On 3/19/2014 11:44 AM, Lee Michaels wrote:


"Leon" lcb11211@swbelldotnet wrote in message
...
On 3/18/2014 11:38 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 18 Mar 2014 22:50:49 -0500, Leon lcb11211@swbelldotnet
Please, not that. It would take too long to sign my furniture.
Did you
sign your new cabinets?
Leonardo de Cabinetman & Bubba? : )
I only sign the check that the client gives me. ;~)

I don't know. Bill may have hit on a good idea. Perhaps you should
consider a custom made branding iron with the name in question? It
wouldn't take you too long to sign your name either.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/pag...56,43462,32190

LV even has free shipping over $40 right now March 19 - 31.



I have considered the branding iron but see no advantage. My
customers know who I am. I seriously doubt than any one has sold any
of my pieces to some one that would want more. I simple leave them
several business cards. I think for the type work that I do the
branding iron would be more of an ego accessory. OTOH furniture with
no signature mark screams custom made.

Back in the day when I used to make custom furniture, I had a customer
who wanted some branding done. I pointed out the huge expense for what
she had in mind. She wanedt some words and a number of patterns burnt
into the wood. I was actively trying to discourage her.

I told her the only way to achieve what she wanted was to use a
blacksmith approach. Heat up some iron bars that had a few basic shapes
ground into one end. Heat them up in some charcoal or with a flame of
some kind and apply to the wood. Slow and labor intensive. So I quoted
her a hefty price to make her shut up and go away.

It did not work. She agreed to it and paid me half right then and
there. I had no idea how much it would cost to do this or how much
labor it would take. She called my bluff. Now I had to perform. So I
went to a few folks I knew and managed to get most of what I needed for
free and worked hard for an afternoon to grind some profiles in the end
of the steel bars.

I dug a hole in the back yard and lined it with some firebrick my room
mate had lying around. Poured some charcoal in there and went to work.
It was hot and smoky, but I got the job done. I got the patterns and
words burned in, wire brushed it all smooth and sanded everything. When
I got it all done it looked really nice. And it was a hit. I ended up
making several more pieces with the "branded" designs.

It wasn't my favorite thing to do, but it paid a lot better per hour
than the furniture itself. The thing that is interesting about most of
the designs was that you often see those designs these days as
tattoos. These were some kind of "wood tattoos".

Now there is an idea Leon. Maybe you should just get a Leonardo de
Bubba tattoo! And your wife is an artsy type. She could design it for
you. ;-)



There you go! LOL