Playing with branding irons
- slowlearner
- Blackwood
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Playing with branding irons
First up; I hate inlays. There, I've said it. I've have no problem with other people doing them, but I don't even want to commit time to thinking about them. They're fiddly and ultimately mostly useless in playing terms. And I'm a 'function over form' guy til the last. I don't even do fingerboard dot markers coz who can see them when they're playing? I do side markers though. Side markers are easy. However, being that I didn't want to inlay anything and I can't use decals, coz I use oil finishes strictly (I hate spray paint too). So it left me in a bind as to what to do for a logo... which I badly need to sort out. I looked into letters, but for I wanted, the greek letter Psi, it was going to be exy... I don't do exy either.
So I got to think, what about a branded marked ala Carl Thompson. Off into the shed and I grabbed some old steel tube and some flat bar. 15min of cutting, filing and welding had this. Sorry for the dodgy phone pics.
Then it was testing time. My wife was understandably concerned to see me heating up a bit of metal over the gas hob in the kitchen. Something about, "setting the house on fire". I was hoping to get the metal red hot on the hob. Mmm, not so lucky. I did get it hot enough to get these mark on some pine and some vic ash.
I think the iron still needs some more work. The upright in the centre is too long and I'll file it down some. Anyhow, even if I ended up build new one, I reckon it's a good start.
So I got to think, what about a branded marked ala Carl Thompson. Off into the shed and I grabbed some old steel tube and some flat bar. 15min of cutting, filing and welding had this. Sorry for the dodgy phone pics.
Then it was testing time. My wife was understandably concerned to see me heating up a bit of metal over the gas hob in the kitchen. Something about, "setting the house on fire". I was hoping to get the metal red hot on the hob. Mmm, not so lucky. I did get it hot enough to get these mark on some pine and some vic ash.
I think the iron still needs some more work. The upright in the centre is too long and I'll file it down some. Anyhow, even if I ended up build new one, I reckon it's a good start.
Pete
Re: Playing with branding irons
Very cool. Could you cut it right down and slip it onto the end of a big soldering iron?
- slowlearner
- Blackwood
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Re: Playing with branding irons
Someone else made a similar suggestion. Unfortunately, I don't have a big soldering iron. I think I'll need a hot gas torch.
Pete
- DarwinStrings
- Blackwood
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Re: Playing with branding irons
Nice bit of inventiveness Pete. Those little "Bernzomatic" disposable bottles (about 300mm high) with a basic torch from Bunnies will get that thickness to glow a bit, good enough for a brand anyway. Your finished brand says more trident than Psi to me.
Jim
Jim
Life is good when you are amongst the wood.
Jim Schofield
Jim Schofield
Re: Playing with branding irons
Reminds me of my Dad's logo that he put on everything he made. Very similar. I got a signage manufacturer to laser-etch several onto some timber 'buttons' I made. These can then be affixed to new creations.
- Attachments
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- Trident button.JPG (13.06 KiB) Viewed 20843 times
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- headstock..1JPG.JPG (50.95 KiB) Viewed 20843 times
"Tuoba-esra si od I gnihtyreve."
Re: Playing with branding irons
Nice Pete,
I use a gas bottle, it can't be too hot. Mine is blacksmith made , the size of a guitar pick, a square over a round and a round
over a square. My initials bP , used for my furniture, tools and inside the closed box, visible with my signature. I inlay the logo
on the headstock, the only inlay I can handle.
The face is round, I slowly roll around to get the brand. The gases released would make a flat face jump around.
I use a gas bottle, it can't be too hot. Mine is blacksmith made , the size of a guitar pick, a square over a round and a round
over a square. My initials bP , used for my furniture, tools and inside the closed box, visible with my signature. I inlay the logo
on the headstock, the only inlay I can handle.
The face is round, I slowly roll around to get the brand. The gases released would make a flat face jump around.
"Were you drying your nails or waving me good bye?" Tom Waits
Bill
Bill
Re: Playing with branding irons
For heating them, this type of thing:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Portable-Gas ... 7db&_uhb=1
Meets your non-exxy criteria.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Portable-Gas ... 7db&_uhb=1
Meets your non-exxy criteria.
- charangohabsburg
- Blackwood
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- Location: Switzerland
Re: Playing with branding irons
Very cool Pete! I think that heating the iron up to red would be good to get a deeper mark, but too hot for getting nicely neat borders as you showed with the samples in the pictures above. One of these torches for occasional brazing will be close to perfect for your purpose.
I also wanted to make my own branding iron, but much smaller. In the end I gave it up (too small for what I am equipped with regarding metal work) and ordered one. It should have arrived last week and it is promised now for this week...
I also wanted to make my own branding iron, but much smaller. In the end I gave it up (too small for what I am equipped with regarding metal work) and ordered one. It should have arrived last week and it is promised now for this week...
