Folks: how many of you either stamp or etch your name or symbol on the blade? Can you offer any advice on doing so?

Will regular hardened steel letter stamps work on an annealed high-carbon steel blade?

Does anyone try to etch with cordless dremel? Am wondering how this works out. I don't trust the steadiness of my own hand for it, nor the penmanship.

Thanks for sharing any feedback.

You are looking for a touchmark. It is a stamp that can be made through a variety of means. I have read about two common means for making a touchmark. I am sure there are many others.

Carving the shape directly into annealed tool steal and hardening is one.

The other requires making a positive image by carving in steel and using forge temperature tool steel to take an impression of the carving, then hardening this new punch or die block. This is called mother-daughter method, and may be able to produce several identical punches or dies. I have read that the positive can be anything from mild steel to annealed tool steel, but making more than a few will wear the mother.

There are several threads on touchmarks on IFI already, and I have not yet made one. These may be more helpful.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f7/show-me-your-touchmark-13852/
http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f7/touchmark-register-10521/
http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f11/using-touchmark-11157/
http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f92/touch-mark-stamp-6118/
http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f7/touchmark-4016/
http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f11/touchmark-9946/

Hope this helps
Phil

Etching especially electro etching is used by a lot of blademakers.

Etching especially electro etching is used by a lot of blademakers.

The reason some give is that it involves potential weakness from notch sensitivity.

I cann't explain it but notch sensitivity means that some steel are more likely to accumulate stress and fracture at sharp discontinuities than others.

Charlotte

A thought: I mark electrically and put my name and city/state on each blade. If someone sees a knife and want to find me that makes it easier. If you use initials, a shop logo or symbol or a unique touch mark they may never find you.

Rich: what kind of machine do you have? I searched the internet on this and was surprised with how little there was to choose from for a non-commercial user.

Thanks

My mark is hot stamped in... you can see it in my signature banner.

Rick

Notch sensitivity, or stress risers are when a sharp nick, or notch is made in a piece causing a higher risk of breakage at that point. If it is going to break it will generally be at that nick.

A way to reduce the risk is to use rounded punches designed for this purpose.

Try this at home. Take a piece of paper and strip off a 1" or so wide piece the length of the sheet. Now cut a V in one side that is .250" deep or so. Now have someone pull one side while you hold the other, and see where it tears. Now do the same thing except instead of a V cut a semi circle the same depth as the V at the deepest, and 4 times as wide as the V width. Now pull it, and see how much better it holds up to the test. IIRC it should be a 4:1 ratio when radiusing a nick in a shaft etc..

The problem I would have with etching is it is not as permanent as a stamping.

I also am concerned about file work that has sharp corners due to stress risers forming.

Steve McGrew of Incandescent Forge(easily Googled) sells a Beautiful laser cut Touchmark. I recently bought one and am more than pleased with it. Tell him Eric Sprado from NWBA sent you... maybe he'll charge more!!

I just use a old punch or chisel for my mark and use a file to shape it to my makers mark.