Thread: Thoughts on using a hot stamp?

Originally Posted by criswilson10

I don't do razors yet (still learning), but I do plane irons, chisels, and carving knives.

I hot stamp with just propane or MAPP for my simple mark. No problem. An instant read infra red thermometer was a big help at the beginning to get the metal to the right temperature without overheating or underheating. After a while I got to the point of knowing when it "looked" right to stamp.

I electro etch more complicated designs. The better the stencil the better the cleaner the etch. There were still a bunch of mess ups at the beginning. It is a learning process and will take time to learn.

What temp are you heating up to for hot stamping? (as it turns out, I have an infrared thermometer handy!)

My electro etch electrolyte suggests using AC. I've found 24 volts AC to work very well. Can't be much simpler than a 24 volt transformer.

I did a few razors with a hot stamp. I got pretty good results but it was tedious. I do a compound angle on my tangs and sometimes use a convex surface, so supporting the tang was a bit difficult. Since each razor was handmade and a little different the support had to be customized for each razor. If you don't hit hard enough, you have to try to restamp without double stamping, and it is harder than it sounds. I often experienced bent tangs from the stamping, even with the support, requiring straightening and then re finishing which sometimes made the stamp more shallow. I finally just gave up on the hot stamping.

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

If you’ve been following my posts, you can almost certainly make a pretty good guess about what I’ll be doing. :P

That's what i was hoping!

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

What temp are you heating up to for hot stamping? (as it turns out, I have an infrared thermometer handy!)

Usually the temperature that I strike is around 800 C. It is a dull orange.
Heat, strike, and let air cool. Then normalize the blade, then heat treat.

Would the folks that do commercial heat treat do a normalization pass? Because all I've got is a little burnz-o-matic style propane torch, and I don't think I'm going to be normalizing anything with that.

Look forward to seeing your work Zak! I'm curious to see how your style comes out in the blade.

Originally Posted by criswilson10

I don't do razors yet (still learning), but I do plane irons, chisels, and carving knives.

I hot stamp with just propane or MAPP for my simple mark. No problem. An instant read infra red thermometer was a big help at the beginning to get the metal to the right temperature without overheating or underheating. After a while I got to the point of knowing when it "looked" right to stamp.

I electro etch more complicated designs. The better the stencil the better the cleaner the etch. There were still a bunch of mess ups at the beginning. It is a learning process and will take time to learn.

Yeah, I remember seeing a blacksmith demo where he mentioned color. He said that was why a lot of old blacksmith shops weren't really well lit. You needed to see the color of the steel to make sure it was the right temperature. He followed by holding the steel in the light then the shade and said the steel was around #### degrees.

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

Would the folks that do commercial heat treat do a normalization pass? Because all I've got is a little burnz-o-matic style propane torch, and I don't think I'm going to be normalizing anything with that.

I normalize in a toaster oven. 400 F for an hour and then air cool. Not really sure that it is necessary since it will be heated back up for heat treatment, but I don't risk it. I'm also not doing this to make a living so I can lose an hour or two with no hit to a bottom line.

Originally Posted by criswilson10

I normalize in a toaster oven. 400 F for an hour and then air cool. Not really sure that it is necessary since it will be heated back up for heat treatment, but I don't risk it. I'm also not doing this to make a living so I can lose an hour or two with no hit to a bottom line.

Ah, well! My toaster oven has produced plenty of toast, but also I've cooked a lot of pairs of scales in it to straighten them out... So normalizing some razors shouldn't be much of a stretch,

Originally Posted by JP5

Yeah, I remember seeing a blacksmith demo where he mentioned color. He said that was why a lot of old blacksmith shops weren't really well lit. You needed to see the color of the steel to make sure it was the right temperature. He followed by holding the steel in the light then the shade and said the steel was around #### degrees.

The really old smiths didn't know the temperatures or even care. They knew the colors and knew to work the metal or quench when it hit the correct color.

And shade is important to see that color, especially if you've been staring into a forge fire. One trick alot of smiths use (and I use) is to lower the hot metal down in front of the anvil before striking the metal. You have a nice black background as a reference. I also keep a wood box on its side so that I can use the box as a dark space for color.

It's more accurate to go by temperature if you know exactly what type of metal you have, but if you are not certain of the carbon conent, then color is a better choice.

You can temper at about 400 degrees (depending on the steel ) but to normalize your going to have to get closer to critical or past it and hold for awhile. This should be done before or at heat treating time. If your going to stamp make sure you have the right stamp. You can stamp cold but if you use a cold stamp on hot metal your going to be , well ,,,, changing the properties of the metal in the stamp and it won't last long. A good stamp is going to run you some money. I have yet to see one on Etsy that's for sure. At least last time I looked. Another thing you have to watch is smacking the poo out of it and bending your tang. There is most of my mistakes in a nutshell :<0)