Branding your cigar box guitars!

[John Sawyer]

I posted a couple of pics yesterday. . . a couple of people asked where I got it and how it works...

I had been wanting one for a long time.  I found some custom wood brands at Rockler and other places for around $125+, but those were text only, and had a limited selection of fonts.   Others that used custom artwork were higher than that, so I started looking for a cheaper solution.

Kyle, the owner of Sandy Eggo CNC (yes, in San Diego), told me he had made one on his CNC Mill.  Their business is primarily CNC wood carving, but he agreed if I did the artwork.  

The result is a 1x3/8x1/2" block of brass.  I drilled and tapped it, fit it to my 30W Harbor Freight wood burner (it's underpowered).   And it works!   I just ordered a 80W Stained Glass soldering iron (weller, $36) to replace it.  I'll let you know how it goes... I will most likely need to re-drill the brass piece, or use set screws.  Anyway, I talked to SandyEggoCNC.com who indicated they could do all of that for me if I wanted to order another one.  

I am sure there are other vendors out there, just my experience with him was good. . .   So find something that works for you!

Artwork limitations:  Truetype fonts are good, as is vector-art, but it is my understanding that raster-images are really tough to render and cut.   Check with whomever is going to cut these for you...

To me a CBG lends itself to be rustic, which lends itself to the wood burner.  

Here are some necks I'm prepping for kits I will sell at an upcoming craft fair... I hope you find it useful!

[John Sawyer]

Lol... some more than others!  Welcome to the club!  :-)