In the furniture making world, it is a tradition that a maker signs his pieces. In 1744 in France, it even became mandatory that a furniture maker brands his pieces, so that the production can be tracked down and controlled by his Royalty. At that time, masters where using stamps (“estampilles”) to mark their names by hammering them onto the wood.
Today, furniture makers and manufacturers still brand their production, but they use a slightly different technique. Most of them don’t hammer their stamp anymore, but either sometimes use a hot branding iron to burn the wood, or add ink to their stamp to leave their marks. Usullay, they can be found inside a drawer, or under a table top.
Mark of FD France and Son, Denmark, under a pinwheel coffee table by Hvidt and Molgaard-Nielsen
To pursue this tradition, I had my own branding iron made. It is made of brass, and I heat it using a flame – like my stove. I still need to figure out the correct temperature and the right timing, but I’m happy to welcome this new tool in the studio!
