overmodulated Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Would appreciate any feedback on this item for blade marking. Tx! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 That is a really tough question to answer. But maybe this will help. Like most everything I have tried in the past for a lot of years, the lowest priced model for me has not turned out to be wot I ended up with. I use a personalizer and have for along time. It never has had any kind of a problem and if it did I would replace it with one like it. Now A few thoughts about any of those marking machines: if you finish your blades really nice and remove ever last bit of scale and hammer marks in the area to be etched they will work as well as your stencils will allow. Get good stencils and they last a long time but remember they are going to fail and will need replaced. The etching electrolyte is usually for one type of steel, either carbon steel or stainless carbon steel. I have not found one that will do both. wotever you get make sure you spend quite a bit of time using it on heat treated metal the same as you make your blades from and you will save alot of trouble. For a long time I etched my name on the tang of each blade before I put handle material on. It built my comfort so I could etch a finished knife without fear of making a mistake that shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Mayo Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 It is a simple machine but it works well the stencil material is not up to par if you get one i would suggest you get stencils made by Ernie here. http://www.erniesknives.com/knifemaker_stencil.html he makes very nice stencils in your design. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overmodulated Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 Great information from both of you! thank you. I had been thinking about laser etching, since there's a place that does it right in my town. there's no competing with the sharp crisp lines from a laser. but I also want to mark the blades myself rather than outsource, which is why I ask. will keep this stencil source in mind if I go with the etch-o-matic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearhartironwerks Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Over, Do try Ernie at erniesknives.com in Florida for your stencils. Quick and accurate+ fair price and he will work with you on your design/logo. Also, please consider buying and using the $57. Radio Shack13v dc/3 amp charger for your etching. There is no need to spend $220. I found this on the net and it works great. When you buy the unit, buy a pair of alligator clips/plugs + wire to connect to the blade. Total approx $ 62. including the charger. Mix some salt water to the saturation point...a tbs + per several ounces water. Take the positive lead and attach it to the blade. Take a Q tip saturated w/ the salt solution and with the neg lead connected to the the cotton just above, but connected to the wetted end of the tip. Attach the etching stencil to the blade w/Scotch tape. Lightly rub the Q tip over the stencil for about 20 seconds until you can feel the etching taking place. (You'll need to experiment as to the time/depth of the desired etch.) The wetted end will turn black and will give off some heat. After etching, rinse the etching mask and blade well w/water and neutralize the blade with Windex. Buff as desired. The stencils last a long time. This is an incredibly efficient and inexpensive method of etching.JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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