In this blog I will be reviewing the Scorch Marker Pro.  This product claims it can be used to create quick and easy images on wood.   I have seen some pyrography channels on YouTube demonstrate this product, and I thought it looked like a waste of money.  For some bizarre reason I bought a marker to test out.   My first impressions of the marker remain the same.  Regardless, I will share with you my tests to see what the marker is capable of.  Those tests include the mountain scene artwork I created with the marker.   Another thing I will share with you is how to make a much cheaper alternative to the marker. 

Click the image to the left to watch a YouTube video review of the marker.  Or click on this link:  https://youtu.be/jrn52FxFKXU

Some of you may not be interested in reading about the testing I did.  What I can tell you is that I don’t think the scorch marker is worth the money.  If you want to know why, then read the blog.   I found that a baking soda solution worked better for a couple of reasons.  Again, if you want to know why, then read the blog.  Here’s the recipe for the baking soda solution:

Baking soda solution:

1/2 – 1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 cup Water

The baking soda quickly settles to the bottom, so you need to mix the solution often.  I mixed it every time before I used it.  I mixed it with the same paint brush I applied the solution to the board with.

HOW IT WORKS

Here’s a composite image of the marker.   I zoomed in on the label so you could easily read their claims and/or instructions.

One end of the marker is a bullet tip. 

This end has a standard marker cap, so it pushes on and pulls off.

It’s great for drawing lines and coloring in shapes.  The nice thing is that you can easily see where you’ve drawn.

The other end is a foam brush. 

This end has a screw on lid.  I appreciate this as it prevents accidently opening and having the ink pour out.

It’s good for creating wide lines and filling in larger areas.  It also applies a lot more ink to the surface of the wood.  This isn’t necessarily a good thing as there isn’t that much ink in the marker to begin with.

I put a red box around my two ink marks.  The one made with the bullet tip is dried enough that you can’t see the ink lines anymore.  The one made with the foam brush is still visible.

To activate the ink, just heat it up.  I’m using a heat gun for this.

Here’s how the lines look after they were darkened up.   If you look closer at the wide line made with the foam brush, you can see that the ink bled along the grain lines. This is another problem with applying a lot of ink.    

HEAT SOURCES

I’ve got a test panel filled with squares.  

The top row of squares will get ink applied to it, and the bottom row of squares will remain ink-free.  

I’m testing two things:  1) How dark will the heat make the ink?  2) Is the heat source hot enough to darken the wood without ink?

The first heat source I tried was a travel hair dryer.

I let the hot air blow on the test panel for a long time. 

There was minimal change to the inked upper square.  There was zero color change to the un-inked lower square.   

Using a hair dryer, or at least a travel hair dryer did not work.

Next up is an embossing gun.  This gets a lot hotter than a hair dryer does.

It started to darken the ink, but I noticed that it was also darkening the ink from the first square.

I covered the first row with a metal shield to protect it.

The embossing gun had no problem darkening up the ink. 

It also had no problem turn the un-inked areas of the square a tan color.   

An embossing gun works, but there is a considerable problem with it darkening up the wood adjacent to the ink marks. 

Now I’m using a heat gun.  This unit has a dial to control the heat, and I’ve got it set on the highest setting.

I learned my lesson from the embossing gun, so I had the shield in place.  The heat gun darkened the ink very quickly.

The heat gun had no problem darkening up the un-inked square. 

A heat gun works.  The nice thing with the heat gun, is that you can use a smaller nozzle.  This makes it easier to be precise with the heat. 

Last up is a torch. 

Of the four heat sources I used, the torch produces the highest heat output.

The ink turned a very dark color almost instantly.

The torch was also able to near instantly darken the un-inked board.   

I don’t recommend using a torch.  It did turn the ink black, but there is overburn around the ink marks.  

Here’s how the test panel looked after I was done.   As you can see, the hotter the heat is, the darker the ink turns.   And, the more likely the wood adjacent to the ink will get darkened up.

STAMPING

I’m applying the marker ink to a rubber stamp using the bullet end of the marker.

Afterwards, I pressed the stamp firmly to the board.

The ink transferred, but I can see it wasn’t a perfect replica of the stamp.

After applying heat and it becomes easy to see how poorly this worked out.

I repeated the test, but this time used the brush end of the marker so that there would be a lot of ink on the stamp.

In fact, there was enough ink that I could create several impressions, but each one got progressively worse.

Then I applied heat and here’s how the images look. 

The extra ink the brush side provided resulted in a better stamped image when compared to the bullet tip.   

