Make Mini Fridge Magnets (Beginner Wood Burn Craft)

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These decorative magnets from The Wood Burn Book by Rachel Strauss make an excellent beginner craft for learning pyrography. With small wood slices, a wood burning tool, and gel pens, you can create fridge art, plant markers, gift tags and more.

For additional tips also see Wood Burning for Beginners (Easy Guide).

Decorative Magnet project from The Wood Burn Book by Rachel Strauss.

This excerpt from The Wood Burn Book by Rachel Strauss is used with permission from Quarto Publishing Group who also provided a review copy.

Decorative Wood-Burned Magnets

Decorative magnet project from The Wood Burn Book

This Kawaii magnet project was created by artist Jess Park @jeshypark, author of the book Watercolor Lettering: A Step-by-Step Workbook for Painting Embellished Scripts and Beautiful Art.

As soon as I saw this project I thought it would be perfect not only for creating fridge magnets but also for creating decorative plant markers and more.

The designs are so simple and pleasing. Imagine creating a whole set of vegetable or herb markers attached to wood dowels. They would make a lovely handmade gift for a garden friend.

Or simply start with the fridge magnets to get comfortable with the art and craft of wood burning. It’s a very relaxing way to spend an afternoon. As Rachel says in the book, if you can trace, you can wood burn.

If you want more information on materials, technique, plus a whole bunch of step-by-step illustrated projects, you will love the book. It’s got that perfect balance of gorgeous photos—and lots of them—along with practical and inspring how-tos.

Did you know a wood burning tool works on other surfaces too?

Options include:

Leather
Cork
Paper
Gourds

Canvas
Bone
Antler

Cotton
Horn
Tree Bark

Materials

Mini Wood Slices | Be sure it is raw wood.
Transfer Supplies | Options include graphite paper, chaco paper, heat transfer, tracing paper.
Tape
Larger piece of wood | See Step 5.
Scrap wood to test tool temperature
Safety Equipment
Wood Burning Tool + Flow, Spade, or Writing Nib
Magnets
E6000 Glue
Cotton Swabs
Gel Pens
Finish | Mod Podge is one option
Design Template | Draw your own or get the book for the ones here

Gel pens are great for using on wood burned projects because they are easily accessible, not messy, come in so many colors (including metallics and neons), and are easy to apply to small areas.

These magnets are both useful and whimsical, and who doesn’t love that?

They are super simple to make but will surely add character to any refrigerator.

1Choose Designs

Decorative magnet project from The Wood Burn Book showing simple designs printed on paper.

Choose your designs, size them, print them.

2Sand Wood

Sand your tiny wood slices smooth. I am using mini birch slices. Basswood is also a popular wood choice.

3Place Designs

Decorative magnet project from The Wood Burn Book: cutting out a design printed on paper.

Cut and place the designs on the wood slices.

4Tape Wood Piece to Larger One

Decorative magnet project from The Wood Burn Book: taping a small wood disk to a larger one for easy handling.

Tape your tiny wood pieces to a larger wood slice from the backside.

Taping them down will hold them in place and allow you to easily turn them while you transfer and burn without worrying about getting burned. I learned this trick from @northstar_pyrogrpahy.

5Transfer Design

Choose a transfer method. These are discussed in the book. I suggest a graphite, blue Chaco, or pencil on paper methods. Here I am using the pencil on paper method.

Decorative magnet project from The Wood Burn Book: transfering the design to the wood with pencil.

Transfer the design. Remember, the more accurate the transfer, the cleaner the burn will be.

6Draw With Wood Burning Tool

Warm up your burner with your nib of choice securely attached.

Be sure to work in a well-ventilated space because the glue can be quite stinky, and follow the guidelines listed by the manufacturer.

Test your temperature on the back of one of your wood slices or a scrap piece of the same type of wood before getting started.

Decorative magnet project from The Wood Burn Book: burning the design into the wood.

Follow your transfer lines. Go slowly and be careful. Keep your fingers out of the way.

Consider using a different wood slice or object of equal thickness as a working surface on which to rest your hand.

This will allow you to burn more carefully and precisely with a steadier hand, which is especially important when working on something small.

7Embellish With Gel Pens

Remove any remaining transfer markings.

Decorative magnet project from The Wood Burn Book: coloring the design with gel pen.

Embellish your tiny wood burned designs with gel pens. There is no wrong way to do it, and I encourage you to go for it! Use metallic, neon, or monochrome colors. Color the whole thing, or just add accents. It is completely up to you!

Once you are happy with the look, add a finish to keep them looking great for a long time. Allow to fully dry.