Branding Iron -Gearheart Industries

[Scott Welty]

I recently purchased a branding iron from Gearhart. I'm selling some cutting boards, frames etc at a craft fair and the branding is a nice touch. The iron I got works ok but I can feel that it is high in the center causing me to rock it left right and forward back to get the two lines to touch. I wrote to them and asked if I can file it flat. They say no and that my surface was probably not flat and the rocking is 'totally normal'. I explained that after testing on various flat surfaces it always rocked about the center. I'm just wondering in this age of precision machining why they can't make the text perfectly flat. Just wondering if anyone else has had dealings with this outfit. These aren't cheap either $180.

Scott

update: it's Gearheart sorry.

[Lee Schierer]

I would suggest checking it with a straight edge and documenting the discrepancy in a photo and sending them the photo.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Scott, if the branding area were perfectly flat, unless some sort of fixture to press the brand is used, it's very difficult to brand with even pressure across by hand. If it were perfectly flat I believe you would find heavy burning at one edge or another unless the brand is a pretty large area. Unless it's badly out, I think you would learn to deliver a good, even brand with practice as I have with mine. They may even make it slightly rounded just for that reason.

[Marc Burt]

I ha e used hem twice now and been quite satisfied. My first brand was larger probably 1.75X2.75 if I had to guess from memory. My second was a smaller 1” one.

What material did you get? Both of mine are brass

[Mike Henderson]

Mine is flat but I have to rock it because I can't press it exactly flat by hand - I tend to favor one side. As Yonak suggested, practice on some scrap before you do the real one and you'll get the hang of it quickly.

Mike

[Ryan J Carpenter]

I haven’t delt with brass branding irons, but I know I see quite a bit of thermo - expansion on my steel branding irons as the branding surface expands faster than the backing surface and results in a curved face. I fixed mine by filing them flat at elevated temprature to compensate for the curve, but then again, my text is 1/4" proud and the 1/32" I removed by filing did not get close to the brand base. I would be hesitate to do this same procedure on a small brass brand.