Freeze Branding

[Luna Mesa]

I did my first round of freeze branding this fall using liquid nitrogen. Clipped right down to the hide with a #40 blade, wiped with alcohol, and held the iron about 50–60 seconds. The hair fell out after a couple weeks and now it’s starting to come back white. I built a small Igloo cooler setup and added a metal grate in the bottom to keep the iron off the plastic and spread the cold evenly. I run it with a 6-liter nitrogen tank, which is enough for a handful of cattle. The hide never burns or scabs like a hot brand, and the main thing I learned is that close clipping makes all the difference in how sharp the mark turns out.

 

[SageHill]

Very cool - no pun intended, but heck why not?!!!
Love the description. It makes sense that clipping the hair would make a difference. I've only seen hot branding done out here. On a huge ranch when they bring in the calves.