Here I have a nice, fairly simple two-color die… the one on the top does the larger black background, and the one on the bottom does the nice golden details 
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For those of you who like to see the finished product
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I forgot to post a picture of the die… but here’s the finished product anyway 
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I’m sorry I can’t post the files for these. Most of them are licensed. I’m ok posting pictures though, since I am not profiting from the distribution.
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Here’s a good looking bird!
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Very Nice as always,Thanks for taking the time to share with us
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I’ve got some new triangle bits I want to try. They have a finer point, with a .001 tip and 10 degree angle. I’m running a new die today with some fine details, and will use the new bits. As (almost) always, I’ll post the results
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Yep, that’s a bulldog. Seem high school kids (and college kids too) don’t understand that bulldogs are about the worst athletes ever LOL
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Well, the overbred things which they now pass off as bulldogs — the original breed was healthy, vigorous, quite athletic (could jump up and bite bulls on the nose bring them down, hence the name — bullbaiting is reprehensible, but for actually working w/ cattle, I can sympathize with the desire for such a capability) and they really should breed back to a version which doesn’t have the congenital shoulder and nasal problems of the current “ideal”. There was an old British painting which depicted the original sort of animal walking away from the viewer and the newer sort walking toward — never understood how anyone could look at it and see the latter as a good idea.
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I agree dog breeding has become… downright disgusting. Ancient, noble breeds have been turned into sickly, disease prone shadows of their ancestors. Give me a happy, healthy mutt any day
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Or one of the sensible breeds which are still solid working animals.
I’m still surprised that there hasn’t been an effort to breed pets for longevity.
I think most folks who are still reading this will feel all-too-well this old quote:
A dog does not live as long as a man and this natural law is the fount of many tears. If boy and puppy might grow to manhood and doghood together, and together grow old, and so in due course die, full many a heartache might be avoided. But the world is not so ordered, and dogs will die and men will weep for them so long as there are dogs and men.
—Ben Ames Williams
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Here’s a nice non animal die
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Don’t let the University of Missouri know how cursed this die set was!! They might get all freaked out and have a bad season or something.
First run was scrapped, due to a tool breaking, and dragging across the face of the die. Then it turns out they sent the wrong files, and I had to scrap it again because the tiger wasn’t fierce enough (Who am I to judge?).
Finally, I have the die set done. whew
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Really excited about this simple die. Getting the military academy is a major boost for the company!
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Here’s a nice change of pace… A horse
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Nice work.
Which hot foil stamping machine do you use?
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I’ve been doing a fair bit of brass work myself here lately, trying to create some wood-burning brands. Not too different from your foil dies for leather! So you said they heat to ~500 degrees? How thick are the plates?
I was concerned about the heat transfer times to burn and getting enough darkening from the small details without over-burning the larger letters. Any thoughts on that?
(Last test-cut version where I hadn’t started using a v-bit engraver yet)
I’m currently dialing in settings on a Shapeoko running a 60° v-bit for the raised outer lettering to try to ensure it burns in well enough:
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Saw your posts, but it’s the end of the day. I will give you answers tomorrow!!! I have pictures too!
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here is one of our old presses… we have three of these:
and here is one of our new presses:
these are rated at 10-15 tons.
To UnionNine: yes, we heat to 480 degrees for branding, and 220 degrees for foil stamping. the dies are all 7.8mm thick with a 4mm geometry. Cycle times for branding are about two seconds.
if you are doing the branding by hand, I recommend a arbor press with a quick release. remember: smaller geometry features will lose their heat faster than the big ones, so be sure to have a thick (3mm+) backing to maintain an even heat. If you need to stamp multiple parts, I suggest a heater block. You can find them, or make one.
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