  Don’t quote me on that, because it’s just my guess.

• This is a typical writer pen tip. There were 2 or 3 writer pen tips in the kit.
• This is a modified writer pen tip. This one was great for burning really thin lines.  I had a much easier time with the crosshatch on the bottom tier of the cake.
• The last tip is angled, so it was tough to use the long edges. With how I hold the handset, this ended up being a funky looking writer pen tip.  I didn’t care for it.

Some of these pen tips ended being very pleasant surprises for me, but I liked the flattened version better than the rounded wire type.   With this group I’m starting in the upper left corner and working my way clockwise.

• I was able to create a decent image with the tip. I was surprised at how fine of work I could create.
• This rounded wire slant tip didn’t impress me that much. I couldn’t manage to create consistent burn results when using the long edge.
• I liked the flattened version of the slant tip. It was much easier to get wide burn strokes, and the razor edge created fine lines.
• I also liked the flattened version of the diamond tip. I could use the point, toe, front edge, or whatever you want to call it to do more detailed work.  The long edges were great for wide burn strokes.  I envision this as being awesome for background work.

Now we’re into the brass tips.  Again, working left to right

• I liked how smooth this tip burned. I wasn’t able to hold it right to create a nice-looking calligraphy letter, but that’s probably because I’m left-handed.
• The next 3 tips were ovals of different sizes. They all burned nicely, and felt the same to me.
• The last the pen tip is one I see YouTube channel Minisa Art & Pyrography frequently use. I don’t know how she can use it.  I hated this thing!  It felt awkward and I ended up putting the tip in group of decorative stamps.

I had expected these tips to work as shaders; except the far right one.  For the most part they did.  My problem is that I can’t hold the handset properly to get consistent results.  I know with practice this would get better.

• The first and third tips felt the closest to a flat wire shader to me. I think the angle on the tip made it a touch easier for me to use.
• Tips 2 and 4 felt similar to me. I achieved better results if I held the pen tip perpendicular to the board, but holding it this way felt awkward.
• The last tip is an odd one. I had originally though the semi-wide flat surface would produce nice wide burn strokes.  Maybe it does for the person who can hold the handset correctly.  The person wasn’t me.

Mostly this group of tips contains writers, or at least that is what I would categorize them as.

• Tips 1 and 2 felt the same. They just produced slightly different widths of lines and dots.
• Tips 3 and 4 felt very similar to each other and the first two tips. To me the difference was the width of the burn strokes.
• The last two tips produced small circles.

All of these pen tips produced almost identical results.  I will mention that the tips tend to catch on most imperfections the wood may have.  I was testing the tips out on plywood.  Plywood has a unique texture that I refer to as slivering.  By that I mean it has little missing slivers of wood. 

I don’t think any of the pen tips in this group are for pyrography art.  All of them are split.  It reminds me of the X-acto knife set up, but the knife doesn’t fit any of these tips. 

I honestly do not have a clue what they are intended for. 

Another interesting fact that they all have writing on the sides indicating their size (I think).   If you look at the far-right bottom image you can see the writing.  The largest of this group says: 7mm 34ss.   I have no idea what this means.

These two tips weren’t overly impressive as stamps, but they did work well as transfer tips.   I will talk more about this in the next section.

I don’t think there is much to say about the decorative brass stamp tips. 

Some make more interesting patterns than others.

Some I could see a making nice border accents.

Some just seemed like a waste of metal. 

Last one.

PEN TIPS OF NOTE

This type of flat shader is one of my favorites.  It is almost identical to the Colwood J shader I often use, so it felt familiar and I knew what it was capable of.

I really liked this pointed flat shader.  The tip was fine enough that I could work in small areas with precision.  It makes a wonderful background texture when burning circular motion.

These two shaders are awesome for working in medium to large areas.  The front tip allows precision, and the long sides create wide burn strokes that quickly fill in spaces.

This small rounded brass tip was great for fine detail work. 

Plus, it was wonderful for burning on plywood.  The green arrow is pointing to a missing sliver of wood on the plywood’s surface.  I’ve yet to encounter plywood that doesn’t have this texture to it.  The really fine pointed tips would get caught in the slivers, making it really tough to get smooth results.  This tip just glided right over the slivers.

My last tip of note is the solid chub.  I’ve got a printout done on a copier that uses toner.  I’m lightly rubbing the tip over the paper.

When I remove the paper, I’ve got a nice crisp image of the text from the printout.  Yes, the text is a reverse image, but it shows the capabilities of this tip.

COMPATIBILITY

Another thing I tested was Goodcrafter’s compatibility with other brands of pen tips.  I purchased this set of alphabet brass tips on Amazon.

The tips screwed into the handset with ease.

