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  #1  
Old 09-23-2003, 02:40 PM
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Drac Drac is offline
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Maker's mark

Starting grinding some fix blades on my own and want some opinions on marking the blades. Is there any consistant way of marking? I see some marked on the ricaso and some on the blade.

What are the general opinions on the different marking methods. I read the threads on how to stamp, but what are the pro's and con's that you have found on stamping vs. etching? I will be using the symbol below as my mark.

This is what I have found out about the cost of each:

Stamps: Evers Stamps $138 - suppose to last a lifetime

Etch: Personal Etching System (KnifeKits) $65
Stencils( Marking Methods) $42 one time art fee + $11.25-13.25/sheet(6-12 stencils per sheet for mee) $50 min order

Problems with stamping seems to be possible double stamps or exspensive equipment to guide.
Etching the replacement of chemicals and stencils.

Thanks,
Jim


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  #2  
Old 09-23-2003, 03:37 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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You might want to try a search on this subject as it has been discussed in great detail on these forums (blue Search key at the top of the page).

You didn't say how you make your blades. If you forge then stamping kinda fits right in as the stamp could be used while the steel is hot. I know that stamping is often done when the steel is cold, but seems like it might be easier if it was hot.

One way to look at it is that stamping has to be harder on the stamp and on the blade than an electro-chemical etch. Lots of people stamp successfully, I'm just saying there may be more potential for damage.

I've been using the same set of stencils for 10 years and haven't worn them out yet.

Most people put the mark on the 'mark' side of the blade (that's the left side as you hold the knife with the tip pointing away from you). That's as close to a rule as you can get concerning placement of the mark. If the mark will fit in a spot and it looks good there, you can put it there. Not all ricasso's are big enough to hold a mark, some blades don't even have ricassos .......


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Old 09-23-2003, 05:44 PM
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Old 09-23-2003, 05:45 PM
Coutel Coutel is offline
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Hi Jim...I have a stamp I purchased from Evers last year...

I like a stamped mark if the blade is forged....
A few things to think about though....I

If stamping I ALWAYS stamp hot....but it can be difficult to rest the stamp on the blade if you have forged bevels in......I rest the stamp and hit two handed with a hammer for a nice deep mark.

Also, if you stamp then grind you may grind some of the mark away......need to plan when best time is to stamp..... I forge , then grind to a 60 grit, then stamp.

I always normalise after stamping as well....just in case the stamping put some stress in the steel.

One last thing...If you stamp like me, hitting with a two handed hammer...be careful where that stamp flies off to......I had one a few weeks ago that flew outside and landed 20yds away!!!

It can be frustrating looking for a stamp in the long grass

Kevin
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  #5  
Old 09-23-2003, 07:41 PM
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Bob Warner Bob Warner is offline
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Make the etching machine AND the stencils yourself.

Look at the tutorials. I have tutorials on how to do both for less than 1/2 of what it costs to buy and a lot of people have done it with good results.


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Old 09-23-2003, 09:51 PM
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Chris Daigle Chris Daigle is offline
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Coutel, you're killing me! A similar thing happened to me before I got my stamp press. I would try my best to ballance the stamp the best I could on the blade and strike it "freehand" with the hammer. One time it flew off and dented the deep freeze in my garage. I bought the press soon after that.

Chris
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Old 09-23-2003, 09:57 PM
Frank J Warner Frank J Warner is offline
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Yo. Listen to Bob. I made his electro-etch device after investing in a $65 commercial machine. There's a world of difference. Bob's is mucho better.

(BTW, Bob and I are not related, so I don't get a cut of his action.)

Now, if I can just get Ray to tell me how he makes his stencils last 10 years . . . .

-Frank J Warner


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Old 09-23-2003, 09:58 PM
DC KNIVES DC KNIVES is offline
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Guy's , I took an old arbor press to work and had a slot milled for my stamp and secured it with set screws. Works great and no double stamps and for Kevin no having to duck.Dave
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Old 09-23-2003, 10:02 PM
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Chris Daigle Chris Daigle is offline
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I should have met Dave a long time ago.

