making my own Stamps

[robert]

whether stainless or zinc, mine leave a black stain until i get all the metal dust out of the lining and off the tool (it is essentially the same thing as when you strop your knife blade - you have to get the metal off or it will stain). I have not had a tool that just kept doing that though, even after it had been stamped a number of times. I am at a loss - my only suggestion would be to stamp it a bunch (walking it around your scrap)... but maybe you already did that... maybe some other folks can chime in...

my zinc tools will get corrosion on them and i have to stamp them on some scrap if they havnt been used in a while - that sounds like the same as your lifter.

[CitizenKate]

Hey John,

Dumb question : What is "mild steel"? I know "stainless steel" and "carbon steel", but I've never heard of steel referred to as "mild".

One thought about the stains, though... do you think maybe spraying some lacquer on the tool will keep it from staining the leather without affecting the quality of the impression? Just a thought. (There is probably a reason the inexpensive tools have a chrome finish.)

Kate

[Jordan]

I think that if you use anything but stainless you will get black leather it is a chemical reaction when wet leather is in contact with metal. You could dip the stamp in laquer or some type of coating and it will not stain the leather. I don't know if it will hold up to the stamping process without flaking off though.

[Peter Ellis]

Hey John,

Dumb question : What is "mild steel"? I know "stainless steel" and "carbon steel", but I've never heard of steel referred to as "mild".

One thought about the stains, though... do you think maybe spraying some lacquer on the tool will keep it from staining the leather without affecting the quality of the impression? Just a thought. (There is probably a reason the inexpensive tools have a chrome finish.)

Kate

Kate, stainless steel is rust resistant due to the metals added to the steel, producing various alloys that are not as prone to rusting as plain iron is. Carbon steel just means that the steel has a relatively high carbon content, and that makes it possible to harden more than steel with less carbon.

"Mild steel" is just plain ordinary steel, not alloyed to prevent it from rusting, not enough carbon to make it very hard.

[skipj]

I wonder if cold blueing the steel would prevent the steel from reacting with the wet leather? You can get cold blueing in an applicator which works like a felt tip pen.

SkipJ

[BearMan]

Very Nice Job!! I've been making my own stamps for many years now. I must admit that Your's are alot nicer than the ones I've made. Hmmm I guess I need to start spending some more time on mine. ) Thanks for sharing,,, Ed

[MBOGO]

Great subject, post, info! Quick tip, When working with files, "load them" with chalk (dollar store sidewalk works as well as any), the surface won't load with metal and have to be carded/cleaned as often. If your file gets loaded with metal or other media, a flattened out brass shell casing (a rifle case is longer and thus works best) works great for really cleaning them out (work in the opposite direction of the filing direction). Anybody tried any metal engraving tools in this yet?

Edited January 25, 2009 by MBOGO

[MarshalWill]

I've been making my own stamps since I first went to work for a saddlemaker back in the 70's because that's what he did. I made my own leather knives, again as he did because the shape wasn't available commercially. If I can buy a stamp, I will. When what I want isn't available or if the lead time is too long, I will make my own. Some of them look fairly nice. Others are less than beautiful but the tip is what matters. Most have been made from old bolts because that's what was on hand when I needed to make one. I don't have many stainless ones but the steel doesn't make dark impressions when used. Just to be sure, I stamp a scrap a few times to clean the head before using it on a project. I've only had one tip corrode. That one got dipped in Birchwood Casey Super Blue to seal it after cleaning. I'm thinking of dipping all of my hand made ones to prevent that from happening in the future. Here's a pic of one of the more, shall we say, functional ones. As you can see, I didn't have to texture the barrel for ease of handling.

[Go2Tex]

Like most folks, when first starting out, I looked at the cost of the good stuff and tried my hand at making some. Well, let's just say Barry King's got nuthin' to worry about from me. It's kinda fun and keeps you out of the bars, but at some point it comes down to a matter of how much your own time is worth and what you enjoy doing with it.

After reading this topic, though, and seeing that I was actually on the right path, I just might give it another try.

So.....another wasted day down the drain. heh heh

[sorethumbs]

Even when leather tools were cheaper, they weren't exactly "cheap". For a long time I did all of my tooling with 3 tools.

I never really cared for the craftools and found them very limiting.

I eventually discovered that as long as I had access to large nails and bolts, I could make most of what I wanted for modelling and stamping. I just used a dremel tool or a grinder to shape them. Amazingly enough, I've also discovered that if you are nice to your local jeweler, they will chrome plate items for very cheap. This way the nails won't darken your tooling. If you cannot find a jeweler willing to do it, you can find inexspensive plating kits (approx. 30.00 USD) through a jewelry making supply site.