I wouldn’t consider any of the stamped images as great. 

For some reason I forgot to activate (heat) one of the stamped impressions.  

I repeated the process using a clear plastic stamp.  I created two stamped images.  One using the bullet tip, and the other using the brush.   Afterwards, I applied heat to activate the ink.

The plastic stamp did terribly. 

A yellow arrow is pointing to the upper butterfly that is very difficult to see.  The upper image was done using the bullet tip of the marker. 

The purple arrow is pointing lower butterfly that I used the brush on.  Neither image looks like a butterfly!

Lastly, I’m trying a foam stamp.

The great thing with foam stamps is that they are more flexible, so they can conform to surfaces that aren’t perfectly flat.

Applying heat reveals that the foam stamp produced a pretty good image. 

There are signs of seepage along some of the edges, but compared to the other types of stamps this one is clean.

The foam absorbs the ink, so I was able to press it to the board a couple more times.  I wanted to see how many stampings could be done from one inking.   

The yellow arrow is pointing to the first repeat stamping.  Even though the ink hasn’t been activated, the ink is still wet enough that you can see where it is. 

As for how many repeat stampings I could do from one inking, the answer is 3.   This doesn’t include the very first stamping, so technically I can get 4 inked images from a foam stamp. 

Keep in mind two things that how much ink is applied to the stamp will impact how many impressions can be done.   

After applying heat, you can easily see the results. 

A yellow arrow is pointing to the first repeat stamping; it looks the best of the 3.   The image to the right was done second, and the image to the left was third.  

From one inking you can get 2 good images.  After that they do downhill in quality rather quickly. 

STENCILS

I’m applying ink to an area on the board using the bullet tip end of the marker.

Next, I positioned a metal stencil over the ink.

Then I used the heat gun to activate the ink.  The goal was to see if the stencil would block areas from the heat and prevent its activation. 

It is important to use a heat safe stencil for this.   I have a number of plastic and hardboard stencils, but I think they would either melt or warp from the heat produced by the heat gun.

I didn’t get a clearly defined image.  There are areas where the ink didn’t turn colors, so the stencil was able to block some of the heat.  

I’m repeating the test, but this time using the brush end of the marker.  This applies a LOT of ink to the board. 

Why?  I have no idea because it doesn’t serve any real purpose, but it’s what I did.

I’ve got pliers to hold the stencil firmly to the board. 

The heat gun blows out so much air that it can push the stencil up away from the board surface.   

I’m hoping the pliers help ensure the stencil stays in contact with the board, and hot air can’t blow under it.

I activated the image, and the resulting image is better defined than the first one.  

If you try this, make sure to use something that is heat safe to firmly push down on the stencil with.

Now I’m using the bullet tip to apply ink over the stencil.   The problem is that the tip is pretty large, so it doesn’t fit in the smaller sections on the stencils.

Here’s the resulting image after the ink was heat activated.  There are a lot of seepage lines.  

To me this doesn’t look all that great because too many seepage lines that are very easy to see. 

I think the problem is that the ink seeps into the grain lines.  The more ink applied, the greater the seepage seems to be.

For my last test, I’m applying the ink to a small paintbrush.

Then I used the paintbrush to apply the ink to the stencil design.  This allowed me to get into the smaller aspects on the design.  Plus, I wasn’t applying at much ink to the board, so hopefully that will reduce the seepage problem.

Some aspects of this experiment worked, and others didn’t. 

I was able to get into the smaller areas on the stencil, so that worked.  Plus, I don’t see the seepage along the grain lines.

Unfortunately, there are several areas where the ink merged into an adjacent cutout on the stencil.  

While not a complete failure, it’s not a success either.     

MASKS

I used a metal punch to cut or stamp a design into a piece of aluminum tape.   Aluminum tape is used to seal heating and cooling ducts in homes and businesses.   It is super sticky, but as long as the backer is in place it works great with punches.

In the photo I’m peeling the protective backer off the tape.

Afterwards, I applied the tape to the board, and burnished it to make sure there was a good seal.   I’m using a plastic card folder for this.

Then I applied ink to the cutouts using the bullet tip of the marker. 

A yellow arrow is pointing to the snowflake cutout.  Because it remained in one piece, I removed the backer and stuck it to the board.   I inked around the cutout.

Because the tape is so sticky, removing it isn’t always the easiest of things to do; especially if it has been burnished.   I wouldn’t recommend using this on plywood.  I had little pieces of wood pull up when I removed the tape.  

