Knife makers mark

L

Lawk Knives

Joined
Apr 7, 2011
Messages
17
So new question. Can anyone give me some suggestions for making a makers mark in or one a blade? I have looked at a few processes online for doing this and many of them are very nice but to me they seem to make the knife look not handmade. They look like they came from a company and that's not quite the look that I am going for. I was thinking also of taking it to an engraver maybe to but just wanted to see if anyone had any any good ideas.
Leif
Lawk Knives
 
Most makers either use a steel stamp or a electric etcher. The design is up to the maker.
 
My preference (from a user/collector standpoint) is a stamp over etch. Just better looking imo
 
I prefer a stamp but an etched mark is fine, however either need to be very well executed.

It's my opinion that a maker's mark needs to be easily found but subtle enough not to be noticed at a glance. It's a very rare occasion where a knifemaker's mark can be successfully utilized a design element.
 
The old-style hand-made looking makers marks look that way because the stamp used to make the impression was often hand-made, and the marks were usually struck while the piece was hot, which allows the stamp to set the impression nice and deep, and also leaves a scaled texture in the bottom from the fire scale that is forced into the surface by the stamp. Many smiths still hot-stamp their blades, but most stock removal makers who stamp do it cold, using modern-made stamps, which does not give quite the same effect.
The effect is probably easier to replicate with an etcher than by cold stamping, but might take some experimenting to get the results you want. A stencil maker might have more input.
 
I use the electro-chem etching machine, Personalizer Plus, available from several knife suppliers and my stencils I get professionally made by Marking Methods. I think you can make your own stencils fairly cheaply.

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I've had my etcher for about 8 years now and love it.
-M
 
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