Maker's Mark

David Mary

David Mary

pass the mustard - after you cut it
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jul 23, 2015
Messages
16,768
I am still in the process of practicing my mark, and at this time, I am awaiting the arrival of my next order of stencils. Please bear with me a little while longer while I continue to offer unmarked knives. Thank you for understanding.
 
There are a few out already with the mark. As you can see, I need some practice.

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Thank you sir!

Better practiced now.
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Remi and I finally had a chance to meet up today, and I applied the maker's mark to the knife I made him in return for helping me build the etching machine.

Here is how it came out.

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Quick update: For some reason 15N20 seems to resist the etch a bit compared to 1084 or AEB-L. I wonder if it's something to do with the nickel??? It comes out fainter. It's readable, but more like a "frosted etch".

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In the above pic with three knives, the blue one is AEB-L.

Still a bit of a learning curve, or maybe balancing act, to this etching process after all. I'm not getting them all "perfect" but the quality is varying, especially when the stencils start to get worn, little artifacts can happen that don't affect the function of the knife but can be seen upon close inspection. The goal is to get busy enough that the cost of having stencils always on hand becomes negligible so I don't feel like I have to squeeze every last etch out of them.
 
I want to start etching the steel type for my blades, and am wondering what the consensus is on the best setup for my stencil. I will put my mark and the steel type together to save etching time and stencil costs. Once I get the setup figured out, I will go ahead and order stencils for LC200N, AEB-L, 1084, and 15N20. Here is my present idea for placement. I'd love to hear thoughts on this or other ideas.

Thanks!

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The placement shown above makes the steel choice seem "more important" than the maker name, doesn't it... Hmmmm
 
Wild Willie said:
It's the maker that makes a knife special though...
Click to expand...

That's what I mean, I didn't think of the implication of that placement until I read your comment. And yes, it is well understood and stated by many makers and afis alike on this forum and elsewhere that geometry on a knife is more important than steel, and we know it is the maker who determines the geometry. And I would argue that ergos and sheath are also equally as important. In fact, I think all three are so essential that they form a coequal triumvirate of characteristics, any one of which being absent ruins the knife.

Good blade, good handle, bad sheath? Won't carry it. Good blade, good sheath, bad handle? Won't use it. Good sheath, good handle, bad blade? Won't cut.

Rambling on an almost irrelevant tangent? Priceless.
 
Sorry David, I definitely misread your first comment. Your work is most excellent. What about putting your name up top and putting the steel type along the bottom where your name currently is? I think that would look good.
 
Thank you gentlemen. I like where this is heading.

Here is a question: what small image would you choose to represent each steel?

For LC200N, I am thinking waves, like on the ocean. 15N20 I will try and come up with some kind of bandsaw looking icon. AEB-L perhaps a shaving razor. Now for 1084, I am at a loss, because I don't know what other uses it has in industry, although maybe something to do with fire? To indicate it's ease of heat treatment??

Open to suggestions...
 
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