Here’s how the images look. 

The images circled in yellow are the cutouts.   The image circled in blue is the little snowflake I attached to the board. 

I think this method has potential, but it depends on two things.  1) How much ink is applied.  Too much ink and it seeps under the aluminum tape.   2) How long the heat is applied.   If you use the heat gun for too long, then the aluminum tape gets hot and can color the wood.

I’m repeating the test on a piece of solid basswood.   The reason is that I kept wondering if the plywood was part of the reason the ink seeps.   Plywood’s surface is not as smooth as a solid wood board.

I only used the foam brush to apply a lot of ink along the upper edge of the tape.  I figured this would be an excellent test on whether or not the tape can seal tight enough to the wood to block seepage.   On the heart and maple leaves, I used the bullet end of the marker.

The answer is dependent on how much ink is applied.  Along the upper edge there is considerable seepage.  Definitely want to use as little ink as possible.

Next up, I’m testing scotch tape.  This is something almost every household has on hand. 

By the way, it doesn’t need to be the scotch brand of tape; mine isn’t.

I couldn’t punch a design into the tape since it doesn’t have a protective backer covering the adhesive.

I inked along the upper edge, and the lower right.  With the lower right edge I started each marker stroke on the tape, and extended the stroke onto the wood.   I was hoping this technique would help prevent seepage.

I removed the tape before applying heat.  I know that the tape would melt if exposed to the heat gun.

This technique produced some decent results.  The edge looks pretty clean.

Lastly, I’m using airbrush frisket film.

I punched a design into the film, and the protective backer cut cleanly.   However, the frisket film didn’t.  

I ended up with shapes that vaguely resembled a maple leaves.

If you look closely, you can see how rough the edges of the leaves are.

Frisket film is a low tack tape, so I burnished it very thoroughly before applying ink.

Note – I burnished ALL of the items I used for masks.

When I inked in the design, I started every single ink mark on the film and then extended the mark onto the wood.  This help prevent the ink from seeping under the mask.

Afterwards, I applied some heat to activate the ink.   The images don’t look too bad.

Two important things learned from all of these experiments. 

1)  Less ink is better than more.   

2) Start each ink line on the mask and extend the line onto the wood.   This helps prevent excess ink from building up along the edges of the mask and seeping under it.

MISCELLANEOUS

Now for some oddball experiments.  First, I tried to scrape away a seepage line.  That didn’t work very well.  I was able scraping away some of the darkened ink.  This might be a way to create fine line details.  

Here’s the before and after image.   The after image is in the blue box.

Next, I used an embossing tool to create some deep divots into the board.

I made sure each divot was very deep.  I did this by first making the divot with a large embossing tool to create the depression.  Then I used a smaller embossing tool to deepen the depression. 

Afterwards, I used a white charcoal pencil to draw some dots and a couple of squiggly lines.  I’m using the General’s brand of white charcoal.

I did the same thing with a white colored pencil.  I’m using the Prismacolor brand of colored pencil.

Afterwards I inked over the entire area using the bullet end of the mark. 

Note – I did not to try avoid the divots or pencil marks.

I let the ink dry, then I did my best to erase the charcoal and colored pencil.  I wasn’t able to remove all of the charcoal and colored pencil.  I think the scorch marker ink bonded with them.

Then I applied heat, and got mixed results. 

Yellow arrow (1) is pointing to the divots made with the embossing tool.  That worked because the divots are fairly small, so the marker tip glided over them.    

The red arrow (2) shows the white charcoal.  That didn’t work.   The charcoal turned a grey color.   

The white arrow (3) is the white colored pencil.   This is a mixed result in that the colored pencil remained fairly white. 

ART PROJECT 1

With all of that testing under my belt, I decided it was time to create some art.  This mountain scene is my attempt to do that.   

I first sketched an idea onto paper.  When I had a design I liked, then I sketched that same basic design onto the board.

It was at this point I realized I hadn’t tested the scorch marker with graphite. 

The upper left image in the composite shows me inking over a pencil line I had drawn on the board. 

After I inked over the line, then I rubbed an eraser over it to see if the graphite could be removed.  This is shown in the upper right portion of the composite photo.      The lower photo shows the results.  There is still a hint of the pencil line, but it’s not too bad.   

Now that I knew the pencil wouldn’t pose a problem, so I continued with my artwork creation.   I used an embossing tool to create divots into the sky.  These divots will become distant stars.

Next, I covered the sky with ink.  I did my best to avoid the mountain, the trees, and the moon.   