 

 

The burner had no problem heating the tip and creating crisp burns.

I also bought a set of wire tips.

I bought this particular set because it had a tip that Goodcrafter kit didn’t: a ball tip.  I don’t use ball tips that often, but this proved it wasn’t a tip from the kit.

Again, the tip easily connected to the handset, heated up, and produced nice burn results.   Another test passed.

3 THINGS I’D CHANGE

My studio table is 37 1/2 inches tall.  When I set the burner on the edge of my table, the power cord doesn’t reach the floor let alone get close to the power outlet.   I was able to run an extension cord to the machine, so it wasn’t a big deal.  Instead, it’s something thing to be aware of.

I didn’t care for the cords dangling down in front of the machine.  This made it feel cluttered.  I think this could be fixed if the handset could rotate or be repositioned. 

Yes, you can place the handset tray on the table next to the burner, but the tray tends to be a bit tipsy when it’s not anchored in.

Lastly, I’d switch the setup so that the wire tip side is on the left.  I used the wire tip a lot more than the brass tip.  Since the burner sits to the right of my easel, I was reaching around the brass tip to get the wire tip.  A couple of times I touched the end of the brass handset with the hot pen tip of the wire handset as I was returning it.

Are any of these items major?  No.  They are things I noticed and would change if I could to make the machine more convenient for me.

ART PROJECTS

I ended up doing 4 art projects with the machine. 

The first one is the moon & stars I burned on leather.  This was a simple design, and took me 2 hours to do.  I have to say that I liked how the decorative brass stamp I used created a quick and easy border.

The second one is the butterfly burned on leather.   I was making a cell phone holder for Todd, but messed up and it was too small.  Instead of throwing it away, I decided to use it as a test piece.  That is also why there are two projects created on leather.  This artwork took me 2 ¼ hours.

The orchid was burned on watercolor paper.  I was more serious with this artwork, and it’s probably why it turned out decently.  Watercolor paper requires a higher heat to burn on than two woods I commonly burn on: plywood and basswood.  I would put the heat requirements of watercolor paper as being on par with maple.  The orchid took me 3 ¾ hours to create.

The carnival mask was my grand finale of projects.  This was a very complex project with lots of details and textures to replicate.  I think it turned out extremely well.  I spent 32 hours on this artwork.  

PROS & CONS

That last thing I want to talk about are the pros and cons that I see with the Goodcrafter pyrography machine.  These are not listed in any particular order.

PROS

• Both handsets can be powered up simultaneously.
• There wasn’t a loss of power or burn capacity with both handsets powered up. This was true even when they were on the maximum heat settings. 
• Compatible with other brands of pen tips
• Large foam grips are comfortable. I think people with larger hands and those with arthritis would appreciate the handsets.
• Handsets are covered in thick foam that is very insulating. I never felt any warmness from the handsets; even after burning dark for an extended period of time.
• Very easy to assemble and operate.
• The kit includes a lot of stuff; it’s an awesome value
• All of the pen tips were able to create a very wide range of tonal values
• The pen tips glided wonderfully over leather without sticking; even when burning dark.
• I didn’t experience any problems with the machine while I was testing or when I was creating my 4 art projects. Just the art projects alone took me 40 hours to do.

CONS

• For me the power cord is not long enough.
• The included screw driver didn’t fit any of the screws. Goodcrafter is aware of this issue and is fixing or has fixed it.
• The handset holder tray is tipsy when it is sitting on a table versus being attached to the burner.
• To me the cords dangling down in front of the machine make feel cluttered. Would prefer it if the handsets could be repositioned.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I was really impressed with the Goodcrafter pyrography machine.  It performed well for all of my tests.  Between the artwork and the testing, I spent a lot of time burning with the machine.  I think if there were any performance problems, I would have experienced them at some point.   Instead, the burner was consistent in its performance and I was able to create some very nice artwork. 

There were a couple of minor issues I had with the kit, like the screwdriver not fitting anything.  Overall, everything was really good.      

I have no problem recommending Goodcrafter’s pyrography machine to anyone who is looking for a burner.

That’s it for this blog.  I hope you found the review thorough and informative.

Until the next blog,

Brenda

Aug 23, 2022

Want to subscribe? 

• Click on the “Leave a Comment” field at the end of any post (blog) and a subscribe option will appear.
• Put something in the comment field (if you put “test” or “just subscribing” I won’t make your comment public)
• Fill in the sections for your email address and name, and then click on the “notify me of new posts via email.”
• You will get a confirmation email from WordPress confirming you want to subscribe.
• Click on the confirm button in that email and you’re done.

Please note that I do not send out emails.   If you have a WordPress account there is a way to subscribe within the WordPress system, but I cannot provide specifics on how it works as I don’t know.