Review on 🔥 FocuStar Scorch Pen Marker - Chemical Wood Burning Pen - Wood Burning Marker for DIY Wood Projects, Round and Oblique Tips - Reversible Fine-Tip by Amanda Castillo

I bought this to add some personality to my sea tar design that I cast on birch wood! After using the stencil created with Cricut, I lightly filled in the stencil area with a post-primer pen. *Note that I've seen a few YouTube videos of a burned "A" pen, keyword "A"* The reason I speak lightly is because I've seen that when you apply too much marking fluid, there is a high possibility that it will bleed. . This marking fluid burns very quickly, but unfortunately bleeds so profusely that it looks like mold is growing on wood from moisture. Bleeding also occurred after I double coated my piece with Rustoleum clear coat as you can see in the photo! This is bad! REALLY BAD! To be honest I feel like even if it didn't run I used a black or very dark marker to color the stencil rather than the burnt look. I know there are other brands to try. However, after a few weeks of trying, I was finally able to achieve the scorched wood effect by mixing 1 heaping teaspoon of ammonium chloride with 1/2 cup of warm water, then adding 1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch and stirring until completely dissolved! Cornstarch is key! This will greatly prevent bleeding! I then took the brush and, still very lightly, applied the solution to the area (trying to just stay within the area) and dabbed lightly with a rag. (Of course I once sealed my piece with Rustoleum Clear) I just figured it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to that horrible bleeding. I then started applying heat with my heat gun (NO, YOU CANNOT USE A HAIR DRYER) and it took way longer to start burning than it did with a marker! The marker was almost instant which was great! But this method takes a few minutes longer to start burning! And best of all, NO BLEEDING! I'm adamant that it has to do with the cornstarch thickening the liquid so it really can't flow under the stenciled area! Another amazing thing about this solution was that I could control the burn gradient simply by placing a heat resistant object on top of the patches (I used a ceramic plate). I didn't want to burn anymore! It turned out amazing, and the words definitely have an ombre effect! See photos I've decided to share two different ways of firing stencil work from my experience and you can decide for yourself which method is best for you!