Branding iron

[Guest Johnnie]

Hi guys, a very good friend of mine is a wood worker and he has asked me to forge him a Squirrel branding iron aprox 2" high. Its his 'touchmark'

Anyone with ideas on how to go about this?

I thought about punching it into a steel plate but not sure it would be deep enough.

Any help or pointers would be much appreciated

John. 

[Larry H]

trace a squirrel on a plate with soap stone, follow it up with a hard wire and a torch, beef it up with flat stock, all done

[SmoothBore]

Over the past couple of years, I've been making a few branding irons.

 

Here are a few things that I've learned :

 

A simple, unambiguous image, is essential, ... fine details quickly fill up with carbon, and are lost anyway.

( In the case of a 2" squirrel, I would reccommenf a "solid" image, rather then an "outline" of the squirrel. )

 

The raised image needs to be deep enough, that the residual heat, stored in the support structure of the assembly, doesn't affect the brand.

( a half inch of relief would be a reasonable minimum, ... and a full inch, wouldn't be too much. )

 

In a perfect World, I'd want the customer to supply, or at least approve the image, ... and then have it cut out of 1/2" HRS, with a wire EDM.

 

If your World isn't perfect, ... you try to get as close to the "Ideal" as possible. ;)

 

 

A patient man, ... who didn't have to justify his time, ... could carefully saw and file out a shape, from any mild steel.

 

 

 

.

[Francis Trez Cole]

the other thing that is important is the image when you make it should be in reverse so when you burn the wood it is the right way, I have used 1/8"x 1/2" strap bent it to the shape and welded it to a plate after shaped. worked very well

[Glenn]

There is a thread and discussion on branding irons on IForgeIron. 

[Guest Johnnie]

Thanks guys.

I have a 130amp Plasma cutter which will be useful to get the main shape. Getting the relief deep enough is going to be tricky. 

Patients  I guess.

 

Thanks again.

[Guest Johnnie]

the other thing that is important is the image when you make it should be in reverse so when you burn the wood it is the right way, I have used 1/8"x 1/2" strap bent it to the shape and welded it to a plate after shaped. worked very well

That is most definitely the way forward I think. Google images here I come!

[Francis Trez Cole]

Johnnie this is the one I made using the method I described. hope it helps it is 1 1/2" x 2 1/2"