SUPER ETCH-O-MATIC KIT

I use one of the regular Etch-O-Matics that some one gave to me when he got a Marking Meathods unit. It retails for about $45 in the kit that I got and it seems to work fine for me. The only problem I have is the clips they put on the things wont open up very far so replacing the clips with new and bigger ones is a neccesity in my opinion.

Mine works fine for me and I even found if you order a roll of stencil material and get a good 24 pin dot matrix printer with the ribbon taken out of it and set it on maximum resolution and double strike you can make some AWESOME custom stencils right on your computer. I did my logo that I mark some of my blades with that way and it turned out great!


In my opinion forget the big fancy kit, buy yourself a basic or super unit with a bottle of electrolyte and a roll of stencils and you will be set!

Alan...


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If a Man talks in the forest, and there is no Woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?
 
Alan,
Do you ever get etching pits under the stencil? My marks usually come out just fine, but every once in a while, I get tiny, but deep pits near the mark, but the stencil shows no holes. That's one of the reasons I was looking to do the kind of marking where the stencil is painted on the blade and the image removed by exposure to UV. I figured the etchant couldn't get under the stencil that way. Sounds as though yours are working fine for you, though.
Ron

[This message has been edited by Ron Peek (edited 01-28-2000).]
 
I agree with Alan, don't waste your money on this big unit, 2 X 4 inched is a pretty big logo! I have the "Personalizer Plus" that many of the knifemaker supply houses sell. Actually, the smaller unit would suffice but I wanted to get fancy and bought the Plus. It etches just marginally faster than the (much)less expensive unit. We are talking seconds here.

George Tichbourne had a very good suggestion concerning a very economical power supply to etch with. All that is actually needed is a small AC power supply and the electrolyte and you are on your way.

C Wilkins
 
Ron, I have gotten the pits, but I found if I tape the stencil down real tight and rub the tape onto the blade real good so as not to get the little space that the electrolytle like to flow into. also dont wet the felt pad as much, you will find with practice that happy medium between wet and sopped that will work just fine, mine is the 3 amp unit so mine doesnt etch all that fast either...

CL, yeah I have a friend who bought the personalizer and I found that to be a LOT nicer unit than these little etch o matics, of course its twice the price but well worth it in my opinion. I like the personalizer casue it has a built in black/etch switch so you dont have an extra lead and clip you have to screw with, and the wire with the felt pad on it is a LOT easier to get next to the bolster than the big plastic housing on the etch o matic...

The personalizer is on my wants list...
smile.gif


Alan...

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If a Man talks in the forest, and there is no Woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?
 
Where can the Pesonalizer be bought? I would be interested, since I don't have anything but a metal stamp that I am using.

Marcel
 
I have the Super Etch-o-Matic and like it just fine. I don't mind using the resistor clip in place of a switch to make the etch blacked. Either way it takes two hands. With regards to the pitting, I've found that it's caused either by the stencil not getting even pressure against the blade, or as has already been mentioned, I've got too much electrolyte in the felt pad. Practice, practice, practice. All my wife's kitchen knives have several of my logo's etched on them. I always practice once before branding one of my knives. Wipe the face of the stencil with a damp paper towel between uses. I also used to have the problem of not being able to get a brand in front of the bolster because of the size of the stencil holder. I've started branding the blade before attaching bolsters. I've found I like that better because I can always get even pressure on the stencil with no handles attached to the blade. And if I mess up the brand it's less trouble to sand it off and do it again.

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Bill
"There's nothing friendlier than a wet dog"
"The more people I meet the more I like my dogs"
 
The "Personalizer" and "Personalizer Plus" can be brought from K&G or Texas Knifemaker's Supply. As mentioned in my previous post, all that is needed is the Personalizer. The Personalizer Plus has adjustable current control with twice the output capability but the difference in an etch between the two machines is mere seconds. The nice thing about the Personalizer series is that you are able to either "mark" or "etch" with the flip of a switch. Marking is just a black mark, etching is truly a deeper etch.

I am still "cutting my teeth" on it, especially the stencil roll and making my own stencils. I don't quite have that down yet, I think I am trying to use too much electrolyte on the etch. With the stencil I sent off for and had made, I did not have any problems. Nice clean, crisp image.

C Wilkins
 
I bought a Personalizer way back and didn't like it one bit! Of course that was before I found out L6 steel is acid resistant! Now that I'm also working stainless, guess I'll grab another one from Jantz! I like Jantz mostly because their prices are good and they ship super fast. I usually get my order in 3-4 days. Also, they have a flat shipping rate of $6.95. That is real nice if you're thinking of buying something big like a grinder.

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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"
 
Here I go sounding stupid again. Just how do you make the stencils? Do you order them from a stencil maker? or do you do your own on a typewriter? Thanks for your replies.

Marcel

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i have a marking methods machine but i make my stencils on a typriter with the ribbin out if you get pits like he said to much elektrolite you need to bob it on and off if you hold it on there steady it gets to hot and creates gas pockets allso yourstencil wont last as long but getting a stencil made is the best way its about 40 bucks to get your logo made 8 bucks a sheet with four logo you can do over 200

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L-6
I use the personalizer on what i think to be L-6 and have real good luck with it.One of the etchants work better than the other one.As I sit her lookin I can't remember which is which.I made a logo on a computer program called print master. Used a clear label and sent it in and had several made.The cost was $30 set-up and $8 per sheet with 6 - logos on each one.I like the mark best and it takes a little buffing to remove 1 so they are pretty durable.

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Check out: www.Marking-Systems.de
their site is in english and german. THey make etching machines for industry and laser etching machines. Their etching machines start at around $600 but the good deal is that they make really good stencils for only a few dollars each. And when one wears out, you can just contact them, give them the stencil number and they'll send you a new one over night. Reorders are about $3 each. They also have a lot of different etching fluids for different steels.

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www.wilkins-knives.com


 
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