Since I started doing custom woodworking, I wanted a way to identify my work. I have talked about getting a brand made for a little while, but never knew who to talk to about getting what I wanted. I started doing some research online and ended up finding one that I liked. It is a Ready-2-Brand package from brandingirons.com. They have a few styles to choose from, and I picked one that is somewhat simple. The logo for my site and the background image is a fairly good representation of what my brand is capable of producing. I ordered a non-electric model, meaning that I have to heat it up manually with a blow torch. I am really hapy with the quality of the branding iron. What I wanted to show here though was the custom box that I made for it. It is a simple box with a sliding top, similar to the one for Ben and Kate's cookie cutters.

My goal in making this box was to be able to put the hot iron back inside while it cools down, without the risk of the box catching on fire. The solution was to isolate the head such that it is physically impossible for it to come into contact with the surrounding wood. As an added bonus, if the lid is slid in upside down, it cannot close all the way, allowing for heat to escape. I also added the "Hot, do not touch, no really you will get burned." message to the underside of the lid as well. And to decorate the box, I use it as testing when heating up the head of the brand to determine if it is hot enough.

Completion Time: 1 hour.