How to with my first stamp?

[jtwodogs]

I made the investment in my first stamp. Was wondering if I could get some tips from those that have used one for years i.e. background material I put the blade on when stamping? Was playing with the amount of pressure needed to make a clean mark, noticed that if I do not hit it just right one side is lighter then the other.

 

[12345678910]

I've never ever had a good stamping with a hammer.


Try a hydraulic press.

It's slow even and repeatable.

 

[bladegrinder]

JT, I've been using the same stamp for over twenty years and it's still going strong. when I first started with it my problem was not getting it right the first blow or having it jump and get shadow stamps. so I had a stamp jig made up. with this you can line up your blade, clamp it, and hit the stamp, you can then look at it and hit it again if you want, or next Tuesday, because the blade isn't going to move. the picture with the heat treated blade in the fixture is for reference, one strike on a heat treated blade an say good buy to an expensive stamp. hope these picture's help.

 

[Overmountain]

I don't use 'A stamp' per se but several letter stamps. I have a jig that holds them straight and use an Arbor press. Press down with the Arbor press making firm contact the strike the top of the press Arbor with a hammer. You can usually restrike with this method...

Agree with above, a jig is great. Those look great BTW BG.

-Eric

 

[i4Marc]

I hand stamp. It can be, um, hit or miss. Actually I get pretty good results with it. I measure carefully. Then I make a template out of stacked pieces of tape so the stamp falls into position. I lay the blade on my anvil with a piece of duct tape between the blade and anvil face. This helps protect the finish on the blade as well as keeping the blade from sliding around or shifting on the anvil. When the stamp is in position I use an 8 pound sledge hammer with the handle cut down to make a careful but heavy strike on the stamp. I concentrate on holding the stamp as flat as possible so I get the most even impression I can. I have tried a hydraulic press but it didn't work well for me. This is probably because the 20 ton rating on my Harbor Freight shop press is optimistic at best.

 

[Matt Rochester]

I made a holder for mine and put it in a press. Make sure you stamp it deep enough and that your backing is flat and doesn't flex.

 

[jtwodogs]

Thanks for the tips. That jig looks like the trick BladeGrinder.