Making My Mark

C

ClydeWigg3

Joined
Feb 24, 2009
Messages
74
How do I put my initials or whatever I decide to on my knife? What is the simplest way to do this before I fire the blade?
 
Do you own a handstamp made for you with your initials? That looks way better than smacking individual punches.

I got mine from buckeye engraving, it was $30 or so ( I believe, I got mine almost two years ago). then the key is getting a good stamp without double punching it. Practice on scrap a couple times. they make handstamp holders, and others have modded an arbor press to hold their stamp. I use an arbor press to hold mine, and smack the top with a hammer.

http://www.steelhandstamps.com/
 
They do great work, I picked a pretty abstract MS word font and it was no problem for em. They can pretty much do anything you ask. but you have to take into consideration what it is gonna look like when it is stamped.
 
Yeah.. well, I'll have to order a stamp from them sometime... I'm sure it looks a lot nicer than my salt water etches.
 
I have an article on my website concerning marking your blades.....

http://www.caffreyknives.net/Makersmarkarticle.html

I'm not trying to be snobbish, but if your only paying that much for a stamp, I can't imagine it lasting very long. I've tried a number of different stamp makers, and keep going back to Henry Evers Corp (Everstamp). All the others lasted only a few impressions on blade steels before they started mushrooming out. EverStamp is more pricey than most, but they also last. In the past 15 years I have only had to purchase two stamps from Everstamp, where as the others I tried were wrecked within 1/2 dozen uses.
 
Both sites claim their stamps are made from O-1. How could Everstamp's be any better?
 
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I also use the Henry Evers stamp. But did have to make my own holder for it to set in. I been using it for about 5 years now and its still going strong. I ordered 3 different sizes from there, and all work great. I will be adding additional stamps from Henry Evers for folders. I been wanting one in script that will be my next stamp.:)

This is the stamp impression I am using to date.
NameStamp1.jpg


This is the holder that I designed for the stamp. The bottle jack press I purchased at wholesale tools.
FIELDKNIFE9.jpg


Terry
 
I don't know their specific processes, but my guess is that its all in the heat treating of the finished stamp. A poorly heat treated stamp made of O1 will not hold up well, were as one that is properly heat treated for the intended purpose will.

Most of the lesser quality stamps that I've tried were also claimed to be O1, but there was a huge difference in how they performed/lasted compared to the Everstamps.

The folks at Buckeye MIGHT make a good product, but I have come to trust the quality of what Everstamp makes, and for the difference in price, the red flag goes up for me when I see a stamp, made of the same material, that costs half as much.

My philosophy is that I can pay once for a quality item, or pay many times (equaling out to, or exceeding the cost of a high quality product). Just trying to offer my experience.
 
A timely thread here. I just purchased a stamp from Buckeye Engraving yesterday afternoon, which was my first initial, a period, then my last name all in plain block capital letters. Cost me $85, which I didn't think was too bad at all. Their customer service is top notch in my opinion. I would imagine if the stamp only lasted for a few impressions under normal usage, they'd help make it right. I'll have to wait and see how it all plays out. Thanks for the info guys. -Matt-
 
Hopefully I will still get good use out of mine. It has been smacked with a hammer maybe two dozen times and the print still looks nice.

Of course you do get what you pay for majority of the time.:thumbup:
 
Get an etcher. I have been down the road of stamps and the etcher is much simpler and easier to use. Finish the knife and etch your name on it.
 
I don't think you can easily when they are hot, because it's best to clamp them down. Not sure though.
 
Ok, here's the deal. If the stamp is small enough and made right, you can stamp it in cold steel before heat treating. If the stamp is too big for that, then you have to heat the blade and try to stamp it while it is hot (not something I would recommend). Either way, you have to do it before heat treating. After heat treating, the stamp will bounce off the hardened steel. If it's not too late, you can still get an etcher and save yourself a lot of aggravation. I have both and the etcher is the only way to go.
 
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