A Branding Iron is comprised of two main parts, the Branding Head and the handle or Heating tool. Some branding irons, such as Cattle and Steak irons, have these two parts permanently connected.

The Heating Tool is the device that provides the source of heat. It can be a handle with long rod, for heating a branding head over open flame, or it can be a device that generates and delivers heat to the branding head, heated via electric or  propane. (For additional information, see the various Branding Iron types below in this list for the various forms of a Heating Tool).

The Branding Head is the part of the branding iron that is heated up to produce the branded mark. It is made of either brass or Stainless Steel and deep engraved with the image or text requested by the customer. Most branding heads are interchangeable. Many are compatible between fire-heated and electric heating tools, however a branding head designed for a propane branding iron will only work with a propane heating tool. Some people refer to a branding head as a branding die.

Electric Branding Irons
An electric branding iron (excluding the electric cattle iron) is comprised of two main parts: The electric heating tool and the branding head (see Branding Head).
The branding head is connected to an electric heating tool where it is heated to a particular degree of heat. For best results, use with a temperature control unit (see Temperature Control Unit), which allows control over the temperature.

An electric heating tool is available in a variety of wattages. The required wattage is determined primarily by the size of the branding head. The larger the branding head, the higher the wattage. Some very large branding heads require two, three (or more) heating tools, for ensuring even heat distribution throughout the branding head  Most electric branding irons are available in both handheld and DP models (for use in a drill press) for greater efficiency.

Propane Branding Irons
A propane branding iron is comprised of three major elements: The propane heating tool, the branding head (see branding head) and the propane source.
A propane heating tool connects directly to a propane source such as a propane tank (not sold by BIU). The branding head is attached to two adjustable rods connected the burner, and heated up with an adjustable flame. With its regulating knob, the user can control the flame intensity of the propane branding iron much like a gas stove-top.

Steak Branding Iron
A steak branding iron is a small, hand-held iron that is usually one solid part.
They have a stainless steel head that is connected by a rod and wooden handle. It is heated by open flame until it is hot enough to brand. The iron is then placed on a steak or food item until it leaves a mark.
Steak branding irons are inexpensive yet not capable of marking highly detailed designs. For greater detail, BIU recommends using a stainless-steel branding head (see stainless steel branding head) with heating tool.

Cattle Branding Irons
Cattle branding irons are made up of parts that are permanently connected. The cattle iron is available in three varieties: Fire heated, electric and a freeze brander.
A traditional fire heated cattle brander is the traditional style of branding iron and the oldest method of branding in existence. It is composed of one solid long piece of metal with one end the handle and the other the branding head. The head is designed extra thick for the marking of livestock. They are heated over a fire until desired heat is met, then applied to the skin of an animal. The resulting mark will leave a visible scar.     

An electric cattle brander is the modern alternative to the traditional cattle. This brander’s head is made up of tubular electric elements (custom bent into the requested brand and braced with steel rods at all stress points). The head is permanently attached to the tool handle, fitted with an electric cord. The electric cattle brander is designed to reach the proper temperature in about ninety seconds and it maintains constant even heat.

A freeze brander is similar to a fire-heated cattle branding iron, however it is intended to be frozen using either liquid nitrogen or a mixture of dry ice and alcohol. It is applied to the animal’s hide (shaved), for killing off the pigment-producing cells of the specific treated area. The animal will thereafter grow white hair where the brand was placed.

A branding head can be designed to suit many needs. Size, product surface, surface curvature (see concave and convex), type of metal the head is made of and relief (see Branding Head Relief) can all be altered for marking particular surfaces and materials.

Brass Branding Head
A brass branding head is made of Yellow Brass (70% Copper / 30% Zinc) and is the primary metal for producing most branding heads. It is a good heat conductor and lends itself to machining and engraving. Brass branding heads are suitable for marking a wide range of materials.

Stainless Steel Branding Head
A stainless steel branding head is primarily made for the purpose of branding food products, as it does not contain lead and, therefore, is safe for branding food. BIU usually engraves the stainless steel branding heads with greater relief than that of the brass branding heads, to prevent background marks on food products that are usually softer than other (non-edibles) products made of materials such as wood and plastic.

Slotted-Head Holder and Interchangeable Characters
A Slotted Head is a brass or stainless steel branding head with a milled groove called a T-slot. The slotted head holds individual brass or stainless steel characters such as letters, digits and symbols. These characters are interchangeable and can be re-arranged into any word, multi-digit number or any alpha-numeric code for branding. Spacers can also be added. The Slotted head can be made with more than one T-Slot when two or more lines of text are required in single branded mark.

