Thread: Maker's mark

Jeez Josh when I saw the name of the thread I thought we were going to be talking Bourbon.....

I used my initials in the name for my rifles... GEM then Star hence Gemstar Custom Rifles
My sister started that whole thing with her initials in her company name SAM... hence Strategic Advertising & Marketing
Just some thoughts to get yer brain spinning in the right direction..... Good Luck!!!
And I would just have a hammer stamp made.....

I don't know what the official term is, but I really like the way Bill Ellis "stamps" his name on the blades. I think it looks very classy. I much prefer that to the way Maestro Livi "handwrites" his.

I wouldn't stamp your blades, stamping introduces stresses into the steel that can facilitate easier breakage (this is more important with knives that will be subjected to greater forces, but the issue is the same.)

Look up a company called Martronics, they sell a machine called an Etch-o-Matic,
here, http://www.etch-o-matic.biz/ it is an electro-chemical etching machine that uses very mild chemicals and works in seconds. You can find them on ebay (mine is an industrial version that was cheap because it was used), but they are not badly priced new.

Or look for Kodak acid etchant and acid etch resist, should be info on the net. This would be more low tech, but not much less expensive (and much slower).

I like the hot stamp touch mark idea. I think it is more traditional. Mcmaster Carr did sell some stamps.

Don

Thanks for the input, guys. I'm leaning toward etching right now. I'm confused about how I'd go about making the stencils, though. Is it difficult to do?

Josh

No the stencils are fairly easy, Martronics sells a kit with everything plus some extras you don't really need.

I just called them and bought the pieces I needed (360NM U.V. bulb and socket, chemicals, stencils) and made the rest (exposure box, image holding device, developing tray, etc).

It's all pretty well explained on their website, and various other places on the web.

Or, you can have them made for you by a number of online companies and knifemaking supply businesses. You send them the artwork/design, and they send you the stencil and a bill. but I prefer to do things myself (the hard way?) so I don't know what they charge.

What are you using for blade steel, btw?

Josh, find a company called Marking Methods. They will laser cut etch art for you. Very reasonable setup fee and the stencils are much nicer than hand made ones.

For stamps: Henry Evers Co.