Human branding is the process in which a mark, usually a symbol or ornamental pattern, is burned into the skin of a living person, with the intention that the resulting scar makes it permanent. This scarification is performed using a hot or cold iron. It is done in our present time with consent as a form of body modification, and historically, as a punishment or imposition of masterly rights over an enslaved, or condemned person.
The history of body branding is the darkest of all the forms of body modification. Brands were used as a mark of ownership over slaves, not all that long ago. Hollywood films have helped to enforce this dark image by showing painful, non consensual brands being performed on people, against their will.
Today, body branding is gaining popularity, but the risks are great for those who do not know what they are doing. People attempting to do brandings on themselves after seeing someone else do it are risking very painful and permanent damage to their bodies. Using materials such as bent coat hangers and paperclips to do branding is incredibly dangerous, due to the fact that these materials contain plated metals, which can chip off and imbed into the skin, causing metal poisoning, and potentially a painful surgery to have them removed. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.
As practiced by Elwood's Body Modification, body branding is the art of creating decorative scars through the use of extreme heat in three forms; strike, cautery, and moxabustion.
Strike branding is heating up small strips of stainless steel and applying them to the skin in a designated pattern. This form of branding is what most people tend to think of when the word "branding" is mentioned. This is nothing like what is done to cattle! People do not have "hides", therefore we do not brand people the way we brand cows!
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Electrocautery is performed by using a Thermo Cautery Unit, the same thing you would see in a hospital's invasive surgery ward. The medical application of this machine is to stop bleeding by cauterization during invasive surgical procedures so the patient does not bleed to death on the table. I use it to make pretty pictures! This unit heats up to approximately two thousand degrees Fahrenheit. At that temperature, it creates an instant third degree burn. Designs can be a little more intricate with this method, and curved lines are a whole lot easier!
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Moxabustion is placing incense on the skin and allowing it to burn until extinguished in the flesh. For this type of branding, I use Tibetan or Japanese incense, due to the fact that the stick of incense is pure incense and not incense around a wooden stick. Everyone has different ways of applying the incense to the skin to make it stick, but I have found a small dab of lip balm on the end works the best for me!
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If you would like see more information on Elwood's demonstrations and performance art at public events,
Click to visit the All About Elwood website.
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