Help with my Maker's Mark

etp777

etp777

Joined
Aug 12, 2002
Messages
2,259
OK, I wanted to just do first and last initals for my mark(something simple, and that I could even do with two seperate letter punches, rather then getting a punch made), but then I put them down on a blade to see what it would look like, and noticed a quick problem. My initials for first and last is JS. Obviously, if I start putting that on my blades it could very easily mislead people as to whether they're forged or stock removal, and it seems that I'm claiming a rank that I am very much NOT qualified to claim.

So anyways, I was thinking I'd add middle initial, which would make it JWS, and that doesn't seem like it would be aproblem then(unless there's already a maker out there using this that I don't know about).

Would appreciate any feedback if initials are alright, and if JWS isn't used. Also, if I weant to have someone make me a punch, and I want to use one, who should I contact and how would I use it? I don't do any forging yet, so I assume that I'd have to punch the steel cold, or at most, heat it up to nonmagnetic or thereabouts and stamp. Either way, I would be doing this before my normalizing part of heat treating process I assume? Any info on all of this would be greatly appreciated.
 
I see your problem, one thing to take into account it will take a surprising amount of force to stamp. I hot stamp my G+ with a 6lb hammer just before normalizing with the blade at almost orange heat.
This is in 5160 and sometimes it takes more than one strike. I built my stamps out of 1" dia 01 you need that much material in the punch to stand up to the stress. I started with 5/8 dia. which worked ok for several years befor giving up. Gib
 
I would recommend at least your initials, AND your last name. Better yet is to have the city and state also. I can't tell you how many times on these forums someone is trying to identify the maker of a knife they have, which only has a couple of initials. They are rarely successful.:confused:
 
Now that is a good idea, and might actually be doable. One advantage to Oklahoma City,t hough I'm not a huge fan of the area, is that OKC, OK doesn't make for a very big stamp. :)

So who would I go to to purchase a stamp?
 
I used to use just the THR initials in my logo.. Anthony Lombardo told me I needed to get my name on the knife.. So I did.. He said he see's people trying to ID knives with intitials only all the time.. Just your name, and knifemaker would work fine too..
 
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