Stamping makers mark on thin steel

colu41

colu41

Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Messages
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Here is a pic of my setup. An Everstamp with a homemade holder, all welded in a sturdy frame with a 12 ton jack. It has worked great for the last year and a half. But just one complaint. When doing fillets, or kitchen sets, I use .07 steel.
Now no doubt it bends the blade when stamping, the problem is it doesn't bend it in an arc, it kind of just deforms the spot around the stamp, making it nearly impossible to get it perfectly flat again.
Is there any tips you guys have for me that Can either prevent this, or at the very least limit it? I'm using a hardened steel jewelers block for the base.
Sorry about the bad pic.
wmmayv.jpg
 
personally ive come to the conclusion that stamping blows--- unless youre cold stamping softened san mai jackets in the annealed state? Im moving to professional engraving, or getting set up to etch my marks. Interested to hear if anyone has any success hot stamping. Im almost convinced stamping is for blacksmith wares or tools :(
 
Well Personally I like the physical stamp. Etching can easily come off, and 5 - 10 years down the road, nobody knows who made it, unless the original owner still has it and remembers. :/ Just wanted to see if this problem was preventable.
 
Maybe a flat piece the size of the stamp, flip blade and press in same spot??
 
tump said:
Maybe a flat piece the size of the stamp, flip blade and press in same spot??
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That actually might work. I've thought about flipping it and maybe lightly pressing again with the stamp but, figured that wouldn't have been pretty.
 
colu41 said:
Well Personally I like the physical stamp. Etching can easily come off, and 5 - 10 years down the road, nobody knows who made it, unless the original owner still has it and remembers. :/ Just wanted to see if this problem was preventable.
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Etching won't come off unless you sand or grind it off. It actually etches into the steel creating an imprint. It isn't just printed on the surface.
 
i wonder if the same thing would happen with a hammer blow vs the slow squeeze? the metal may behave differently. if nothing else works try stamping them red hot before heat treat to see if it is better or worse.
 
S.Alexander said:
Etching won't come off unless you sand or grind it off. It actually etches into the steel creating an imprint. It isn't just printed on the surface.
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Yes, you are right. Just my personal experience with etching wasn't very good but. Maybe I'll look into it more in the near future. I had my first maybe 25 blades I've ever made etched by a well known local knife business, and it literally seemed to disappear rubbing my finger over it. It was still "there" but the darkness of etching faded out.
 
woodster said:
i wonder if the same thing would happen with a hammer blow vs the slow squeeze? the metal may behave differently. if nothing else works try stamping them red hot before heat treat to see if it is better or worse.
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After first getting the stamp I tried hammering it with zero effect. Lol. 2 lbs hammer and barely left a mark. It was quite weird actually.
 
We hot stamp most everything except stainless..If we get a bend we just hammer it back straight..I don't think we get the same kind of deformation hot stamping that your talking about..If so it comes out easy hot. Im not sure how you can get it right again cold without excessive peter tracks..
 
Dont want to start a new thread, but if I pick up an EtchOMatic machine or similar, where do I get custom stencils made? Not sure I want to spend the extra $250 on the machine to make my own. Or should I?
 
If you have a solid, anvil-type backing, you should be able to hammer stamp it.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
If you have a solid, anvil-type backing, you should be able to hammer stamp it.
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I've tried hammer stamping when I first got it. Used a 2lbs hammer and barely made a scratch. And accuracy hitting it any harder would have been terrible. I'm really contemplating etching now with a little more research. Just need to know I have everything I need before I go spend $200+ on a machine.
Any tips out there for the entire kit and stencil options?
 
For stencils I firmly suggest IMG..Ive tried the others and IMG's stencils always produced the best,most clear etch for me.
 
For $200, you can buy an engraving machine off Ebay that is far more useful than etching.
 
I use a brass hammer on a nice flat anvil- I stamp all my thin blade knives and it works great.
 
I started out etching, a Marking method's personalizer, and with it I etch for 2 minutes, and mark for 2. Leaves a nice deep etch that looks like a stamp. A buddy of mine recently got a new personalizer and it didn't do as good a job, mine registered 14 volts, his tested at I believe 11 volts and made a ragged etch. I can't recommend them as there customer service was severely lacking.

I did recently get a stamp for some of my rough forged items, nothing fancy, and works well.

I prefer etching my logo, but it needs a clean, smooth surface to get a good etch, the stamp works for rougher finishes. The one thing I don't like about the stamp is that it makes for a stress point. Not a big deal on say a wrought iron hawk head, could be potential for a broken blade on a high carbon or stainless fixed blade.
 
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I used .070 band saw blade from a local sawmill to make this kitchen knife.
I spot anneaed with an O.A. touch . I use the anvil and two magnets on each side of my stamp .
I've found the by using the magnets I can make sure the stamp is fully flat against the blade.
 
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