Temperature Control Unit
A Temperature Control Unit (TCU) regulates the amount of electricity that flows through it. When connected to an electric branding iron, the user can set and control the temperature of an electric branding iron. The temperature control unit enables continuous and consistent branding and also protects and prolongs the life of the electric branding iron.

Voltage Converter
A Voltage Converter transforms the voltage standard of a given unit to that of another standard. It is a required accessory for use with BIU’s electric branding equipment in countries that do not run on the 120v North American standard.

Artwork-Outlines: Outlines of any given artwork are all the lines that surround the entire filled image. In other words, the outlines are all the borderlines inside and around the outer edges. For example, the inner and the outer circles make up the outlines of a doughnut.
Artwork-Filled: We use this phrase to describe artwork for logos and designs that are filled in or “colored in”. For example, a child’s coloring book featuring the outlines of images to be filled with color. After they are colored, these images would be considered “filled artwork”. The same applies to artwork we receive for producing branding heads.

 Fig.1

Character - Filled (Standard): When font characters (type styles of letters, digits, punctuation marks and symbols in any language) are black throughout, these are referred to as “filled characters”.
Character - Outline: The inner and outer boundary lines of a filled character.
When do we use this term: When weighing the option of using just the outlines of the characters for the sake of improving the branded mark or for achieving a branded mark with a different look. See “Artwork-Filled” above and Fig.2.

 

 Fig.2

Raster Artwork:  Graphic files consisting of or containing a digital image which is a 2-D array of pixels (picture elements). In other words, raster artwork is a digital image which has either been captured as a photograph or a scan or was created by using a raster graphics software program such as Photoshop.
Raster artwork can vary in its resolution but even high resolution raster artwork can easily be identified by simply zooming in on it. When zooming in on a raster graphic the pixels making up the image will be revealed.
Examples of raster image file types are: BMP, TIFF, GIF, and JPIG files.
When do we use the term “Raster Artwork:  This term identifies the kind of artwork files (such as those listed above) that cannot be used by computer engraving programs unless converted into vector artwork. (See Graphic Assistance) See Fig.5

Vector Artwork:  We use this term when we refer to Vector graphics. Vector graphics is the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves and shapes or polygons, which are all based upon mathematical equations, to represent images in computer graphics. When artwork is in vector format, it can be refined and modified without the risk of losing detail.
Why do we use term: This term identifies the only artwork format compatible with computerized engraving. Every branding head we produce involves computerized engraving and, therefore, vector artwork is the only artwork that can be used. See Fig.5

Whether your artwork is in raster or vector format, we can accommodate you and we are at your service. For Graphic Assistance, please see the Graphic Design (LINK) page.  

• Raster files such as .JPG, .TIF, .GIF, .BMP & .PSD should be of the highest quality possible.
• Vector files should be free of any raster images. A useful way of spotting raster art is to zoom in close and see if it becomes pixilated. (See example below)
• Saving a file as a vector format such as EPS, AI or FH11, does not guarantee that the image will be in true vector format. If the document contains raster images, they need to be vectorized. An easy way to determine this is to preview the document in "outline" or "keyline" mode. In this mode, every outline will be a pathway for the engraving program.

When Vector Images Need Correction

• When a filled (“colored in”) image is provided (for producing flat face branding heads), area should be outlined and interior of image should be free of intersecting lines. (see example below

• When flat-face branding heads are desired, the artwork should be prepared with outlines. 
  (See example below).

• When sharp-face branding heads are desired, the artwork should be prepared either as an outline, or as a single-stroke centerline. (See examples below)

Branding Head Relief: We use this term to indicate how much the featured image will protrude above the surface of the branding head.
Why do we use this term: The nature of the material you intend to mark will dictate the relief. In other words, for softer products, such as bread or steak, the relief will be greater than the relief of a branding head made for marking wood and tough leather. See Fig.6

Fig.6

Surface Area {on a solid block Branding Head}: We use this term when referring to the total length and thickness of a character, text or design. In other words, the total amount of black (filled) areas comprising the character(s), logo or a design to be used for producing any single branding head equals the total line length which makes up the very top surface area of the face of a solid (brass or stainless steel) branding head.
When do we use this term: The amount of black present on provided artwork or proof prepared for any branding head equals the portion of the branding head that will come in contact with the surface of the product you intend to mark. Therefore, when choosing a font and preparing the artwork for any solid block branding head (brass or stainless steel), the total “line-length” needs to be taken into consideration, as it may affect the dwell time and degree of heat that would be required for achieving quality branded marks. See Fig.7

Fig.7

Dwell Time is the length of time (the number of seconds) one chooses to keep the branding head in contact with the surface of the product being branded.

Recovery Time is the length of time (the number of seconds or minutes) it takes for a branding head to reach a certain degree of heat between applications.