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
