Thread: How do you make your mark?

Originally Posted by MichaelC

There certainly are many ways to mark blades, and I've looked into most of them. For me I've been experimenting with Photoresistive Etching as I feel it offers far superior edge definition, and it's not too difficult to do. My view of electro-chem etching is that while it's easily done and practical for many blades, to me the quality of the linework just isn't tight enough - the image appears 'fuzzy' on close inspection and that would just drive me crazy.
Hand stamping is also a great method, and if you setup a hydraulic press to do the work then you'll have nice consistency and a crisp image every time. But the cost of producing various stamps for marking different parts of the razor is just too expensive - plus over time you'll have to re-order these stamps as the do eventually wear down and the image becomes softened.
Knife-maker Jay Fisher has a page dedicated to marking methods on his site, I found it quite helpful and nice to see he also utilises photoresistive etching as his marking method of choice.
Knife Maker's Mark of Jay Fisher, Maker of Handmade and Custom Knives

Hope it helps,
- Mike

Thanks Mike, funny thing is that as an interim solution I just ordered some photoresist film, developer and some Ferric Chloride. Sounds like it might be the go for now.

Looking forward to having a play with it. Any tips, lessons learned etc...


Stu

Well it's still early days for me too But I've found and followed this guide by a local (SA) knife supply company and it's really great information.

http://www.kmts.co.za/stores/afri-th...calEtching.pdf

This is how a lot of knife makers in South Africa mark their blades, and the results really look like dark laser engraving (high detail) except the mark is not surface deposited like laser, but is actually etched into the steel - nice

Cheers,
- Mike

Sharpie. It has the advantages of being cheap, easy, and quick. And the end product is quite fetching.



(I love it when I can reuse an old joke. Apologies to the first-time-rounders)

James.

I am in process of deciding what to do about makers mark as well --
I ordered a custom steel hand stamp, which was quite expensive, thinking I wanted to go a bit more traditional, and I would like the looks of a stamp..
I bought a 6-ton hydraulic press.. made some modifications to it to hold my stamp and everything..
I am totally un-impressed with the result of my efforts, and $200 invested so far..

so, now I've got to make a decision -- further investment in a bigger/better/nicer hydraulic press, or just go electroetch.. and I'm thinking etch is the way to go :/

live and learn..

Undream, what are your thoughts on photochemical etching (different from electro-chem) ?
I think the results are the 'neatest' you can get with a mark that is permanently 'in' the steel. Laser engraving is also nice in that you can get a very fine line produced (for me this is important) but an item laser engraved - to me - just feels 'novel' like a promotional gift, if you know what I mean...
I also thought the hand stamp method would be more 'traditional' and for this reason I'm partial to it, so sorry to hear your results were less than satisfactory.. Did you 'hot stamp'? I've read that creates a deeper more precise mark..

These results from a hand stamp in an arbor press seem ok.. : maker's mark stamping jig/guide

cheers,
- Mike

I cannot comment on other methods at this time.

With the stamp I purchased, I think I made the mistake of using a font with a bit too much weight, and as a result it increased surface area too much of the impression spot. I have not tried hot stamping -- that might be the only way I can get it to work. My 6 ton press on cold O1 doesnt work well enough, and a 4lb sledge on cold O1 doesnt work well enough either.

The other problem with stamping, is that I fully expect my tangs to be tapered, and for this reason, a press + hand stamp = some serious problems... safety problems included (stuff could shoot out and whatnot if pressing at even a small angle). The only way to "make it work" might be just a simple dead blow hammer while the blade is hot.

I think I will keep trying to make my stamp work, but, in the meantime look into other methods. Having more than one card in my hand ain't always a bad thing.

Brad, you have the time and patience and could easily build your own home etcher at a fraction of the cost compared to a new one.

Originally Posted by Maximilian

Brad, you have the time and patience and could easily build your own home etcher at a fraction of the cost compared to a new one.

It's easy to make a serviceable etcher for free using parts around the house.

I'm curious about the variable voltage on the Personalizer. What is it used for? I bet it's like having variable speed on a grinder: you're fine without it until you get used to the extra convenience/control.

Originally Posted by PDobson

It's easy to make a serviceable etcher for free using parts around the house.

I'm curious about the variable voltage on the Personalizer. What is it used for? I bet it's like having variable speed on a grinder: you're fine without it until you get used to the extra convenience/control.

Phil,

for starters the variable output helps me not fry my stencils and keep a tight and perfect output. I have several different etching solutions that yield a slightly different result. I also have 2 different kind of stencil weight/material. One can take a stronger load, the other needs less power. I've also noticed that different steel at times need a different adjusted output. Basically I can adjust the power as I go. As soon as I hear that 'baking bacon sound' being to overly strong I lower the variable knob. So yes, it's comparable to the VFD of your grinder in a way.

Originally Posted by Maximilian

Brad, you have the time and patience.....

Not sure about time...and although I might have the patience, I'm not really in the mood to start a new project. I think I may just buy one

-Brad