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Branding your cigar box guitars!

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!

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Permalink Reply by Shawn on April 5, 2017 at 4:44pm

Here is mine

Attachments:

IMG_0767.JPG, 2.4 MB
IMG_0768.JPG, 3.1 MB

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Permalink Reply by John Sawyer on April 5, 2017 at 5:25pm

Sweet!

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Permalink Reply by the anonymous pick on April 5, 2017 at 7:15pm

good info . i wonder is brass would stand up to a hammer punch or wood press ...

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Permalink Reply by the anonymous pick on April 6, 2017 at 2:34pm

*if

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Permalink Reply by John Sawyer on April 6, 2017 at 6:13pm

For a short time, I think it would... depends on how hard the wood is... With a press, it would probably be better, methinks...

Really hardwood would probably not... but Cigar Box wood? probably...

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Permalink Reply by Kigar on April 6, 2017 at 1:55pm

I think I like your brand better than mine, but I'll show it anyway. It is 3d printed in stainless steel. Second50 refers to both my age (second set of 50) and that hopefully some of what I make has a second life of 50+ years.

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Permalink Reply by John Sawyer on April 6, 2017 at 2:10pm

Very cool... How do you heat it? . do you have easy access to a 3d printer?

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Permalink Reply by Kigar on April 6, 2017 at 2:24pm

I use CAD in my job so I was able to model it pretty easily. The steel part was made by Shapeways, it was only a little over $20 in total. I made it fit a nut so it could attach to a length of thread and wooden handle, I heat it with a propane torch. No affiliation with Shapeways but they can make almost anything in any material with a 3D printer and they cater to individuals.