I put together this little guide to kinda inform those who are interested in wood burning about the tools I use and give them more of an idea on how wood burning is done. I hope you find this helpful =D

Wood Burner:
I use the Optima 1 Dual which allows you to plug in 2 pens at once and switch between them. Unlike the crafters saudering iron type burner that you can purchase in almost any craft store, the dial on the right of my burner allows me to control the temperature: Lower setting = lighter tones. Higher setting = darker tones.
My first burner: http://www.woodburning.com/toolshop.....7&iType=17
Burners/tips Link: http://www.gregdorrance.com/wood-bu.....c-648_664.html

Interchangeable Pens:
These Pens come in a wide array of different styles with different tips. The 3 pictured are the only tips I use. The Ball tip is great for creating textured backgrounds or dot like shading techniques. I use it to sign the backs of a lot of my burns. The Rounded Skew is basically your outlining tool. I also like using it to create short, fine hair when burning animal fur. The Spear Point Shader is just that, a shader, though can also double as an out-liner! I would say my Shader is the most used out of the three.
My pens have a foam grip around them which is not only comfortable but also absorbs a lot of the heat when I am using them. Some pens use a cork grip which is both uncomfortable and does not protect you from feeling the heat of your tool. Also, there are many different burners with different pens. Not all are compatible with each other so you have to be careful when purchasing.

Tabletop Easel:
The club I belong to holds seminars which are given by professional carvers and burners that are invited to come and teach at our club house. During one of our wood burning seminars with Danette Smith, she brought along several of these for purchase which my grandfather ended up doing and did for me as well. This little creation is the most handy thing ANY artist could ask for. You can use it on a table or sit it on your lap (which I do a lot). Even if you are not interested in wood burning, I recommend getting one of these =) Link: http://www.dangeespyrography.com/Table_Top_Easel

Graphite Paper:
A must have with wood burning, is used to help transfer patterns onto the surface of the wood. To avoid unwanted pencil lines and pencil muck, I always plan my picture out first and then transfer it over so everything is exactly where I want it.

The Eraser, Razorblade, and Sandpaper:
Contrary to what you might think....you CAN fix boo boos in wood burning =D When I started burning I feared making mistakes because its not like sketching a picture, I can't just erase it. Wood burning has a lot of texture. So, in the cases you happen to make a little mistake you can always scratch away with the razor or do some sanding. I make a lot of mistakes XD I rarely use my razor or sandpaper anymore to correct them, instead I just try to think of ways to adjust my image around it or roll with it so it looks intentional =P

Watercolor pencils:
There are different mediums artists use to color their burnings, Oils, Acrylics, Stains, and my favorite, watercolors. When adding color its always kinda tricky. Too much color and you lose the whole purpose of what a wood burning is. I prefer watercolor because its transparent enough that you can still see the wood burning beneath it. I have also started using gel pens on select burnings.

Lastly, Wooden Rounds:
There are many different kinds of surfaces you can burn on. The popular wood for burners is Basswood because of its white, soft surface. I usually purchase most of my wood from places like Hobby Lobby or Michaels. We are lucky enough to have a member in our club that supplies us with some wood as well. The wood you can find in both craft stores comes from the brand Walnut Hollow, my only gripe is that you have to be careful when buying them because they tend to conveniently place the sticker on the wrapping over knots and imperfections in their rounds and planks. Knots are not always a problem, but they are if they interfere with the image you are planning to burn on it. To avoid the worry of knots...they also have these neat things called Wooden Canvases, which have a pine frame but the burnable surface is basswood. Their site is very handy and useful so I would check it out!
Link: http://www.walnuthollow.com/