Branding

pietromas

Branding: Is it legal? Does anyone do it?

\m/_(>_<)_\m/

no

Will

i dont know if its legal, think itsa grey area at the moment. I dont know of anyone in ireland doing branding then again im not in the country much. I know a guy who has 3 circles on each leg which he did himself...

pietromas

I figured it was probably a bit grey too ... Its the kind of thing you could do yourself I suppose, though Id need a couple of friends (one to restrain me) and another to do it, and I dont fancy asking any of them!

amazingemmet

It is legal as in there's no laws against it and it can't be considered banned under the not being done by a medical practitioner laws. A couple of the places do it you gotta know the people though. Tbh i haven't been impressed with the results of any of them though

pietromas

Meaning youve had it done or youve seen some?

I dont see how you could go too far wrong, especially if you were to fashion the branding iron yourself.

garthv

Do it yourself tbh
Either that or ask Glenn in Miss Fantasia's, Im sure he'll do it or at least know someone who does it.

pietromas

Glenn ... Cheers.

amazingemmet

pietromas wrote:

Meaning youve had it done or youve seen some?

I dont see how you could go too far wrong, especially if you were to fashion the branding iron yourself.

Well if you make the iron itself and it doesn't fit your body properly ie its flat all over and you try put it on a round bit of your body it'll look odd as it won't make proper contact and will stretch the design. Strike branding is a better option as it offers you more control over the design but takes a skillful hand to apply properly

pietromas

Well if you make the iron itself and it doesn't fit your body properly ie its flat all over and you try put it on a round bit of your body it'll look odd as it won't make proper contact and will stretch the design. Strike branding is a better option as it offers you more control over the design but takes a skillful hand to apply properly

Yes, I understand.

Have had a bit more success googling and have found that the suitable terms are "strike branding" and "scarification", the latter referring more often to cutting (btw, have you seen the images of carving (see the links in this thread) ... thats just fcuking wrong. wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong :eek: ).

Apparently there are people in Dublin who do scarification. Maybe theyll be able to help out.

amazingemmet

Wrong coming from the guy who wants to burn something into his skin? Man thats nothing compared to some of the more hardcore stuff out there

Will

Lukas zpira is quite good for scarification, hes touring around Japan/China at the moment but he will be around europe again soon. Im hopefully getting some more work done by him in April

ugliest

Snakebite do brandings.

From what i gather the results are fairly subjective to the individual+how they scar and the condition of your skin, your skin tone and stuff to begin with.

As always in snakebite, they'll talk you through everything in detail.

i've an iffy one on my neck i wanna get fixed, (getting scarred anywhere that's that mobile isn't really a great idea, i was warned but my mind was made up!)

ones i've done myself in less mobile areas have turned out fine, you're fairly ltd in the areas you can do if you do it yourself obviously.



so, yep, snakebite, it's fun, they'll talk you through everything, one or two pictures in their books.

mmhmmm.


edit: when i had it done i think they used a soldering iron.

whole bunch of info here:

http://www.temperedskin.com/tipsandfaqs.htm#Branding%20/%20Scarification%20tips%20and%20FAQs

"BRANDING
Please note that I have included general information on healing and scar formation as it comes up. Please read this section, and all the other sections as well, to get as complete a picture as possible (i.e. don't just read the section that is your specific interest).

What is branding?
Branding is scarification via heat. The heat destroys tissue through a serious burn. As the body heals this wound, it becomes a scar.

What is strike branding?
Strike branding is the most common and most traditional form of branding. In it, applying a piece of heated metal to the skin makes the brand.

What is a "strike"?
A strike is an individual brand "hit". A full brand design is made up of many separate strikes, each of them making up a small segment of the final design. Strikes will definitely overlap, and the artist may re-brand certain areas for consistency (or to brand large flat areas).

What is "cautery" branding?
Cautery branding is the use of a more modern tool such as soldering iron-type devices to apply the burn. Some smaller medical cautery units can be used to create very small precise brands.

What is "laser" branding?
"Laser" branding is a term coined by Steve Haworth as an easy way to explain his electrocautery unit to the general public. Although medical lasers could certainly be used for scarification, this branding is done using a device similar to an arc welder for skin. The body is grounded, and a spark jumps between a cutting electrode and the skin, vaporizing tissue in its path.

