Emboss G10, or other polymer scales

Have a custom embossing stamp made?

  • Yes

    Votes: 1 33.3%

  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • It is possible, but won't be clean

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Go with the laser etch

    Votes: 2 66.7%

  • Send it to a pro

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    3
MolokaiRider

MolokaiRider

Joined
Sep 13, 2017
Messages
9,110
Forgive my ignorance, but as I am sitting here unwinding after a long day and fiddling with my new cheapo Cold Steel Finn Wolf with plastic handles, I had a thought.

It would be neat to have a custom embossing stamp that could be heated up and melted into polymer knife scales, Kydex sheathes, and other plastic bits. Maybe even burn into leather.

I imagine it takes some skill and precision to
not over-melt the material. Azwelke has a neat logo, but it seems like it gets kinda mush/melted.

Is there a place that any of you know where custom ones can be made? Is it even possible to burn in a logo on the slab of G10? Is it just going to get sloppy? Maybe it might be worth buying a laser etching machine for high levels of precision.

Kinda thinking out loud...but any advice or insight would be appreciated .
 
I know that there are businesses that produce custom stamps, like for stamping metal and leather. I don't know any of their names off the top of my head.

As for branding G10 (Garolite 10), it's resistant to heat, but not impervious. One could always purchase some handle making pieces for testing (various materials). They aren't expensive.
 
killgar said:
I know that there are businesses that produce custom stamps, like for stamping metal and leather. I don't know any of their names off the top of my head.

As for branding G10 (Garolite 10), it's resistant to heat, but not impervious. One could always purchase some handle making pieces for testing (various materials). They aren't expensive.
Click to expand...
Thanks for weighing in. I am thinking about ordering a small stamp, but wonder if I make it too small that it might not show any definition.

Your advice about giving it a try is solid. Experience is a great teacher.
 
Branding G-10 won't work, you'll just scorch the resin and it'll look like crap. Melting into plastic is always going to throw up a burr around the impression like you noticed on AZwelke's mark. The cleanest way to mark G-10 or plastic is gonna be the laser.
 
WValtakis said:
Branding G-10 won't work, you'll just scorch the resin and it'll look like crap. Melting into plastic is always going to throw up a burr around the impression like you noticed on AZwelke's mark. The cleanest way to mark G-10 or plastic is gonna be the laser.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I I figured that was likely the reason it was not a popular thing to do.
 
As WValtakis mentioned, branding G-10 simply won't work. Polypropylene and other thermoplastics would be doable using pyrography stamps and an adjustable heat source set to juuuuust the right temperature for the SPECIFIC material.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
As WValtakis mentioned, branding G-10 simply won't work. Polypropylene and other thermoplastics would be doable using pyrography stamps and an adjustable heat source set to juuuuust the right temperature for the SPECIFIC material.
Click to expand...
Plus the right pressure and duration😂 Definitely going to take a lot of practice to nail a clean and consistent result.
 
WValtakis said:
Branding G-10 won't work, you'll just scorch the resin and it'll look like crap. Melting into plastic is always going to throw up a burr around the impression like you noticed on AZwelke's mark. The cleanest way to mark G-10 or plastic is gonna be the laser.
Click to expand...

How about Micarta ? Serious question.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Micarta is fundamentally the same thing as G-10. They're both made using layers of a fiber material compressed and bonded with resin (typically phenolic), which is NOT a thermoplastic. You'll get burning, not melting.
Click to expand...

The way I understand it, G10 is basically epoxy and fiberglass. Classically and in contrast, Micarta is based on phenolic resin with paper, linen or other fabrics. I do know that these days the term Micarta is used as a wider term including even fiberglass and CF, and/or epoxy as resin. So you could say "G10 is a type of Micarta", but not the other way around.

However, I was wondering if phenolic resin + fabric behaved differently from epoxy + fiberglass, but Chip answered my question. Thanks.
 
ferider said:
The way I understand it, G10 is basically epoxy and fiberglass. Classically and in contrast, Micarta is based on phenolic resin with paper, linen or other fabrics. I do know that these days the term Micarta is used as a wider term including even fiberglass and CF, and/or epoxy as resin. So you could say "G10 is a type of Micarta", but not the other way around.

However, I was wondering if phenolic resin + fabric behaved differently from epoxy + fiberglass, but Chip answered my question. Thanks.
Click to expand...
G-10 is a specific grade of micarta material using epoxy resin and glass fiber, but "micarta" may be used to describe all manner of reinforced resin-bonded laminates. They may use phenolic, epoxy, melamine, or other thermoset resins. Thermoset materials are different from thermoplastic materials, in that thermoset is a one-way forming process, while thermoplastic materials can be melted by reheating, while thermoset materials will scorch or burn instead.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top