Chris
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Old 09-23-2003, 11:03 PM
DC KNIVES DC KNIVES is offline
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Thanks Chris, but Riverside Machine sells one just like it for around $100 if I'm not mistaken.I just happened to have an arbor press and access to a mill.Problem solved.Dave
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  #11  
Old 09-23-2003, 11:08 PM
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J.Arthur Loose J.Arthur Loose is offline
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Ever since I started making Scottish style blades without ricassos I've switched to hand engraving my stamp. What I found was that if you try to stamp a blade that is triangular in cross section while it is hot you are just asking for a bad stamp and a flying red hot blade...

I might go back to the stamp if I can figure out a way to do it, but I kind of like having a mark that's more like a signature these days. I'm sure it'll drive the scholars nust when I'm famous.

When I do hot stamp I do it in my first normalizing cycle. I heat with salt so there's no scale and grinding the mark off isn't too much of an issue. Just don't do it on your anvil unless you want a LOT of rust. I have a steel worktable where I do my stamping / hot cutting.


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  #12  
Old 09-24-2003, 02:49 AM
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Dragon cutlery Dragon cutlery is offline
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i like to etch but i dont do it with electricity i use lay out blue in a spray and right my name in it with a pointy pice of metal then place feric cloride on the spot and let it eat my name in the up sides can put any were on blade can right around corners can size it to fit in a hart beat i do recomend having better penmanship than me tho if you take this route i would like to get a stamp but mostly for my black smith stuff had a bad experiance in front of a posible client wen an old client didnt remmember that i made some thing for him ( no mark posible client went to some one else ) and i am thinking of trying the electro etch when i get the time to fool around with it


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  #13  
Old 09-24-2003, 07:54 AM
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Thanks for all the replys,

I did look through the old posts, it helped a lot and it's where I found the website for Evers. I will be grinding my blades and thought of cold stamping them such as Gene does in his video. I did find a lot of information on jigs that people use, such as Dave.

I have read your info on the etchers and stencils on your site Bob, I spend a great deal of time reviewing your site. It rates up there with Engnath's site and Don's cd for information for beginners. It is something I had thought about since I use to work in a silk screening shop for a year and have done the art setup before. By the way, sorry I couldn't catch you at SOS, I only could go on Friday, due to reserve training.

Excuse my ignorance here, I didn't know there was such as thing as custom knives before I found CKD. All my experience before this last year has been with production knives. As a matter of fact, before SOS last week the only customs knives I'd even seen in person were Tim's at his shop and Gary's at a KC hunting show. How deep is an etch? I want to make hunters for the most part, which are going to see a large amount of use (I hope) and I don't want the want the mark to rub off. All the production knives I've ever seen I could buff the mark off of it.

Thanks,
Jim


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Last edited by Drac; 09-24-2003 at 09:13 AM.
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  #14  
Old 09-24-2003, 09:06 AM
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Bob Warner Bob Warner is offline
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There are two basic ways for using an electro-etch machine to mark your blades. A lot of the factory knives are marked with AC current only. This works, if you think about ac current alternating current. When the current goes up it removes metal and when it goes down, it puts the steel back on. This basically just colors the mark onto the blade and is very shallow.

DC current just eats steel. The longer you etch, the deeper it goes. The more power you apply, the faster it eats steel. This leaves you with a mark that is actually a recessed area in the blade of a few thousanths. You can feel it with your fingernail.

So if you etch with DC and eat the steel, then etch with AC and color it black, you will not have to worry about wearing the mark off on even the most used knives.

I have seen stamps that appear to be worn off, however, that is most likly done by the maker when finishing the knife. If the mark was not deep enough, it gets sanded away. The best thing about etching is that you do it as the very last step in your knifemaking so you won't sand it off.


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Old 09-24-2003, 09:16 AM
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Gary Mulkey Gary Mulkey is offline
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Jim,

I have a personalizer that I no longer use and will give you a deal on if you decide to go that way. Email me if interested.

Gary
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