[85] You can make this varnish by dissolving yellow gum shellac in alcohol or you can buy it at a paint store.
A PLASTER OF PARIS PATTERN FOR A BURNING BRAND
THE BURNING BRAND COMPLETE
Fig. 81. a burning brand of iron or copper
Now take this pattern to a brass foundry and have a brass casting made of it. When you get it file it up nice and smooth and be careful to keep the surface of the letters perfectly flat. This done, drill a ³⁄₁₆ inch hole in the center of the back of the brand to a depth of ¹⁄₂ an inch and thread it with a ³⁄₁₆ inch tap.
The next and last thing to do is to get an iron rod ¹⁄₄ inch in diameter, and 12 inches long, bend a ring on one end, thread the other end with a ³⁄₁₆ inch die and screw it into the brand, when it will look like [B].
How to Use the Burning Brand.
—To use the burning brand put it in a fire and when it is about red hot, take it out and press it firmly on the wood you want to mark and your initials will be left on the wood as long as the wood lasts, nearly.