An electrocautery device offers the ability to exert very precise control over the depth and nature of tissue damage, allowing the experienced artist to build up a texturally diverse scar.

What does a healed brand look like?
Ideally a healed branding looks like a pattern of thick raised lines, slightly lighter than skin color. However, the amount of raising or keloiding varies greatly, dependant on a large number of factors. Sometimes these scars even inset rather than raise.

Strike branding generally produces fatter, more raised scars, with modern cautery devices being able to produce a more subtle line.

How much does a brand hurt?
Strike branding actually hurts much less than most people expect -- in some ways it's a "head game" as much as a physical ordeal. Proper strike branding hurts for a second until the nerves are burned away (not like a minor burn, like on your stove, which only burns the surface). That said, please don't read that as it being painless -- it still hurts A LOT both during and after the strike being applies.

It should also be noted that the endorphin rush can be quite extreme, and some people find the subsequent euphoria disorienting (and sometimes addictive). When getting branded it is recommended that you go with a friend who can help you get home if you find the experience overwhelming.

Cautery branding (including "laser branding") is generally considered to be far more painful than strike branding, with many people going so far as to claim that it's the most painful modification they've ever gone through.

Finally, independent of the pain of the procedure, during the long healing period the brand will be very sore, especially if it is on a body part that flexes (thereby causing the wound to break and tear slightly as you move).

In strike branding, how hot should the metal/brand material be?
Hot enough to do sufficient damage to the tissue so as to form a permanent scar. Depending on the person's skin and the individual style of the artist, it can be anything from a propane torch to a lowly candle to the nature flames of an oak fire pit. Most experienced artists lean toward a propane torch.

What are the strike branding utensils made of?
Strike brand utensils are metal, either as complete tools, or as small shaped pieces held in vice-grips. Metal holds the heat well, and effectively and quickly (and predictably) transfers it to the skin.

Most artists choose to make their branding tools out of thin high-grade stainless steel sheet metal. That said, other materials such as silver, random metal findings (bolts, etc.), and even ceramics have been used. Metal allergies and biocompatibility does come into play to some extent, but in general any foreign substances will come off with the scab (if they're even transferred at all).

As far as the thickness of the metal, thinner is usually better. It's easy to heat, and easy to form, and only carries a limited amount of potential damage (whereas a red-hot 1/2" bolt can do enormous damage if held against the skin for too long). Remember as well that a brand will typically heal to three or four times as thick as the utensil, and usually never be thinner than 3/16" (about the same as the line drawn by a fat magic marker).

What shape should the strike brand utensils be?
The whole brand is not done as a single brand. The design is divided up into many smaller sections no larger than about an inch and a half. These smaller sections may be shaped of course (i.e. arcs instead of lines). It should be noted that a small area of skin is enclosed in branded tissue (for example a small circular outline brand), it will probably die as well and become part of the scar (as it can lose it's blood supply).

How long and hard should does one press the strike brand in?
The brand is pressed in long enough to burn through all the surface skin. If this is not achieved the client will be left with a lot of pain and blistering, and then after healing either no scar, or a blotchy mess that barely resembles their design. As far as how long and hard, this really depends on how much the material has been heated.

Most important though is that all of the strikes are even in relation to the skin they're on as this will increase the chances of the brand looking uniform. It should be noted that as a brand is done, the skin in the area will contract, deforming the tissue and slightly changing the way following strikes are absorbed.

Are the fumes from branding dangerous?
The fumes from branding contain active biological matter from the person being branded, and certain diseases can be transferred via these fumes. This was discovered because doctors who were removing genital warts were being diagnosed with cases of genital warts inside their sinuses. While most viruses and bacteria that can affect humans will be killed by the heat of branding, a small number will not be and this MUST be taken into consideration.

Shops providing branding must at an utter minimum use a HEPA filter. Wearing masks while branding is also considered a minimum requirement. In addition, if possible, a vacuum directing the fumes into a filter system is a good idea (although this is not in general use).

Can one use a golf ball initial-brander? Why?
This idea is so ludicrous that I feel bad even including it in this FAQ, but I have been asked this question constantly over the last ten years. Again, when a brand is made, it will spread a great deal. Usually a brand will heal to three or four times the width of the utensil used to make it. So if one uses an initial brander (which creates quite tiny letter), the final product will just be a blob. A brand should be large and simple enough that it compensates for spreading. You'll get the same results if you just put a cigarette out on yourself (and no, don't do that either).

