making my own Stamps

[Lizardo]

I've been making tools out of old 'T' bolts where I work. Once the threads are shot, we were throwing them away. They are high carbon steel, so rust can be a problem, but I have made special bevels, backgrounders and a few 3D stamps.

[LakeHavasuLeather]

i have done a few stamps myself.  they are not as purdeeee as some of these other ones, but they work really great.  here is 20 something of them.   i have about 35 now.  still doing more, lil at a time.   with a dremel,  a reg had drill, and a bench grinder.

[Reegesc]

Those look great!  I like how you've covered some in leather and laced them up.  :-)   Hard to resist, isn't it?   I'm currently covering an entire bicycle.   What an odd lot we are.  :-)

[Willie0]

I tried making stamps from nails and a bolt yesterday for the first time.  I wanted right angles for corners and some that were not square shapes.  While they are pretty crude, I really like some of them.  The "petal" shaped one really surprised me with the star in the center.  A couple were no good, but I left them in the picture just to show what doesn't really work, and yes, they should have been made from stainless steel.

[charlescrawford]

Those that make their own stamps I am trying to make a stamp the the blades that came with my jewelers saw suck. What size blades to use on stainless ? It’s 304

[Fowlingpiece]

I would save the jewelers saw for cutting sheet and use a hacksaw and files to make stamps.

[TLP]

I use a jewelers saw when I am making stamps,  only use the hack saw to square up the bolt heads.  I find the hack saw to unwieldy for delicate work.  Make sure you use good blades,  a lot of the blades that come out of India are not that good.  I use Hercules or Laser Gold blades from a jewelers supply house.  # 1 or 2 would probably be sufficiently fine for the work you are doing 

 

Edited January 8, 2018 by TLP

[chuck123wapati]

I was perusing and found this thread so figured I'd add my Hodge podge of homemade tools. I have as much fun making the tools as using them. Various stamps  including a hoof prints, an awl hand forged by me as one of my first ever forging projects years ago, a nice set of lifters and shapers, a round knife from a circ saw blade, a skive knife from a putty knife, and a small whittler/ skiver from an old kitchen knife as well as my scrub oak thumper from local trees, and a stitching pony from old pallet material.

[Daffy]

Inspired by you all, on a budget, and having most of this stuff laying around, here's my starter kit of homemade and re-purposed tools. Included my first leather work in the knife sheath, yeah I know chrome tanned... it was cheap.  

Also the knife is a re-purposed pipe thread cutting die.(it ain't for cutting leather)

Really impressed myself with the two background tools middle row and 3rd and 4th from the left, heated up the bolt heads while in the vise and beat a wood rasp on them for the texture. Odd that I've spent most of my life polishing stuff and now I look at everythings texture wondering if it would make a stamp of some sort.

The two stitch groovers went through several design changes before I got what I wanted, I will say though that getting a cotton thread through a 1/16" hole and trying to polish the bore was an interesting task. Tying the string off at one end, threading it through the hole, twisting it with a drill while holding it tight until it "snugged up" in the hole a bit, then JR1 the thread and working it back and forth did a fantastic job.

Carving tool was a one shot willy, after looking at several available online it was a no brainer to make one.

Stitching punches came from a failed knife blade.. well part of it failed..

Maybe at some point I'll pretty them up a bit more.

[dikman]

Well done guys, waste not want not, as they say.

[chuck123wapati]

22 hours ago, Daffy said:

Inspired by you all, on a budget, and having most of this stuff laying around, here's my starter kit of homemade and re-purposed tools. Included my first leather work in the knife sheath, yeah I know chrome tanned... it was cheap.  

Also the knife is a re-purposed pipe thread cutting die.(it ain't for cutting leather)

Really impressed myself with the two background tools middle row and 3rd and 4th from the left, heated up the bolt heads while in the vise and beat a wood rasp on them for the texture. Odd that I've spent most of my life polishing stuff and now I look at everythings texture wondering if it would make a stamp of some sort.

The two stitch groovers went through several design changes before I got what I wanted, I will say though that getting a cotton thread through a 1/16" hole and trying to polish the bore was an interesting task. Tying the string off at one end, threading it through the hole, twisting it with a drill while holding it tight until it "snugged up" in the hole a bit, then JR1 the thread and working it back and forth did a fantastic job.

Carving tool was a one shot willy, after looking at several available online it was a no brainer to make one.

Stitching punches came from a failed knife blade.. well part of it failed..

Maybe at some point I'll pretty them up a bit more.

Those are some nice tools indeed! 

[Frodo]

On 12/10/2019 at 3:40 PM, Daffy said:

Inspired by you all, on a budget, and having most of this stuff laying around, here's my starter kit of homemade and re-purposed tools. Included my first leather work in the knife sheath, yeah I know chrome tanned... it was cheap.  

Also the knife is a re-purposed pipe thread cutting die.(it ain't for cutting leather)

Really impressed myself with the two background tools middle row and 3rd and 4th from the left, heated up the bolt heads while in the vise and beat a wood rasp on them for the texture. Odd that I've spent most of my life polishing stuff and now I look at everythings texture wondering if it would make a stamp of some sort.

The two stitch groovers went through several design changes before I got what I wanted, I will say though that getting a cotton thread through a 1/16" hole and trying to polish the bore was an interesting task. Tying the string off at one end, threading it through the hole, twisting it with a drill while holding it tight until it "snugged up" in the hole a bit, then JR1 the thread and working it back and forth did a fantastic job.

Carving tool was a one shot willy, after looking at several available online it was a no brainer to make one.

Stitching punches came from a failed knife blade.. well part of it failed..

Maybe at some point I'll pretty them up a bit more.