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Brand Size Question and advice

bverellen

Well-known member
My question, How tall in inches and a suggestion on how thick of steel to use to make irons? Please suggestions for a good looking application, and advice on applying the brand, or rather, how do you do it?

It is a turkey track, inverted turkey track, underlined.



Thanks everyone........

bart.

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I Luv Herfrds

Well-known member
You can get your brand custom made at some ag stores.
Applying a brand depends upon the location. Neck? Shoulder? Rib? Hip?
It also goes with side, left or right?

Our brand is on the right rib. We brand our calves in a calving table that head catches the calf and squeezes them. There are bars on the right side that open. We let the calf stand upright this year instead of tilting the table on it's side, worked better.
We heat the brand in an oven made for it with a propane torch. The brand once heated is applied in the center of the right rib on the calf.
You have to hold it steady and it doesn't take long, just a few seconds. Lift the brand and make sure it is complete, no areas of the brand are not burned.
To see if the iron is hot enough we put it up against a piece of wood and if it burns black quickly it is hot enough.

Now our friends brand is on the right hip. He has ropers and wrestling crews. They rope a calf and drag it to the fire where the wrestlers have one person grab a hind leg and another holds the front down. The person the end stretches out the hind leg and the person at the fire puts the brand on the calf.

Hope this is of some help to you.
 

Hanta Yo

Well-known member
You may want to make your brands small for calves, since the brand grows with the calves....I would say a 3 inch brand for calves, it works well for us and we have rib and hip brands.
 

Denny

Well-known member
I have 2" 3" and 4" tall brands the 3" on calves work about the best here all are 1/4" thick steel I have seen some in 3/16 thick but I like the 1/4" my self.I have one made out of round rod and it's junk.Our's are all branded on the left hip.
 

bverellen

Well-known member
I Luv Herfrds said:
You can get your brand custom made at some ag stores.
Applying a brand depends upon the location. Neck? Shoulder? Rib? Hip?
It also goes with side, left or right?


Per the Registration Documents, both for Florida and Colorado, The brand goes on the Left Hip.


bart.

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bverellen

Well-known member
Haytrucker said:
Yep; 3" high is perfect for calves irregardless of position, but the secret
is to make the irons out of rake divider rod.


Anybody have an idea what is special about rake divider rod?

Is it like spring steel, or possibly contains more nickel for anti-oxidizing properties, or maybe more wear resistant?

Thanks for all the replies.

bart.

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Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
bverellen said:
Haytrucker said:
Yep; 3" high is perfect for calves irregardless of position, but the secret
is to make the irons out of rake divider rod.


Anybody have an idea what is special about rake divider rod?

Is it like spring steel, or possibly contains more nickel for anti-oxidizing properties, or maybe more wear resistant?

Thanks for all the replies.

bart.

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You mean there is not a dump rake in every vacant lot in Florida? :lol:
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
If you have a juice tree where you are branding you could look at the electric irons...They work pretty good once you get used to them- and take away the necessity for fires and branding iron pots...
 

bverellen

Well-known member
No electric where my leases are.

There isn't a whole lotta old equiptment laying around here to have a go see, so I did the next best thing and had a look on the internet, and I believe Haytrucker is having a bit of fun at my expense. :D

Thanks for the help, I do appreciate it.

bart.

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Haytrucker

Well-known member
No kidding, at all. It may not be available everywhere, and I don't really know what makes it work so well, but divider rods off of a dump rake are about 1/2" by 3/4" oval that really hold heat and make a beautiful brand. I've used other forms of mild and stainless steel, and this stuff is at least twice as forgiving and makes a superior brand, You usually can get two calves per figure branded before you need to reheat the iron.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Haytrucker said:
No kidding, at all. It may not be available everywhere, and I don't really know what makes it work so well, but divider rods off of a dump rake are about 1/2" by 3/4" oval that really hold heat and make a beautiful brand. I've used other forms of mild and stainless steel, and this stuff is at least twice as forgiving and makes a superior brand, You usually can get two calves per figure branded before you need to reheat the iron.

He's right beverellen- I've got 3 sets of brands that my uncle made out of old rake divider rod and they do hold the heat the best of any I used...
 

Denny

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
If you have a juice tree where you are branding you could look at the electric irons...They work pretty good once you get used to them- and take away the necessity for fires and branding iron pots...

I don't care for them they seem to smear easy and they get alot of hair build up on them that you need tp keep cleaning off.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Denny said:
Oldtimer said:
If you have a juice tree where you are branding you could look at the electric irons...They work pretty good once you get used to them- and take away the necessity for fires and branding iron pots...

I don't care for them they seem to smear easy and they get alot of hair build up on them that you need tp keep cleaning off.

Thats the problem I had with them was smearing- but the kid seems to be able to put on the cleanest brand....I'm getting better with them- only blotched one last year on a bull I bought :roll: ...I had trouble getting used to the short iron and the angle I had to hold the handle in my hand...
 

Silver

Well-known member
A good rib brand for calves is about 6" tall, then old befuddled brand inspectors like OT can read them :p

DSCF1222.jpg


On the hip about 3" is lots or you run out of room. My hip brand fits all right if the help stays sober :wink:

DSCF2056.jpg


I used to call this brand the bar X bar, but I think in honor of Soapweed I'll call it the double spear. They point to the part that's paid for.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Yep- Silver thats the ones I like....

The importance of those brands is being noted around here again- as we just had another rustling deal up here involving pastures right around me where a fella tryed to alter and rebranded a bunch of cattle-of several neighbors- but got caught selling them...Don't know all the details- but I heard it involved a bunch of yearlings, besides cow/calves...
 

Silver

Well-known member
I can't imagine not branding. There's hundreds and hundreds of square miles of uninhabited land bordering me that the cows run in and I'd feel awful vulnerable without a brand on 'em. Bad enough having all sorts of four legged predators running around without worrying about the two legged variety.
 
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