When you guys mark hot metal do you cool off your touch mark? Some of the metals we use making knives and hawks are pretty dang hard, even when annealed. Im afraid of stamping these hard metals cool to much for fear of flattening the stamp but Im also afraid of the stamp losing its temper..I figure I can mark the hot metal in no more than say 2 seconds. Do you think it would be wise to cool it off afterwords?? In say oil? If Im not mitaken the stamp is made from W-1..Thanks

Isn't W1 a water cooling steel?

A couple of seconds shouldn't hurt, I believe this subjecy has been covered more extensively previously

I searched and found plenty of info about touch marks but nothing really concerning marking harder steels and cooling..Mostly making them and ordering them..

Here is an old post that may help.
http://www.iforgeiro..._1&#entry144374
Ted Throckmorton

I like to have a can of water I can dip such tooling in instantaneously. Making a can holder from some 1/8 or 1/4" steel wire that will hang on the side of the anvil works well. (make sure you can easily switch cans as they age and degrade)

I have thought about that as well-
The other day I had a few pieces I wanted to mark, so I did them hot. After I marked the first one, I touched it to the back of my hand to see if it was hot....Not even warm. There is so much mass behind the lettering that the lettering stays cool even after several stampings. A note on meathod- I hold stamp just above until ready to strike- one blow and pull it away. Its on the hot metal for about 5 seconds only.... Hope this helps

Thanks guys, very helpful ;)