Source for a Maker's Mark Stamp?

[crowmagnon]

Hello,

I've been investing in starting up knifemaking, and I was thinking of using a steel stamp to imprint my blades (with my last name).
Has anyone had a good experience with a particular stamp-making company?

If there's a better way of marking blades, I would like to learn about that as well.


Thanks for your time!

 

[i4Marc]

Try making a pile of blades first. It will be a while before you're making anything you feel like putting your name on. You can take a look at the links below. I've had good results with the last link , Buckeye Engraving.


http://www.henryaevers.com/

http://www.greyghostgraphics.com/stamps.html

http://www.steelstamps.com/leather-marking-stamps.html

http://www.infinitystamps.com/index.html

http://www.steelhandstamps.com/Hand_Stamps.html

 

[crowmagnon]

Thanks!
Yeah, I guess investing on a stamp before I even have my grinder is a bit optimistic.

 

[12345678910]

When you are starting, you can take a knife you are happy with and get it laser etched at your local trophy shop


It's too expensive for a ft maker to do it that way, but it's a simple way for a beginner to get a perfect mark.

 

[ken1111]

I do an elctro-etch. Its pretty simple for a mcgyver setup

You can take apart an old computer power supply. You can find these in old thrown out computers. If you look at the lines they are color coded with their voltage. There will be one wire you will need to short to make the power supply work. (you can look this up on google but i think it will be a green wire) Once you have that you can connect an alligator clip to the voltage you want and a qtip dunked in a vinegar and salt solution. Connect the ground wire from you power supply to the blade.

Now to make your mask. You can use nail polish to draw a negative of your last name. So paint an area on the blade and then use a toothpick to write your name. let it dry completely and with the voltage on press it onto the areas you drew in the nail polish. Then remove the nail polish and voila.

It takes some practice to get good at it. Just an almost free option. You can get fancy and get stencils made with your name. Of course watch out for electrical hazards. Tape up all bare wires and the alligator clips should be the only thing exposed.

 

[crowmagnon]

Interesting suggestions.
The trophy shop idea is something I never would have though of myself.

 

[FullyTorque]

Electro etch is a cheap, easy-ish way to go starting out. You need an electrical source; I started out using 9v batteries but now use an old power pack for some computer speakers that are long gone which works for better. If you search you'll find lots of plans on how to make an elector etcher with AC and DC capabilities, DC etches and AC darkens. But you could probably find an alternative like my speaker power cord for little to nothing. It just needs to have enough voltage to work, phone chargers are too weak.
If you have access to a laser printer you can make single use stencils for nearly nothing. Just print a reversed negative of the image on glossy paper and iron it onto your blade. This is tricky and kind of a hassle but it's basically free. There are reusable stencils available online. They're not cheap but they're what the pro's use.
Search for electo etching and blade etching on youtube.

Keep an eye on this forum. Someone stated in a thread that they're working on a new way to make etching stencils.
I also am working on something. I bought some sheets of photoreactive screen printing stencils. My first attempt was to make reusable stencils like the ones available online. It worked well enough but I have another idea I want to try.