I've heard a few smiths here say they stamp their projects with their own mark, and would like to do the same for mine, but I have no idea on how to make the stamp.
My design would be simple, 2 letters intertwined, but I don't know how i'd create it myself.
Is there somewhere that makes them, or do you make them yourselves?

Check with Grant, "nakedanvil" on here. He makes them. There are also several other companies that make them. I bought mine from Columbia Marking Tools, before I knew that Grant made them. Several of the folks have had Grant make them and are very pleased with the touch mark stamps that he has made. :)

Why not make your own ? It is really not that hard to do and if you fail to make one that suits your needs then go to one of the pro's.

Basically here is how I would proceed:

Find and forge the end of a piece of tool steel to a shape into which the mark will barely fit. Then anneal it.

Use files to refine the mark profile perimeter.

Use small drills to remove stock from areas in the interior areas.

Make and use small chisels to rough cut out the remaining interior stock . ( Tiny chisles can be made from cut concrete nails or drill stock. )

Finish off with a dremil if needed. Harden and anneal as with a knife blade

Also note that some of the interior detail can be punched in while at forging temperature before annealing.

This is a fairly primative approach but perfectly acceptable results can be achieved if the touch mark is not complicated and is used to mark your work while at a red heat.

You are in LUCK
There are many threads made about making or buying a TouchMark.
Go to the Search box in the upper right had corner of the page and type in "TOUCH MARK".
Then scroll down a bit and you ill hit paydirt!
Although there is a lot of choices and good information contained in these threads, the one that stood out
for me was posted by SMITHY1.
Here is a URL containing his post. Again scroll down to his post if you are interested.
http://www.iforgeiro...__1#entry127651

I hope this will get you what you are asking for.
I wish the very best to you.
Ted Throckmorton

Contact Stampman who is a member of this site.

Contact Stampman who is a member of this site.

Why not Grant? who has given a lot more valuable advice on this site than Stampman ever has. I just ordered a big stamp from Grant and was surprised how inexpensive it was.

Thanks all. I did seach "Touch mark" the minute Curly George called it that, and found tons of info.
Now I just have to design it!

JimShip, your Avatar (I think that is what you call it) would make an interesting touchmark!

Hahaha! It really would, but I don't think i'd be able to get that level of detail in a small touchmark, and there's always the chance of the Dali estate suing me for infringement!
My 4 year old son drew a picture of my big bald head, (it looks kind of like a mr, potato head. The drawing I mean, not my head!) that I think would be a funny way to mark my work.

I built my own touchmark out of a piece of coil spring. First cut a section and straighten it out. then determine how big (roughly) that you want the mark and draw the piece down to that size (you can grind it too). Anneal the piece of spring steel. Then design your touchmark and mark a mirror image of it on the end. Now you use files to file down to the perimeter of your design. Use files to cut away any portion of the design that you can. For metal removal inside the deign (like the inside of a letter O, etc) use small chisels to remove metal a little at a time. I use some small pieces of junk tool steel and made some small chisels for this, gravers, and electric engraving tools work as well. Afterward harden and temper the piece. Use only on hot metal. Enjoy.

here is a touch mark vid demo'ing one (the larger one of two) for firey furnace

Smithy1, cool video. I think I'm going to try to make one of these out of a railroad spike if they are hard enough. How would you go about carving out the original "dye?" I figured it would be easiest to do it hot.

well, some parts are done hot,....(to make deeper grooves) . I've used a cape chisel and various punches over the years. What ever your artistic side can devise to get your image satisfied is what works. (even a.......gasp !......dremel...) Make small chisels, various shapes and sizes
to accomplish your goal. good luck !

I have four that I had Grant Sarver ( nakedanvil ) make for me.
two touchmarks each in two different sizes
Yesteryear Forge and M Tanner
Miss that guy something awful

I just realized Nakedanvil's Grant was the same guy who passed away recently. (Now I know why he didn't reply)
I'm sad to have missed a chance to correspond with him, he sounds like an awesome guy.
:(

i had just received a quote from him and the 2 days later it was posted that he had passed away.

Its funny how things work sometimes, I have spent the past couple days trying to figure out how to make my mark on my blades. I tried researching it here on this forum and on google with few results so I came up with my own way of doing it. I thought I was really onto something great here that I could share with everybody!!!! Turns out it was the exact same method shown in the video above . . . oh well thats ok tho now I know it will work for me! I'm going to make it out of some oil hardening drill rod wich I believe is if I am not mistaken O1 tool steel.

We got ours from Columbia Marking tools..The boss there was a active member here for a while..Its a awsome mark, clear precise and expertly heat treated..marked many hundreds of pieces and its still marking perfect..

Heres an Axe marked with it...

I guess I'm too inexpierienced to understand what the video was demonstarting...............

What was done exactly with the guide, the hot steel bar held in that guide and hammering it onto a touch mark. That wouldn't MAKE a touch mark, would it? It would only serve to smash/distort the one shown at the start.......

Something is missing here...............

I guess I'm too inexpierienced to understand what the video was demonstarting............... What was done exactly with the guide, the hot steel bar held in that guide and hammering it onto a touch mark. That wouldn't MAKE a touch mark, would it? It would only serve to smash/distort the one shown at the start....... Something is missing here...............

A touchmark is the mark left on your material, so you make a master touchmark design by whatever method you wish, in the case shown three F's linked, (this bit is cold so is solid)

The frame is placed on and fixed to it so as the new punch blank is going to be placed identically in position for the next steps

The new punch blank is then heated (softer than cold metal) placed in the frame, and driven into the premarked (colder/harder) touchmark

This is repeated a couple of times and the punch is then heat treated.

By doing it this way you are left with the letters raised on the new punchmarks working face, which will make depressions in your workpiece when used, like an ordinary letter stamp.

If you wanted to make a lozenge type touchmark, you only have to form the design into the face of a new punch, remembering the lettering, if any will have to be reversed, then HT it.

I just bought some number and letter stamps so now I can try to make my mark. Not sure if I should just use my initials or my full last name. I carved an "O1" stamp a few days ago so I can mark my blades with the name of the steel i'm using. that took alot of work with files to get it right.