There are not many positive things I can say about the ink, but one think I do like is that it is easy to see where the ink has been applied.  Eventually it dries and becomes hard to see.  The drying time takes anywhere from 20-60 seconds depending on how heavy the application of ink is. 

After that I applied heat to begin the ink activation.   

My goal was to layer the scorch marker like you can watercolors and airbrush.  

For example, with watercolors you can apply a layer of paint to an area.   Then you apply a second layer of paint, but this time you paint beyond the boundaries of the first area you painted.   This results in the first area being slightly darker because it has two thin layers of paint.

With the sky lightly blocked in, I used a colored pencil to draw in the trees where they overlapped onto the sky.   This was necessary because my initial efforts to avoid the branches with the marker didn’t go well!   

The bullet tip on the marker is pretty large, so it’s tough to get fine lines.  The brush end applies too much ink.  As a result, I wasn’t able to get very close to the trees.   Coloring in the tress would allow me to apply the scorch marker ink over them.

I also colored in the snow highlights on the mountain.  I’m using the Prismacolor brand of colored pencil.  My guess is that any brand will work, but test it first to make sure.

Here’s how the artwork looks at this point.  I would have to say that at this point I thought it was looking decent.  I was feeling confident.

Next I applied ink over the mountains and the portion of the trees that overlapped onto the sky.

I let the ink dry for a few minutes.

Then I erased the graphite and colored pencil. 

You can still see hints of where the colored pencil was.  I erased very thoroughly and the colored pencil refused to erase completely.   The only thing I can think of is that it must bond a little with the marker ink.   Why erase at all?  I didn’t want the colored pencil work to seem obvious.

What was very interesting was that the ink was turning pink in some areas on the board.   The red circle marks an area where this is happening.  Not sure what’s causing that.

I resumed applying heat.  One of my goals was to create gradient color that got lighter in value as I approached the moon.   My plan to accomplish this was apply less heat in areas I wanted lighter color, and more heat where I wanted it to be dark.

In theory this was an excellent plant.  In actuality, I had problems creating gradient color.  I would go along heating the ink, and it’s going well. Then all of the sudden some area would get really hot and turn black.   

Since the sky was re-burned and the mountain block in, it was time to prep another area. 

The new area were the trees to the right of the mountain.  I begin by coloring them in with a white colored pencil (upper left).   Then I applied ink over the trees, and let the ink dry (upper right).  Afterwards, I erase the colored pencil (lower left).   Lastly, I applied heat to the new area (lower left).  

Yes, this was a rather time-consuming process.   I’m glad the board isn’t very large! 

Plus, given how little ink there is in the marker, I’m not sure it there would be enough to do a large project.

I repeated these same 4 steps on the remainder of the project.  

I did find a metal shield was helpful to block the heat.  This helped me define the edges of the land adjacent to the lake.   

I hope I conveyed the fact that did put some effort into this.  My excessively nitpicky side wouldn’t let me do anything less. 

Here’s how the artwork looked once I was done.  

Despite trying my best to create actual artwork, it didn’t turn out. What I was picturing in my brain and what ended up on the board aren’t even close.  With practice I’m sure the technique could be mastered or at the very least greatly improved upon.   The real question is whether or not it is worth the time and effort to do so.

ART PROJECT 2

Because I must be insane, I did decide to try the mountain scene one more time.  Mostly I wanted to try a different product and compare if it would produce better results than the colored pencils.

The product is liquid frisket.  This product is often used with watercolor paintings.

I began the artwork in a similar fashion as the first one.   I sketched a basic scene onto the board.  I inked in the sky.  I didn’t bother with the embossed dots.   Lastly, I activated the ink with a little heat.

Afterwards I applied the liquid frisket to the board using a silicone paintbrush.  I like this type of brush because if the frisket dries on the brush, I can easily peel it off.

Here’s how the mountain looks after the frisket was applied.  The frisket must be completely dry before any sort of liquid is applied over it.

Dried frisket takes on a deeper orange color, so it’s easy to tell when it’s ready.   I always touch it anyway to see if it feels damp.  If it does, then I let it sit for a bit long and finish drying.    

I applied scorch marker ink over the frisket using the foam brush.

Then I let the ink dry.

Next I used a cement eraser to remove the dried frisket. 

This is just a piece of textured rubber.  Works wonderfully to remove dried frisket.  You can also use your finger.

Here’s how the board looks with the frisket removed.  You can see the pencil lines where I planned to create trees.  Plus, the moon is drawn in the sky.

