That looks like a cracker Sue! Is the voltage at the pen 2 volts-ish?
Mine is a Janic hot wire machine. It is very good but I found that the 'pen' got quite hot in use and is a bit to big around so I turned myself a new pen and it works really well. I haven't found it necessary to use different thickness wire and I have a small reel that should see me for about 60 years or so if what I have used so far is anything to go by??
Thinking about it, the wire, flex from machine to pen, that I used for my new pen is what you may call government surplus. It left R.A.F. Lyneham with me in 1966 when I was posted to Singapore (hell, but someone had to go there) and has been kept as an 'item of use' ever since..
Do you have the book by Stephen Poole, The Complete Pyrography? It was one of the things that I ordered with my pen and have not regretted it at all. A lovely book and guide!
One of the ways that I found of making a 'spade' tip in the wire is to make an ordinary wire tip and gently BASH the tip flat!! Very good for starting flat brush type writing..
This has to be one of my favourites, not only because it's capable of holding nearly a pint of our wonderful local reds!!
