OT maybe? Idea to make a branding iron

I would like to brand my bee boxes with the initials of my non profit, " Howard's Helping Hands" so HHH but with common/shared interior sides .
Many ways to do it but the ideas I get here are almost always better than my own.
If it matters, I'll likely try to attach the iron to a long handled propane torch head. It's the type for melting tar, scalding weeds etc.
thanks
Howard

Buy Branding Iron Handcrafted By Non-Electric Model at Woodcraft
Electric is a lot easier if you have access to 110.
JR

And here I was willing to pay good money to watch you rope, throw, and brand those bees.

Dang gbet that one was almost as good as last years

gbent said:

And here I was willing to pay good money to watch you rope, throw, and brand those bees.

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to hijack the thread a little. After you pump the combs full of sugar water how do you seal it in? dip it in molten wax?
Bill D.

gbent said:

And here I was willing to pay good money to watch you rope, throw, and brand those bees.

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That's just bloody HILARIOUS.

Bill D said:

to hijack the thread a little. After you pump the combs full of sugar water how do you seal it in? dip it in molten wax?
Bill D.

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The bees take the syrup out of the "feed frames" that I've filled and process it and he same way they process nectar brought in from plants
Bees carry nectar, or sugar syrup in thus case, in their, "honey stomach". The worker bee has 2 stomachs and the liquid they carry in the honey stomach gets a little enzyme action from the field bees. They bring this to one, or more, "house bee". The house bees are bees that have emerged from a brood cell and are essentially adult bees. Prior to becoming a field or foraging bee young adult bees take on several jobs inside the hive. I think their first job is, "nurse bee" which feeds the uncapped larvae and, if need be, keeps the brood, both capped & open, warm. They also feed the queen and the lazy a$$ drone population. This might last 1-2 weeks at which time they become house bees that receive incoming nectar & pollen. They exchange the nectar with each other by mouth. Each bee adds enzymes that invert the nectar, which is sucrose, into fructose & glucose. This chemical reaction continues after the nectar is placed in cells. House bees also do the job of removing moisture from nectar, or syrup, by fanning over the wet cells and evaporating the water out of it until it is about 18% water. Uncapped honey is said to be unripe and if too much is extracted along with the capped honey then it can ferment and be useless garbage. This happens to greedy beekeepers.
After their house bee stage they become guard bees for a short time. If there is a nectar flow they also may spend time as wax builders. It takes a strong nectar flow or a lot of consistent feeding to get the wax glands to develop so this stage is often skipped. As guard bees they stay at the entrance and make sure the bees flying in pass the stink test. If there is a hive crasher they will allow them entry IF they have resources. If not they get the heave ho. If they feel the hive is threatened they react accordingly by stinging. Most times they will bump the intruder, generally me, so they don't have to sting/croak. I know these bees all too well.
After they pull guard duty they become field bees or foragers. They forage until they fly their wings off and die.
An amazing thing about bees is that they will change jobs if the need arises. They can even, regress, back to earlier stage(s)something scientists are looking at for Alzheimer's, or so I've read. In addition if a hive is in deep do-do house bees can quickly become guard bees. A bee his is an amazing social organism.
Some of these facts may not be totally accurate and, if this was the, "main", beekeeping forum, some turd that has been keeping bees for three days would jump on my case for getting this or that wrong but I think I pretty much have it right.
I know I totally over did my answer but explaining the details sometimes is of interest to others.
I habitually over explain beekeeping questions so if it is too much information just tell me to shut up. It won't hurt my feelings.
Thanks
Howard

You need to be careful with brands that have "crosses" in them. The heat coming off of the intersection likes to blur the brand. I made one that blurred once and asked some cowboy friends how they do it, and they said to have less metal at the intersection area.
Rob

Rob F. said:

You need to be careful with brands that have "crosses" in them. The heat coming off of the intersection likes to blur the brand. I made one that blurred once and asked some cowboy friends how they do it, and they said to have less metal at the intersection area.
Rob

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Great point. I suppose a small kerf or interruption at the intersections would do the same as using less material. This may lead to an easier way to make this iron. Instead if trying to make the connected HHH I can think about using sections of flat bar.
1"H X 2"W should end up being about the right size.
I'll post pics of what I tack together.
Thanks