Can I use a soldering iron to do cautery branding?
The problem with soldering irons, wood burners, and similar devices (including small handheld medical cautery tools generally used to control small bleeders) is that they don't retain enough heat to be used with any degree of reliability. In order to use them effectively, one must brand with so many "re-heat" pauses that undue pain is given to the client.

If a tool such as these is to be used, it should be as powerful as possible to make the branding experience (and product) a positive one.

How long does a brand take to heal?
A brand (actually all scarification) takes a long time to completely heal. Brands go through a few phases, which different greatly in length (and nature) from brand to brand.

First a brand will go through a scabby phase where they look like an absolutely horrible wound. This phase generally takes from a few weeks to just over a month. Then the brand will look like a quite bright red raised scar which slowly becomes pinker, and then eventually slightly lighter than normal skin color. This stage takes between six and twelve months for most people, and additional raising may occur during this period.

How should I take care of the brand during healing?
There are two main schools of thought as to the aftercare of scarification in general. Many artists believe that a LITHA ("leave it the hell alone") method is best. Assuming that the initial cuts are well done, by leaving it alone, the body will generally heal a fairly consistent wound. The downside of this method is that if the person's genetics are not prone to keloiding, that the amount of raised scar will be fairly minimal.

The other school of thought on scarification aftercare is to irritate the wound (using a variety of methods ranging from simply picking the scab, to rubbing it with steel wool or a toothbrush, to using chemical and exfoliant formulas). Irritating a healing scar will greatly increase the amount of scarring, but at the same time, almost always leads to inconsistent scarring (that is, different parts of the scar will raise different amounts).

What if the brand doesn't heal like I want?
If your brand (or any scarification) doesn't heal the way you'd like it to (for example, inconsistent keloiding), you can have it touched up using secondary scarification sessions.

Can I tattoo over a branding?
Yes, but the scar has to be WELL HEALED (in generally, at least a year old). Assuming that the scar is well healed it should be able to hold ink just as well as "normal" skin. If the color is solid (for example a large black area) the scar will probably still be quite visible, but if the tattoo is multicolored it will mask most scars.

Some people, especially those who are not genetically prone to keloiding, also choose to "exaggerate" a healed brand by outlining it in a light red or white, making it easier to see.

Is branding safe?
Scarification operates through controlled injury. It is not safe. That said, many things we do every day are not safe either. Practiced responsibly by experienced practitioners, scarification of all kinds should fall inside "acceptable risk".

Can a brand be removed?
In theory a cosmetic surgeon can remove a brand using lasers and other advanced techniques, but it will be very expensive and not necessarily effective. Don't get a brand if you don't want one -- it's a serious burn resulting in a serious burn scar, and must be removed as such. Think of the time it takes for a burn victim to cover their scars.

Under any realistic context, removal of brands is not an option.

What is the history of branding?
Historically (in Europe), branding was generally limited to punishment. Both the English (and S on the cheek) and the French (a fleur de lis on the shoulder) branded criminals, along with almost every other culture. In modern times, black fraternity members commonly get brands of the fraternity's letters."

pietromas

ugliest wrote:

Snakebite do brandings.

From what i gather the results are fairly subjective to the individual+how they scar and the condition of your skin, your skin tone and stuff to begin with.

As always in snakebite, they'll talk you through everything in detail.

i've an iffy one on my neck i wanna get fixed, (getting scarred anywhere that's that mobile isn't really a great idea, i was warned but my mind was made up!)

ones i've done myself in less mobile areas have turned out fine, you're fairly ltd in the areas you can do if you do it yourself obviously.



so, yep, snakebite, it's fun, they'll talk you through everything, one or two pictures in their books.

mmhmmm.

Excellent, thanks.

\m/_(>_<)_\m/

pietromas wrote:

Yes, I understand.

Have had a bit more success googling and have found that the suitable terms are "strike branding" and "scarification", the latter referring more often to cutting (btw, have you seen the images of carving (see the links in this thread) ... thats just fcuking wrong. wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong :eek: ).

Apparently there are people in Dublin who do scarification. Maybe theyll be able to help out.

that looks fantastic, great result.

Fantasy_Suicide

Celestial on abbey st do branding, I think.

I recall seeing a sign that said branding when I passed yday...

the demon

its not illegal, see paddy in bodyshock in temple bar, he does it