This post is about my first experience using a wood burning tool to cut Deco poly burlap. We are always getting the question of what we can do to reduce fraying. Well on Poly Burlap Mesh, you can try using a "hot knife" or wood burning tool as they are called.

Materials

10" Deco Poly Burlap

Wood Burning Tool

Tempered Glass Cutting Board

My Experience

This was the first time I had tried using a wood burning tool on anything. It was simple and easy to do and I was very pleased with the result. 

Wood Burning Tool

I purchased my first wood burning tool at Harbor Freight. I broke my first one! It was my fault so I have no complaints. My second one, which was the same tool, came from Walmart Yay!! So it's good to know you can buy the same tool at Walmart since Harbor Freight might not be as handy.

You can purchase them on Amazon also. Here's my Amazon link: Decorative Wood Burning Set

There are many different brands and styles of wood burning tools to choose from for sure.

I used the cutting blade which is dangerously sharp! It's much like the blade of an exacto knife. Seriously sharp.

You will have to experiment with the heat setting and see what works for you best. 

Tempered Glass

You need a tempered glass surface to do your cutting on. Otherwise, the tool would burn right through your cutting mat of course. My tempered glass cutting board came from Walmart, but you can find them on Amazon too.

Here's my affiliate link: Farberware Glass Utility Cutting Board

Deco Poly Burlap

I worked with 10" wide Deco Poly Burlap since my project was for a flower wreath. Poly burlap has thicker strands of Polypropylene than regular Deco poly mesh. Polypropylene is just plastic. 

Other people have used wood burning tools to cut Faux burlap mesh which is a combination of Polypropylene and faux jute. It is my understanding that the tool works well with faux jute or faux burlap mesh and even some fabric mesh. Fabric mesh is usually made of Polypropylene and Polyester. 

Here's a link to our Poly Burlap Mesh products: Poly Burlap

Check out Julie's Wreath Boutique on YouTube. She has a video tutorial demonstrating how to fuse Deco Poly Burlap and Deco Poly mesh together!

Talk about unlimited color choices....you can really create unique floral wreaths when you put together your own color choices. Here's that video:

If you want to learn more about the different styles we have an Ebook that explains the differences in the mesh products that we stock at Trendy Tree. Here's a link: Deco Mesh E-Book - Got Questions? We have Answers!

Cutting Poly Burlap

Place a tempered glass cutting board over your cutting mat.

Press lightly and start slowly until you get the hang of it.

Wood burning tools are all different, so you will have to experiment with heat settings and/or tips. Mine seem to work best on high heat and keeping the belly of the blade in contact with the poly burlap.

The edges were melted, but not burned.

Things to Consider

• Use carefully! The blade tip is hot and sharp.
• Work in a well-ventilated space
• Consider a mask if you do a lot of crafting with wood burning tools. There was a very slight odor, but not really unpleasant.
• You will still have some unraveling, but not as much.
• You don't want burnt edges. Either the knife is too hot, or it's not going to work on the particular product you are crafting with.
• Experiment! What works for some, may not work for others.

Hope this helps and I can't wait to use the wood burning tool again on my next poly burlap mesh project. Here's my finished wreath using this tool to cut the poly burlap mesh.

If you've been using a wood burning tool for your crafting projects with mesh, let us know about it! I'm sure you have some tips to share that we could all learn from. Look forward to hearing from you!

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