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Written by William L. Howard
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Page 6 of 6
STOCK FOR MAKING A STAMP or TOUCHMARK: If you want to avoid the trial and error method of finding junk to make a stamp with and you can spare a few bucks; call your local tool and die or machine shop. Ask for W1 or W2, water hardening tool steel. It is adequate for our needs here and comes in a variety of shapes. I recommend round or square about 1/2" to 3/4" for stamps. It depends on what size your finished mark is to be. Water hardening is simple and easy. For those of you with the right stuff there are other steels with oil and air hardening properties which are useful but more high tech. Size and cut your stock to a length which is appropriate to the use. Don't hit a stamp 3" x 3/16" with a sledge, use a tap hammer. Old chisels and punches are a good source for heavier duty stamps. Drill bits will work fine for light work but tend to be brittle unless tempered for heavy use.
MAKING A STAMP OR PATTERNED PUNCH:
- Heat red/orange and forge work end to shape desired. Soften striking end. I recommend forging a short taper towards the work end - approx. 1/3 the total length or as required to shape and size the tip.
- Heat and air cool to anneal and normalize (even out hardness of forged portion) the working end of your stamp.
- Trim off the end of your stock so that the face of your stamp is perpendicular to the shaft and as flat as possible (90 degrees). If it will stand on the face on a flat, level surface you got it right.
- Engrave or punch design into the end of the stamp. Letters and numbers must appear backwards like a mirror image if the mark from the stamp is to come out right. Don't cut or punch too deep as 1/32" is usually adequate to produce a legible mark. Keep your cuts neat and to an even depth so the resulting mark will have an even height. Use modeling clay, wax or lead for test strikes and to check your progress.
- Grind or file an even bevel all around the edge. This will make a nice "frame" around your maker's mark.
- Clean up the face and make sure all burrs are neatly removed. Double check your work. A good stamp will make 1000's of impressions for you and if there is a flaw it will multiply.
- Harden by heating to red/orange or non-magnetic heat and quenching vertically in water. Just hold it still until it quits steaming and is cool to the touch.
- Clean up with a fine steel brush and test strike in lead or soft metal.
- If you are going to mark iron work, stamp the work while at least cherry red or hotter. Non-ferrous metals such as copper, brass, bronze gold etc. can be stamped cold. If you worked it hot stamp it hot.
QUENCH your stamp after using it on hot iron or you will eventually ruin it through gradually softening the face. Air hardening steel eliminates this problem but water hardening steel is just fine and a bit easier to work for your first stamp. NEED HELP? or DID IT WORK FIRST TRY?: Send me sample of your work and I'll provide a constructive critique of your engraving or maker's mark etc. if you send a SASE. NO charge but donations are gleefully accepted.
William L. Howard The Howard Academy of the Metal Arts www.howard-academy.com POBox 472 188 W. Main Stoughton, WI 53589 Phone - 608-873-5199
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