Markus
To be stupid is like to be dead. Oneself will not be aware of it.
It's only the others who suffer.
To be stupid is like to be dead. Oneself will not be aware of it.
It's only the others who suffer.
Re: Playing with branding irons
Markus is right Psi aka Pete, nice and crisp work.
Steve
Steve
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- Blackwood
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Re: Playing with branding irons
The other option is you have someone make you a branding stamp out of brass, they work extremely well
- needsmorecowbel
- Blackwood
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- Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 7:48 pm
- Location: Melbourne
Re: Playing with branding irons
I was looking at a brass one and the quote was around $165 + shipping and an art fee if you don't use a standard font
- slowlearner
- Blackwood
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Re: Playing with branding irons
My $5 ebay heat gun turned up today. Got 8 cans of butane from Bunnings last week for $8. So I've got enough gas to burn the whole house down!
One thing did puzzle me. The postage slip from China said the following...
One thing did puzzle me. The postage slip from China said the following...
Hmm. I wonder what that was all about?Quantity and detailed description of contents;
Clock
Pete
- charangohabsburg
- Blackwood
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Re: Playing with branding irons
A bomb!
Markus
To be stupid is like to be dead. Oneself will not be aware of it.
It's only the others who suffer.
To be stupid is like to be dead. Oneself will not be aware of it.
It's only the others who suffer.
Re: Playing with branding irons
you know, Allen just got himself a wizz-bang mill.....betcha HE could make one for less than that...
I wish I was half the man my dog thinks I am....
Cheers,
Nick
https://www.facebook.com/pages/DMI-hand ... 744?ref=hl
Cheers,
Nick
https://www.facebook.com/pages/DMI-hand ... 744?ref=hl
- needsmorecowbel
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Re: Playing with branding irons
haha well played Nick
Stu
Stu
- slowlearner
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- charangohabsburg
- Blackwood
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- Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2010 1:25 am
- Location: Switzerland
Re: Playing with branding irons
hmmm... slowly?slowlearner wrote:backing... away... slowly...charangohabsburg wrote:A bomb!
I always thought time matters when dealing with a time bomb!
Markus
To be stupid is like to be dead. Oneself will not be aware of it.
It's only the others who suffer.
To be stupid is like to be dead. Oneself will not be aware of it.
It's only the others who suffer.
- slowlearner
- Blackwood
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Re: Playing with branding irons
This torch is too much fun. I'm feeling that one of my current basses may well end up with a "scorched timber" oiled finish.
Pete
- slowlearner
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Re: Playing with branding irons
I did a little more playing with my branding iron tonight. So much fun. Adjusted the size of the symbol some and then did some flat filing and some tests...
The lower left is the first test. You can see how it's extra deep and you can make out the grain under it. The iron was super hot and it sort of vaporized the timber. A lot of smoke came off... (yes, I'm a closet pyro)
I think I like this effect the best. It's a real 3D sort of thing. Up to 2mm deep. If the iron is not hot enough you can risk getting a weaker symbol like the ones on the far right. I'm pretty happy with the superhot effect, so I'll do this on both my current project bass headstocks once I get them final sanded.
The lower left is the first test. You can see how it's extra deep and you can make out the grain under it. The iron was super hot and it sort of vaporized the timber. A lot of smoke came off... (yes, I'm a closet pyro)
I think I like this effect the best. It's a real 3D sort of thing. Up to 2mm deep. If the iron is not hot enough you can risk getting a weaker symbol like the ones on the far right. I'm pretty happy with the superhot effect, so I'll do this on both my current project bass headstocks once I get them final sanded.
Pete
- charangohabsburg
- Blackwood
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Re: Playing with branding irons
slowlearner wrote:(yes, I'm a closet pyro)
Markus
To be stupid is like to be dead. Oneself will not be aware of it.
It's only the others who suffer.
To be stupid is like to be dead. Oneself will not be aware of it.
It's only the others who suffer.
- matthew
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Re: Playing with branding irons
if you have cattle or pets or kids you may be able to find a use for it there as well.
- slowlearner
- Blackwood
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Re: Playing with branding irons
You have no idea how tempting it is.matthew wrote:if you have cattle or pets or kids you may be able to find a use for it there as well.
Pete
Re: Playing with branding irons
Hi
Just found this on youtube. They are branding leather but should work on wood.
Thought you might like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO3_kWlI9wc
Hope it works.
Regards
Ross
Just found this on youtube. They are branding leather but should work on wood.
Thought you might like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO3_kWlI9wc
Hope it works.
Regards
Ross
- slowlearner
- Blackwood
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Re: Playing with branding irons
Cool video, except for one thing. I don't get to use a blowtorch.
Pete
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