Then I started applying heat to activate the ink. 

I do like the variety of line widths that the frisket made.  It was possible to create super thin lines, and very thick lines.  The variety of line width was much greater than what I could achieve using a colored pencil.  

As I was working on the mountain, I decided that I didn’t want to waste more time trying to create the entire mountain scene. 

So, I erased the pencil marks and called it done.  

The scorch marker doesn’t contain a lot of ink, and the markers aren’t cheap.  I know I wouldn’t buy another one, so there wasn’t any point in trying to perfect the layering idea I had.  Heck, I’m not sure if it is even possible.

SCORCH MARKER ALTERATIVE

The first thing I tried was lemon juice.  My lemon juice came from a bottle, but it wasn’t concentrated lemon juice.

To use just simply brush on.

Next up is a baking soda solution.

The baking soda tends to settle, so it needs to be remixed often. 

I remixed it using the same  paintbrush I applied it with.  That way I knew it was thoroughly mixed.

I brush some of the solution close to where the lemon juice was painted on, and I applied heat. 

The lemon juice didn’t do much, but the baking soda quickly turned colors.    The lemon juice patch is on the left, and doesn’t have much color to it.   The baking soda patch is on the right, and is very easy to see.

The heat quickly dried the baking soda solution, and powdered baking soda appeared on the surface of the board.

I could easily wipe it away using my finger, so that isn’t a problem.

 

Interestingly, both the lemon juice and baking soda cast a slight yellow hue on the board.  

I applied more heat to see if the solutions would get darker.  The baking soda side did.  The lemon juice did not. 

Here’s my baking soda recipe.  Note that the amounts do not need to be exact.  

Baking soda solution:

1/2 – 1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 cup Water

BAKING SODA vs SCORCH MARKER

I added a row of square to my test heat source panel.  Then I brushed on the baking soda solution onto the first square and used the portable hair dryer to try and activate it.  Then I moved onto the second square.  Each square received the same heat source that was used for the scorch marker.

Here’s the complete test board.

Travel hair dryer did nothing (left column).

The embossing gun get hot enough to activate the solution, but it also tends to darken the board adjacent to the solution.  (second column from the left)

The heat gun tends to work well because you can control the direction of the heat a bit better.  (third column from the left) 

Lastly, a torch darkens the solution almost immediately.  On the flip side, the torch doesn’t really need something to help it darken the wood. 

I think the heat gun is the best option; at least of the items I have on hand and tested.

I think that the baking soda created results that are very similar to the scorch marker.   The baking soda costs a fraction of what the scorch marker does!

I was very curious if the scorch marker was acidic in nature, so I bought some pH test strips.

The kit contains a lot of strips and a color chart to compare the results against.

I used the scorch marker and drew a couple of lines on one of the test strips.

Checking it against the color chart revealed it was very acidic.

Then I checked my baking soda solution.

It is a base.

I want to point out that acids are  something that is known to degrade items like paper and wood.   If you seek out archival art supplies, one of the first characteristic is that the item is acid-free.  Since the scorch marker is extremely acidic, I have to wonder what it will do to the wood over time.   

After testing the pH, I was curious if the wood would still darken if you mixed the scorch marker ink and baking soda together.  

To test this idea, I grabbed a piece of scrap wood and applied scorch marker ink to the left grid.   I applied baking soda to the right grid.  

The yellow arrow is pointing to the middle grid.  The middle first received a layer of scorch marker.    Once the scorch marker ink dried, then I brush the baking soda solution over it.

Next, I applied heat, and here’s how the test board looks.   It actually worked. 

What does this signify?  I have absolutely no idea.  Most lightly it doesn’t signify anything useful.

USEFUL INFORMATION

There are four things I want to discover.  1) Would the scorch marker turn the wood pink without heat activation.   2) How long does the scorch marker ink stay active.  3) Can you deactivate the marker ink.  4) Does the scorch marker ink react with the two wood finishes I often use; lacquer and polycrylic.

Part 1 – Pink hue

I created two test squares.  One for the scorch marker and the other for the baking soda.   I placed them below and to the right of the mountain.  

Next, I also drew a line down the middle of the board and labeled the board to indicate which finish I planned to eventually use. 

Note that there isn’t finish applied yet.   At this point I was checking to see if the board would turn pink.   

The board sat for 4 days, and I didn’t see a color change on either area in the lower right corner.     Apparently the scorch marker ink needs heat activation before it takes on the pink hue.  

