If not, why not?

Today we look for the touchmarks and take pride in owning a piece made by that blacksmith.

If you make something, tool, project, gift, or item for sale or the shop, put your touchmark and a date on that item. The item represents your skill, expertise, quality and craftsmanship at that time. After all, everyone already knows YOU made it. It is only later when your name is disassociated with the item that the touchmark becomes a matter of record.

Sign your work with a touchmark and date.
Knowing you are going to sign your work, you will take the extra time to make it to the best of your ability.

I sign my work, but I don't date it.
Sam

I stamp my pieces but I do not date them.

I haven't made a touchmark yet. That and I haven't made that much yet that I wanted to take credit for :P

I'm with BigGunDoctor.
I haven't made much I think is worthy of a touchmark. Same with my wood work. I have a branding iron for that with my name on it, but I haven't felt my skills are up to signing my work yet. (Although a number of folks who look at it ask why I didn't sigh it). Maybe I'm just to much of a perfectionist.

ron

We "tough" everything with our mark.Tools,blades and regular smithing items...We make nice hawks and working grade hawks. Cheaper and more expensive,etc..We mark both.I think our touch mark was one of the best investments for our shop..Buyers like it..Heres a wrought iron axe (1075 bit) with our touch mark..Glens got a good idea with the date too..

I haven't made a touchmark yet. That and I haven't made that much yet that I wanted to take credit for

Ditto.

Mark<><

If I was a retailer I would mark everything to hopefully generate more business. Each item becomes a business card of sorts. The trick is to make sure that the touchmark can be easily researched, so potential coustomers can find you. Personally I'm not worried about any value of my items after I am gone

As a hobbyist I use what I make or give items away to friends, be it smithed items, ceramics (which were marked to keep them separated from the other potters in the group), wood carvings,or leather goods. Beyond my friends, and their family members who know me I really don't think that anyone beyond that will really care who made it. An item that stays in the family will have some meaning to some down the line, but even then that doesn't always happen. I have seen a lot of family "heirlooms" sold over the years. I have some items that were carved by my grandfather, a man I never met. I was named after him, so these carvings have a special meaning to me. They are my connection to him, and I won't sell them.

I'm with biggundoctor. Everything I make I run past my wife, if she dont want it, I'll keep it as a pet for awhile then give it away as a birthday or christmas gift or donate it to our iron in the hat raffle at our monthly FABA meeting.

I am curious, who makes touchmarks? I have done some looking around at blacksmith web sites and find nothing noting the sale of them. I would be curious to know who registers them and with who do you register them with? I think if I go to the work and expense of a 'mark', I want exclusive use of it.

Oh, so to answer the original question, no I don't mark and date my items....yet!

There's a touchmark thread on IFI. Grant Sarver (Naked Anvil) on IFI and Stampman on IFI both make touchmarks. There might be a few more make them, too, on here. :D

Is there a central standardized place that registers, or records touchmarks?

I have thought about making my own, but I cannot commit to a design. Could always settle for just my name, I believe that is all Yellin used.

Touchmark registery at Anvilfire.com

not much there ... not a true registry of all touchmarks ... there is not likeley to ever be one anywhere...

I sign everything things but don`t date all my things.
I found that if you date things and they sit for a while then people think they ought to go cheaper because they didn`t sell right away.
commission work usually gets dated though.

There are several touchmarks posted in the IForgeIron Gallery under touchmarks --->Click here
You are encouraged to post yours there also.

I do not have a touchmark as yet but I do stamp my work with an individual 1/4" F stamp three times for Fiery Furnace Forge. I would like to get a 1/8" F stamp and use it to make a stamp with all three F's on it already.

I'd love to get a touchmark but I am unsure on design and am short of funds. I hear they are expensive, which I understand, because it seems they would be a pain to make.

I would think it would be hard to get "Fiery Furnace Forge" on a touchmark, but it would be neat looking in an arch design with flaming forge under the arch.

LOL Take that to a touchmark maker and tell them you want it in an inch square touchmark and they'd eaither laugh or tell it would be $1000! LOL

I don't date either....haven't found the right girl! LOL

Seriously, datng your work is a good idea...I'l have to get some number stamps too!

I touchmark anything big enough to mark and date items if requested by the customer

I touchmark everything. But I've never dated any of my work.

I put my initials and year on some things I make. Some things are too small to take the marks. I have designed a touch mark but haven't bought one yet due to lack of funds; soon I hope.

Glenn

I tried your link and it sent me to davis town museum, is that the right place ?

LeeRoy


I fixed it. click here

Stuff that's done to a high level of historical accuracy gets dated, sometimes where it's hard to see; but there has been cases of folks trying to sell new stuff as antiques...

I mark almost everything with a simple 'H' stamp that I made myself. I don't stamp simple items like fireplace pokers or 'S' hooks, but knives or anything complicated I stamp.

The 'H' is the first initial of my last name.

There is a touchmark registry 'across the street' at anvilfire.com. When I toured the National Cathedral in Washington DC, I noticed an elaborate drop (ring) handle on one of the gates. I lifted it up 'till it was upside down, and there I saw "YELLIN" stamped right side up.

http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmith Schools

I have just started using a touchmark. I had three different sizes made. I don't date anything, as of yet.



Mitch