How do you make your mark?

[Fish30114]

Pretty much what the title says, I just wanted to inquire how do you folks go about making your mark on your blades?

Looking for experience, advice, recommendations etc.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

I use a Hermes engraving machine with a custom template.
Many makers use a custom stamp. Lately, electo-etching seems to be the prefferred method.

 

[Marty Young]

Like Bill, I use a Hermes engraver.

 

[Calvin Robinson]

I use a Hermes engraving machine with a custom template.
Many makers use a custom stamp. Lately, electo-etching seems to be the prefferred method.

Bill,
I recently got a New Hermes engraver and want to start engraving my name on my blades. Do you mind telling us where you got the custom template made?

 

[Don Hanson III]

I use a custom stamp.

But would like more info on this Hermes engraving machine. Link, pics...

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Bill,
I recently got a New Hermes engraver and want to start engraving my name on my blades. Do you mind telling us where you got the custom template made?

I made it. I'm also a hand engraver.
You can just use the type and do a very good job.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Don,
The New Hermes machines are pantograph engravers. Type is available in many fonts, and you can adjust the engraving size. They are great for flat objects. I'll try to get a pic of mine tomorrow. I have 3 of them.

 

[Fish30114]

Good input folks, I would be interested to know how you get the design for electro etching? Also Don, do you have to stamp when the blades are hot-i.e. during forging?

 

[Chris Lambeth]

The good folks at lectro-etch hooked me up. I sent stencil design and approved their conversion and size(s). I really like the process.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Hermes most of the time. I made a custom plate for my kanji mark.
Personalizer Plus the rest of the time.
Very occasionally I hot stamp a blade.

 

[Chris Lambeth]

Just realized who I was answering, want some pics of your knife being marked?

 

[Fish30114]

Hey Chris, definitely, that would be cool!
Thanks--Don

 

[Fletch Helical]

I built an electro etcher with plans I got online (think Chris Crawford) and a member here helped my wire it up over the phone because I'm electrically declined. Got my stencils from Ernie Grospich.

 

[Don Hanson III]

Don,
The New Hermes machines are pantograph engravers. Type is available in many fonts, and you can adjust the engraving size. They are great for flat objects. I'll try to get a pic of mine tomorrow. I have 3 of them.

Thanks Bill.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

 

[Bill DeShivs]

If anyone has questions, I'll be happy to answer them.

 

[Fish30114]

Great pictures Bill, thanks. How did you come up with your template, I saw you had mentioned you are a hand engraver also, did you simply make it yourself? How would you go about a 'stylelized' logo for example? I appreciate all the feedback, anyone have info on Lasers? I'm assuming they're pricey...

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Draw/write it on a engraving plate blank ( or make a blank from brass) and cut the pattern in with a carbide ball burr.

If you have a CNC mill, you can cut the plate from a CAD.

 

[Nathan the Machinist]

I scanned my written signature into a computer and traced it with NURBS in a CAD program and used that as a path for a small ball endmill in a CNC mill. I varied the depth of cut a little to simulate the natural variations in width in the handwritten signature. This probably isn't the simplest way to do it, but it's reliable and it looks nice. That's my milled signature in my avatar.

I like a fairly small mark on my work. Not too big and flashy.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

If you have a CNC mill, you have little need for an engraving machine. You could have someone with a CNC machine cut a template for the pantograph engraver.
I actually cut my template with hand gravers.
Laser engravers for metal marking start at around $10,000.00.