Engraving/Stamping

[PuG]

Hi! ive got a quick question on metal engraving - I was hoping to stamp some names onto a fire poker and thus was looking for advice or guides on the best practices. The only experience I have so far is using a chisel, taking a red heat and crudely marking some nordic runes into a ring - though the result was fine it was alittle hap hazard.

Best Regards,

[John B]

Engraving is different to stamping,

Engraving involves incising with cutting tools (gravers) into the material, punching is usually done by preformed stamps/dies.

Sets of letter punches can usually be purchased in various sizes relatively cheaply

[PuG]

Engraving is different to stamping,

Engraving involves incising with cutting tools (gravers) into the material, punching is usually done by preformed stamps/dies.

Sets of letter punches can usually be purchased in various sizes relatively cheaply

Thank you, will have a rummage around for a set.

[double_edge2]

one of the guys at the club, made a fine chisel, then engraved cold (with the chisel like stone work) his marks on to the face of the anealed, to be, mark punch. come up nice.

[ianinsa]

Some years ago One of our clients wanted us to stamp some of his goods and we found a cheap & cheerful solution(I often favour cheap & cheerful).
Get your local lasercutter to cut out the logo from a piece of toughenable steel 3mm thick, a small slice off the end of a crankshaft(inexpensive and you can get a lot out of one scrap crankshaft) works well.
Then off-set the male and female by 1mm and weld up the back with a 304L rod this will shrink and heat treat in one go, now braze on a piece of bar to form the handle. The brazing will temper the punch and Violla cheap & cheerful punch. If you do'nt have a brazing set up then place the disk on a piece of aluminium standing in a dish of water(heat sink) and weld with 6013(mild steel rod) Afterwards trim up your stamp with a s/s cutting disc remembering a flat side(paralell to the picture/logo) for the base.
I hope this is of help!
Ian

[Frosty]

There are a lot of ways to make a touchmark or custom stamps gravers, etc. You can pick up an index of letter/number stamps, new or used at yard/garage sales/ flea markets, etc.

You can make your own, old allen wrenches make good stock for making them check out the above list of places to shop. Old chisels from the same sources can be modified easily too.

After you make some custom chisels, gravers or whatever and you've come up with a mark you like simply heat an old chisel or allen wrench, etc. you've shaped to cover the mark to bright red or med orange and drive it into the engraved mark. Normalize or anneal it, dress it to your liking as you do checks on cool or cold modeling clay. Once it's like you want it harden and temper it. There you go a hand made touchmark.

There are lots of ways to do these things, use your imagination and let us know what you come up with. You may come up with something new and I'll be more than happy to adopt and adapt it as I have with most of what I suggest here.

Frosty the Lucky.

[Eric Farrar]

For simple alpha-numeric sets, you can find them at Harbor Freight for less than $15 for 1/8 through 1/4 inch.... Complete sets..... Or if you want serious quality you can spend a couple hundred.

[sbmom]

Could someone recommend a good place to get a touchmark made?
Thanks.

[Dave Hammer]

Post a request on this forum...

http://blacksmith.org/forums/forum.php

Grant Sarver will answer..... He makes touchmarks.