Anybody fill in their letters with paint after they stamp their blades?

[gixxer]

I was thinking along the lines of filling the stamped letters on a blade with any color paint so it stands out better. Anybody else do this? I might do a test to see what they look like side by side. Heck, you could even fill in the letters with the same color as your handle if you are using micarta or whatever. Shouldnt be that difficult, Just sand off whatever spills over after it dries.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

In the jewelery industry this is quite common. Use a good hard grade dyed resin or epoxy paint. Clean the mark real well,apply the resin/paint and make sure it gets into all areas by rubbing .Wipe off most of the excess with a smooth quick wipe. When almost set up clean off around the mark with a solvent dampened cloth,finishing ,again,with a quick wipe over the mark.Let dry completely,and finish off with a light polishing/hand buffing to remove the hazy film left on the area. It will show boldly in the color of the resin.This works best with a deeply etched or engraved mark,as the etched surface holds the resin tight. If the mark is stamped,make a deep mark.The resin I use is called Ceramit,and is a two part enameling compound.It comes in a complete kit,or you can get individual color bottles and a bottle of catalyst.Available from most jewelery suppliers.
Stacy

 

[Del Raso Knives]

I haven't used paint but I have great success with ferric chloride straight out of the bottle. Most of my blades are stainless, when I get them back from heat treat and before final hand finish I use a tooth pick or sharpened match stick to apply the ferric. Dip the applicator into the ferric (easier if you tip a little into the cap) One dip is usually enough to paint your stamp, the point helps you work it into the letters. The whole proccess should only take you about 20 seconds. Blot the excess ferric with a tissue, spray with WD40 or similar and hand finish. You will notice the area directly around your stamp has also been etched, this will cut out very easily. You letters will come out nice and black.
I also use this method to etch one off lettering (eg. S30V) by applying rub on lettering from a drafting/art supply store. Cut a window in a strip of masking tape and centre the window over your letters on the blade. Rub every thing down firmly through the setting sheet you get with the letters and apply the ferric, you must do this or run the risk of bleeding under the tape. The surface tension created buy the edges of your window will hold the ferric in, you should get a nice little raised pool. Leave for about a minute,(no longer), blot off and spray. Peel your tape off and use the sticky side to lift off the letters. This method works best on blades that have been given their final finish after heat treat. The letters will appear bright surounded by a dark window.

Peter.

 

[Chris Meyer]

Invariably, when I'm cleaning up my logo after etching I manage to remove all or most of the black deposits that are supposed to remain in the etch. To counter this, I have been filling in the mark with Birchwood Casey's Perma Blue. This has worked pretty well but you have to be careful not to get spots on the blade or you'll have to sand them off.

New Hermes sells Engravers Enamel that is made for just this sort of application. One of these days I'll have to get some and try it.

 

[argel55]

One of the things I do when I etch my name in some damascus blades then fill it back in with Bonanza Gold Filling kit. Looks classy whenyou do it right.

 

[gixxer]

Wow, the possibilities are endless!!! I totally forgot about permablue, or even gold metalflake! But I doubt I would use gold metalflake for a utility hunter. Thanks for the ideas and opinions.