Jet Set for Hive Branding Iron

01 · WHAT A JET DOES

It meters the gas to the burner

The jet is the injector that meters gas flow to the burner. On it depends whether the flame is even, and on that whether the plate heats uniformly.

With use it blocks: the gas carries impurities and the heat leaves residue. The flame turns irregular and the brand comes out uneven — scorched on one side and barely visible on the other.

02 · TWO OR THREE, BY MODEL

A longer plate needs more burner

The 12-character iron works with 2 jets; the 14-character one needs 3. More characters means more plate surface to bring up to temperature, and hence one burner more.

They are brass, which takes the heat without deforming. A cheap wearing part: worth having spares before the branding season.

03 · WHY A CLEAN BRAND MATTERS

The identification has to be readable

In Spain hives must carry the holding's identification code visibly and indelibly. Fire branding meets that well — it does not wash off in the rain or fade in the sun, unlike paint or a label.

But it only works if it can be read. A half-done brand, some characters scorched and others invisible, identifies nothing. That is where a two-euro jet stops being a detail.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

Count how many jets your iron takes: 2 on the 12-character model, 3 on the 14-character one.