Using a branding iron to apply a signature mark to wood sounds simple, right? All you need to do is heat the branding iron, stick it where you want the brand, and then marvel at the image. Using a branding iron is a little bit more complicated than that, especially when you have to consider things like pressure and overburn. So how do you ensure that you get your image right? Check out these 7 best tips on how to brand wood perfect every time.
The Basics of Branding
Before getting into the 7 tips, let’s briefly discuss some basic things that will help you become a branding master in no time:
- Positioning: When heating up the branding iron or putting it down in between tasks or to cool, keep it resting in a stand in a horizontal position. Never leave the iron face down, vertical, for too long when it is still hot. Doing so may damage the unit.
- Dwell time: This refers to the time spent holding the head in contact with the surface being marked. Dwell time lasts between 3-15 seconds. Factors affecting dwell time include environmental conditions, temperature, and branding head size.
- Heat time: Give the head about 20-40 minutes of heat time before working on your project. Factors affecting heat time include outside temperature, humidity, air flow, head size, and temperature settings.
- Test-Brand: Before any session, do a test run. Heat the brand to maximum. Use a few pieces of scrap wood to see the results. Fine tune the temperature and dwell time based on the results of your test run.
How to Hold The Brand For Better Success
The main reason a branding iron can be difficult to use is the pressure involved. If you do not apply pressure or push down a bit too hard, you get an image that does look how you wanted it. Should that image be somewhere prominent, such as on the front of a package or product, it could detract from the overall value. You may even have to start from scratch and make the whole thing over again.
So how do you become a master of pressure? By first mastering the hold. Some people want to apply their brand using their own hands. The best practice for this is to have the wood you are working with at standard workbench height. Hold the end of the branding iron’s hand with both hands, at the center of your chest. Instead of using the power of your arms to press the branding iron into the wood, bend with the core and engage the chest and back too.
However, if you want a more even amount of pressure, consider setting up a drill-press attachment. A drill-press attachment allows you to see it all at eye level. You also benefit from a safer process, since you are not holding onto a heated piece of iron.
How to Heat the Branding Iron The Right Way
Most of the time you have two options—torch or electric—for heating your branding iron. Torch-heated, also called flame-heated, is a popular choice for wood branding. However, electric-heated branding irons are also highly versatile and easy to use. Plus, you do not have to worry about losing heat over time and, thus, the clarity of the image you are burning into the wood.
When heating your branding iron, you want to consider the softness of the wood and the temperature of the iron itself. Controlling the temperature with a torch-heated branding iron will be more difficult than with an electric mode, which often comes with a temperature regulator or control unit, so it is recommended that you have a scrap or two of the wood you are using on your project to see how it reacts to varying degrees of heat.
Generally, the temperature for wood ranges between 650-850°F (343-454°C), with hardwood being at the hotter end. A good place to start for electric branding irons is around 70% heat. Wait for around 20 minutes then do a test-brand.
Prepping Your Wood For The Mark
Once you have heated your branding iron, it is time to get the wood ready. In order to create the perfect impression, it is recommended that you gently mist the wood or wipe it down with some water. Do not saturate the wood.
This must be done right before touching the brand to the wooden surface. The water will prevent the burn of the brand from spreading out, reducing the chance of overburn.
Now you may be wondering, “What kind of wood can I use?” You can use whatever you like, be it hard, soft, dark, or light wood. Dark wood will be the hardest to brand, because the image will be less clear. That said, you cannot use finished wood that has been coated or painted. Unfinished wood is best. You may be able to use a non-polyurethane stain and use a branding iron after the coating has dried, but otherwise, polyurethane and lacquers will bubble and burn. That is not the end result you want.
Getting a Clear Impression
Now for the moment of truth. Lower the brand onto the wooden surface. Maintain 5-15 pounds of even pressure for no longer than 3 seconds. Quickly lift the brand up to check the mark.
For those doing this freehand, you may need to, again, test your strength on a few scrap pieces to see how much pressure you can exert and for how long.
Tackling Underburn
An underburn in your wood is fairly easy to fix. You can reapply the brand and get a clearer mark. When using a drill-press attachment, you can lift the head just enough to peak under and check the clarity of the mark. If it isn’t up to your standards, drop the head once again.
Also, keep in mind that torch-heated branding irons will start to cool down. You will need to reapply heat to the cooling branding iron in order to get the desired mark. Electric branding irons do not have this issue, as the heat is consistently maintained for as long as the unit is plugged in.
Nixing The Overburn
Knowing how to brand wood also means dealing with overburn. When the branding iron is too hot, you may blacken—or overburn—the wood. The good news is that while the result may look catastrophic, overburns are one of the easier issues to fix. Check the degree of the burn. You may be able to gently sand away the mark until it is less visible. 220- to 400-grit sandpaper or a random-orbit sander is ideal for this.
For flame-heated branding irons, simply let it cool for a moment. If you are using an electric-heated branding iron, lower the temperature by a small percentage or reduce the dwell time. Then try again.
Dealing With Uneven Burns
Oh no! Did the mark come out with one side lighter than the other? Uneven burns are one of the hardest mistakes to address, because you cannot redo it like an underburn. The best course of action is to try and sand down the uneven burn like you would an overburn first.
If you are working with a jig or drill-press attachment, an underburn is a tell-tale sign that something is uneven. Make sure everything is laying completely flat before trying again. The mark should be more clear this time.
For those who are branding freehand, you may have to readjust your grip. Again, make sure the brand is hitting the wood all at once. Do not let it hit the wood at an angle, because that will start branding one section sooner than the rest. Consider the position of your body as well. Using only your arms may cause the pressure to be uneven across the head of the branding iron.
Keep on Practicing
Learning how to brand wood comes down to the amount of practice you put in. It’s like that old saying, “Practice makes perfect.”
Tinker around with different styles of wood. Try different temperatures, dwell times, levels of pressure, and a couple of setups to see which result is the one you want. Once you have put in a number of hours with your branding iron, you will be more confident when using it for your projects or on your products.
Now You Know How to Brand Wood
Hopefully, these 7 best tips on how to brand wood perfect every time have helped you. Branding wood is not a perfect science, but learning the temperature and dwell time for the wood you use can make branding much less complicated. The best tip, though, is to simply practice. See which setup and type of branding iron works best for you. In the end, you will be branding like no tomorrow and leaving your mark on all the things you make.