Logo Branding Iron - Torch Heated

Some years ago, I had just sold a set of my Shaker-style bentwood boxes to a fellow when he had the gall to ask me what was the best way to remove my initials from under the lid (where I had stamped them deeply with a punch set), as he was going to a gift exchange where everyone was supposed to bring a gift they had made themselves. I told him that hand sanding was called for, and wished him luck. That day, I decided that I should get myself a branding iron. As a semi-pro woodworker, I take pride in my work, and like to have a neat, indelible signature on each piece I make. Punch stamps are indelible, but never very neat, since I can never seem to get them lined up evenly..Now for the present: I looked at reviews of the other branding irons, and had questions about whether my logo would brand well. Dawn, at Rockler, was very helpful in checking with the manufacturer and making some suggestions to fine-tune my design. I got the logo iron and the date attachment sooner than expected, and had no trouble assembling them using the instructions. The head is very cleanly machined, with only one tiny burr (which has no impact on the tool's use). You can see the extremely fine detail the brand can achieve in the photo below. Click on the image to enlarge it..As for using the iron, after reading the instructions and letting it warm up ~30 minutes, I found it took just a little practice to get good brands. I found Gary Fixler's review of the Basic Arc branding iron very helpful in learning to use this one. A heavy, heat resistant glove, such as a welder's glove, is VERY IMPORTANT, as the iron gets rocket-hot, and hot air rises (towards your hand, in this case). The iron's temperature is quite stable, and it gets hot enough to make a nice brand with about 5-12 seconds contact and 5-15 pounds of pressure, depending on the hardness of the wood being branded. Note that the brand will darken under most finishes, so go a little lighter than you think you'll want. Due to its elongated shape, the brand head flexes slightly when it heats up (about 0.020 ), so it's necessary to rock the brand side-to-side slightly to get a full mark. To keep my brand straight, I made an L-shaped guide to hold it in position. I simply clamp the guide in place and press the iron towards the pocket of the L as I make the brand, so the rocking motion won't cause it to walk down my board. I've also found that having a smooth, flat surface is vital, since the brand can't reach down into any hollows on the wood's surface..Next, the choice of wood does have an impact on the quality of the brand. I found that there's a Goldilocks zone of hardness: too soft and the wood may scorch easily as the brand sinks into the wood too hard and it's tough to get a full mark because the brand can't sink into the wood at all. Also, fine-grained woods show the details better than coarser ones. Below is a list of woods I've tried, and how well the brand shows aside from standing out less on the darker woods, of course..A+: An exceptionally clear, crisp brand: birch, padauk, and walnut.A: A clear, crisp brand: alder, mahogany, and pecan.B: A clear brand with little scorching or with some disruption by the wood's pores: old-growth Douglas fir, jatoba (Brazilian cherry), oak (red or white), and zebrawood.C: A legible, but somewhat scorched brand: hem-fir (whitewood), poplar, and redwood.D: A poor brand: kingwood (a rosewood it's too oily), and snakewood (too hard)..Overall, being a connoisseur of fine tools, I find that I'm very favorably impressed (so to speak) with the quality of my branding iron. As with any tool, this isn't a magic wand, capable of performing miracles, so you'll need flat wood of a suitable species, an L-guide, and some practice. With those few things, however, I feel that most anyone would have no trouble getting a signature to be proud of to finish off a project they're proud of.