What to expect when branding

Aside from the "tricks" to getting a good brand mark which I will explain below, there are definitely some things to consider when ordering a brand for your business or hobby.

First, branding isn't perfect, a lot of times customers believe that every mark will be perfect, perhaps they've seen laser etched items and assumed those were branded, but laser etching is far expensive unless you are marking hundreds of items. Part of the appeal of a branded item is that the mark looks "hand done" and not machine made, branding typically has more of a rustic quality and this should be celebrated or even enhanced.

Second, branding is a skill and does take practice and good note taking to get the best results. You'll want to experiment with different heating times and temperatures for each new material you mark, including different wood species. You can even expect different results based on the smoothness of the wood or the grain pattern, you'll even get different results depending on the woods moisture content (if you're branding leather it's a whole other story).

Third, don't despair if your marks aren't perfect, there are tricks you can try to get better results:

If you aren't getting a consistent brand you might try more heat and pressure.

If you get too much back plate in your marks you can try placing masking tape on the surface of your material first and branding through it, then removing the masking tape.

Alternatively, you might consider sanding after you make your brand mark to even things out or correct any excess bleed.

If you don't quite have a steady hand you can try mounting your custom tip in a drill press.

When you place an order with The Custom Brand Shop we will send an actual size 2D, printable, PDF file for you to approve, unfortunately, it will be perfect, your results will vary, but  the number one thing to remember is that branding is a skill and takes some practice, and not every mark will be perfect, and that is okay! 

Of course if you feel like your brand marks aren't turning out due to a defect or problem in the manufacturing please let us know and we'll try to work with you to correct the issue.