# Branding Wood Equipment



## frustrateddrone (Jan 31, 2015)

The purpose of branding is? Identifying your bee equipment? Am I right? Knowing your equipment by brand is for identification. You want to identify your equipment for what purpose? If it's picking your equipment amounst 90% of the beehives in Almond Orchard you only need the exterior box wouldn't you? If your wanting to brand for Theft identification recovery, then everything and anything gets branded. Branding is done on bare wood. Yes it can be done with paint, but you'd need to clean the branding equipment each time. You can search youtube and see how branding is done on wood. I have seen boxes on bee hives being branded on bare wood on youtube. Got 1200 bee boxes to brand, you'd be best to brand bare wood and not have to clean the branding surface each and every new box.


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## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

I don't as its not required in my state. a wood burning iron stamp will make a depression in the wood that you will see with a light coat of paint.


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## BadBeeKeeper (Jan 24, 2015)

I use a cheap wood-burning pencil to mark boxes and frames with a small design that will allow me to identify them in case of theft. To simply tell them apart from others, and advertisement, I use a stencil and spray paint.


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## psm1212 (Feb 9, 2016)

adg72484: Mind telling us if you are making your iron yourself, having it locally made, or ordering it from a vendor? I have been looking at various options too. Thanks.


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

I use to brand the outside. I want people to see that the hives and components are marked and I wanted to be able to see the markings from the out side. I branded before painting. The brands show well even after painting. However, I have given away, or sold so much equipment over the years that my brand lost all significance other than to tell me I once owned that equipment. Now when I see it tells me I am looking at equipment that is at least 10 years old.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

This year I branded some decorative hives destined for outside my living room, only on one side, so I could turn an unbranded side to the viewing side. Branding will blister paint and make for a big black burnt paint splotch around the band.


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## anythingbees (Dec 15, 2015)

http://www.beesource.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-259925.html?

Any place you need to register your brand in CA?


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

You can apply for a California state apiary brand registration number, $25. It will be your county number and your number:
Work: (916)654-0768


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## adg72484 (Nov 22, 2015)

psm1212 said:


> adg72484: Mind telling us if you are making your iron yourself, having it locally made, or ordering it from a vendor? I have been looking at various options too. Thanks.


I am working with branding-irons.biz as suggested by another member from a different beekeeping group.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Note: Branding does not discourage wax moths. The #15 stands for San Mateo county, The #32 indicates I was the 32nd person in SMC to apply for a brand #. I also brand year of introduction onto my brood frames. The Xed out 4.9 indicates I found small cell to be pointless and abandoned their use.


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## 220 (Dec 28, 2016)

Registration and hive identification is mandatory in Aus, I made up a fire brand from scrap, took a bit over 1 hour and would have cost about $2 if I had to buy material








This was a test piece with the brand warmed for 5min on a butane came stove


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## rwlaw (May 4, 2009)

I had a old bud bend up flat stock into my initials, welded them together and put a three ft handle. A turkey fryer burner works for heat.
I've never had a problem with doing painted boxes, did most of the old stock that way. Burn em and throw a coat of paint on it. In fact I just painted a couple boxes that never got rotated out till now and been that way for a couple years, no decay, paint peeling etc.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

I would highly recommend "Brand New". We purchased many of their engravings from them when they where known as Everhot in the Chicago area.

Crazy Roland


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

BadBeeKeeper said:


> I use a cheap wood-burning pencil to mark boxes and frames with a small design that will allow me to identify them in case of theft. To simply tell them apart from others, and advertisement, I use a stencil and spray paint.


Could you please tell us where you got your wood-burning pencil? Sounds interesting


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## BadBeeKeeper (Jan 24, 2015)

max2 said:


> Could you please tell us where you got your wood-burning pencil? Sounds interesting


Ummmmm...I think I got it at either Lowes or Harbor Freight, it was only about $6. You could probably get one at a hobby shop but it might cost a little more there. I thought of it because I used to use one to do scenes on wood when I was a kid. A soldering iron would do as well, maybe even better because it would probably have a higher wattage, which would keep it hotter and let you work faster...just don't go too slow, it might work too well and give you an ugly burn.

At first I tried to 'write' letters and numbers with the bullet-point tip, then the fine-point tip...and eventually went to using a chisel-point to make square letters and Roman Numerals. If you aren't doing a lot, or you have more time than money, it's an adequate solution. My letters eventually morphed into a symbol using three initials mushed against each other, sharing the vertical lines, it was easier than making discrete letters.

I make a small symbol on an outside corner, with the date it went into service, and another symbol on a top edge of the box. I do the top bars of the frames similarly, symbol and date going into service. If the frame is intended to be for comb honey, I make a 'C' on the opposite end of the bar so I'll know not to stick it in the extractor.


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

Thanks - BBK


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## R_V (Aug 20, 2016)

some soldering irons come with a flat round attachment that you can draw your logo on and then use a dremel to carve it out. I think it's about the size of a quarter. I saw a video on this when I was looking.
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-custom-branding-iron/


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