Maker's Mark/Branding Iron

Here's what I have been using to mark my work for posterity. This is so at some future date, a Road Show expert can say: "Thankfully, that mark tells us exactly who made this piece of crap!". Or I suppose it might be more along the lines of: "Thankfully, that mark tells us exactly who made this unique, charmingly shabby, country style, distressed piece." Whatever.

It's a branding iron made from a bolt with a square piece of steel welded onto it (thanks T.S.!). I then used a Dremel tool (Yup! This thing predates my metamorphosis into neanderthal mode.) to carve my mark into the square. Grab with Visegrips, heat it with a propane torch, and brand away.

The mark is just something I made up using my initials. But seen sideways, it looks an awful lot like a little pig. Hmm.



I have been planning on making a newer, and possible smaller, version of this brand. To do this without the Dremel would be a new challenge. I've been thinking that I could make one out of an old tinsmith's soldering iron, as the copper would be much easier to work, and it already has a nice handle attached - not that I don't like the Visegrips...