Made a Branding Iron - Texas Sized

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I finished my first Continued Education course for welding today. The project of the day was to make a branding iron. I decided to make one for my daughter Ava.... We call her Ave's.I started with a drawing in Adobe Illustrator and printed it out before class. Instead of scaling it down I decided to make the branding iron the same size as the printout. It's a monster at just over 3' tall. Fun little project today: Attached ImagesLast edited by Fexal; 12-10-2011 at 05:00 PM.
Reply:A couple close ups. Mediocre welding with lots of grinding. Attached Images
Reply:Wow!  That'll mark a big steak...  Nice, man.(Retired) Professional firefighter, amateur everything else I try to do...Oh yeah:  Go Big Red!   (You know: one of the 12 members of the Big 10 cuz we left the 10 members of the Big 12...)
Reply:Looks neat.Have that heating in the fire when boys come to the door in a few years.Dave ReberWadsworth Ohio
Reply:At just over three feet, if you were to brand cattle with it, they would be half cooked by the time you were finishedThe second picture did not download when I first looked and I thought the brand pattern itself was over 3 feet not handle length.Last edited by Bistineau; 12-11-2011 at 08:55 AM.
Reply:Nice post!  I like it...Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:Branding Iron. Dang something else I think I need now. Nice work.We are on our way to being farmers! Our site is always under construction so check back often for updates.  http://www.philosophyfarmstyle.com/
Reply:Wait until you get a job building real branding irons. It's hard to make them right when they are so small and they have to be stout to hold up to a lot of heating and hard use. The handles are usually 3 to 4' long to keep hands away from the ehated end.
Reply:I wanted to wrap up this thread with at least a couple photos of the branding iron being used. I made a fire a couple nights ago because it got down to almost 35 degrees here in Kyle, TX. Soooooo..... I stuck the mammoth iron in the fire and let it heat for about 15 minutes. I now know it isn't perfectly flat on the bottom as seen in the first brand attempt in the second photo, but hey, it is good enough for this project. Attached Images
Reply:how long before you hear the dog squeal in pain?
Reply:Well we have a Jack Russell so it's bigger than she is... But there is a cat or two in the neighborhood who can forget their fear of my BB gun because this thing is ready for cat branding!
Reply:If you can find someone with a big belt or disk sander you can solve your issues. Even simply gluing a piece of sandpaper to a flat sheet of plywood would work if you are patient. Some dykem layout fluid would help you see the high spots quick and if needed you can rough it out with a belt sander to take material down a bit faster and then finish it by hand.I know some chicks dig brands, but you might want to wait till she's a bit older before turning that loose on her. Most places today frown on branding small children.  It would make a dandy way to mark things like a wooden toy box, play house, or other wooden items of hers..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:im currently in the process of building one for a customer.   so far i have had some pieces water jetted out of 3/4" steel.Im not to happy wih the results of the water jet but they are workable.   doing the center inlay is going to be the tough part.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.