Interestingly, if I look at the mountain artwork, I can see some pink hues on the wood.   Any place where the ink wasn’t heated that much turned a pink color.  If the ink was heated until it turned dark color, then it did not take on a pink hue.

On December 6 I created the first art project.   Less than a week later (Dec 11) the board had taken on a pink hue.  The pink hue is present in all of the areas that I didn’t heat to a dark color.

The second mountain was created on December 29, 2022.   Again, less than a week later (Jan 3) the board was taking on a pink hue. 

I shouldn’t say the board, I should say the ink was taking on a pink hue.  What I don’t know is if all of the ink has a pink hue to it.  Maybe the pink hue is only noticeable where the ink was heated to a really dark color.   I do not know the answer to this.   Instead, it is just speculation on my part.

Part 3 – How long does the ink stay active

Since I wanted to get this product review done,  I shielded the upper half of the lower test squares and applied heat.

Here’s how the board looked once I was done.  Both the scorch marker and baking soda changed colors. 

Let me point out that the baking soda (right side) color change was due to the heat of the gun. The baking soda, on the other hand, did not remain active. 

How can I tell a difference?  Compare the edges of the two solutions.  The scorch marker has very defined edges where the ink ends, the baking soda doesn’t.

I can say that scorch marker ink will stay active for at least 4 days.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it lasts even longer, but after 4 days I decided to ended the experiment.  

 

Part 3 – Deactivating marker ink

I wanted to see if there was a way to deactivating the scorch marker ink.   I began by misting the area with water.  I wiped away the excess, and then I misted the area once more water.  I repeated this a couple of times.   Then I let the board dry.

Once dry, I noticed the ink started turning pink.

Next, I applied heat.   

The area did not darken up, so with enough water the marker can be deactivated.   

Here’s how it looked once I was done.

Part 4 – wood finish reaction

Lastly, I will be checking to see how the scorch marker handles the two wood finishes I use most often: lacquer and polycrylic.

I’m starting with lacquer. I applied it to the left side of the test board.   I’m using a silicone brush because lacquer is not water based.

I applied matte polycrylic to the right side of the test board.  I’m using regular paint brush because its water based.   Plus, I’m not sure my silicone brush would fit in the jar.

The lacquer looks fine, but the polycrylic became milky and took on a green hue.  

I will let the board dry overnight to see if there is a change.

Here’s how the board looked after the finished dried overnight.  The left side that was sealed with lacquer looks fine.   The polycrylic, applied on the right side, lost its milkiness, but the green hue is more pronounced.

I decided to test the polycrylic finish on my main art project. 

First, I applied a baking soda solution to the left side of the board.  I wanted to see if that will neutralize the ink so that the finish won’t turn green.

The baking soda left a white powdery residue as it was drying.

The powder is easy to wipe off.

I made sure the board was completely dry, and applied polycrylic finish to the entire board.

There are some areas that the finish turned milky.   They all seem to be on the right side of the board.   I did not treat the right side of the board with the baking soda solution.   

Here’s how the board looks after it dried.

Neither side looks that great. 

The baking soda give the area a yellow hue.  The polycrylic reacted with the scorch marker and turned a greenish color in some areas.

PROS & CONS

We’ll start with the pros.

PROS

• It’s easy to use
• Remains active for days (at least 4 days, probably longer)   
• Easy to see inked areas

CONS

• Small amount of ink – shipping weight is 0.704 ounces, most of the weight is the marker
• Expensive – I paid 14.99 for one marker on Amazon  (for comparison, a 16oz box of baking soda costs $0.99 at my local grocery store)
• The ink is prone to seepage along grain lines and under stencils
• Very acidic – probably won’t age well
• Turns a pink hue if it isn’t heated to a dark color
• Reacts with polycrylic wood finish and turns a green hue

I think that the Scorch Marker Pro is a waste of money, and I wouldn’t recommend buying one!  

There are many look-alike products available online.  While I have not tested any of them, I think they all would work just like the scorch marker.   I wouldn’t recommend buying any of them.

IN CONCLUSION

I do not recommend this product.  I think the marker is expensive; especially considering how little ink is in the marker.  I ran out doing my little bit of testing.    There are other brands on the market, some contain more ink, but I wouldn’t waste money on any of them.  The reason is that I think they will all work like the scorch marker. 

Instead of the scorch marker, I’d recommend using the baking soda alternative.  It’s much cheaper, and performs just as well as the scorch marker in the short term. Plus, it doesn’t react with the either of two finishes I tested.

Brenda

Feb 14, 2023

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