Maker Stamps

[flathat4life]

First of all i would like to thank you guys for posting on the last topic i started about Barry King and JW products... every bit of your input was helpful and i LOVE my new tools!

Now.. back to the subjest... i was asked by a good friend of mine to build a bible case for him... he asked that i would also put my name on it... i informed him that i dont have a maker stamp yet (since im just starting out and have other priority's on the list)... After finishing the product and just before oiling it, the individual approched me and offfered to trade the cost of the new stamp for the bible cover... i turned him down for the fact that i thought he would be getting the short end of the stick, plus the guy has done so much lately to help me out and bless me that i realy wanted to just give it to him... He then basicly stated that he was buying me the stamp no matter what and that he wanted it on the back of his bible cover.. now i need to get one ordered so i can wrap this project up and get it to him....

Which leaves me with the following questions:

where did you guys get your stamp?.. how much did it cost?.. and how do you like it?....

I'm looking at doing a basic double lined oval border with my name on the top ( Jed Rice ), my brand in the middle, and "Flat Hat Saddlery"on the bottom of the stamp.... This is just what i have in my head but im open to what you guys suggest and what you think looks good.....

i like the rope border but how dose it look in the middle of a basket stamped area? should i stick with the double line so i can either bevel, border, or use a small mull foot around the edge? what flows the best? Also, "Just to make sure", has enyone ever herd of a Flat hat saddlery or eny thing close to it... i think my idea is orginal but i just want to make sure ( dont want to copy someones name)..

I looked into every Maker Stamp maker i could find on google... i've also seen a little talk about Grey Gost Graphics here on the forum... are his stamps good quality and how do they hold up.. im not familar with the material he use to make the stamp out of (maybee somone can fill me in)... He seems to be resonalbly price at around $80 includeing my custom brand as aposed to $180 or so for other brands of steel stamps... Whats the best bang for the buck.

I'll mostly be using this stamp on mis. tack items, chinks, bible covers (ofcourse), and saddles(once i learn how to build them).

im hoping to keep in my budget of say around $100 but dont want to compromise for quality...I want a good, deep, clear and easyly readable impression... it needs to hold up for years to come, exspecially since i have to grow into the name still (Flat Hat ""Saddlery"")...

~Thanks~

Jed

[tashabear]

Mine is from DBar Leather, and I love it. You'll want a deadblow hammer to get a good impression, though.

[Vikti]

Hidecrafters. I think they still advertise theirs for about $60. I'm going up there in a little while I'll verify that for you.

[jwwright]

Jed.........my last maker's stamp came from Grey Ghost. I have had it for about one year. This is a larger size that I use on saddles, and I have been pleased with it. JW

[Tina]

I found the site below the other day...$35, not bad:-)

http://www.phillipsengraving.com/Leather_Stamps.html

[TroyWest]

Jed,

I think what you have in mind is pretty good thinking. A simple stamp that conveys the information you want is best. I would agree with you on leaving off the rope border. That leaves you the option of using any border you want later or using no border. The one thing you didn't say was on the stamp was your city and state. You have no idea where your stuff will go but if they have your name and location they can find you.

I really like the name Flat Hat Saddlery. Conveys to me a buckaroo origin. I've never heard of another one.

The magnesium stamps are the least expensive and they actually work pretty well. I have a couple of these and they work fine, however I dropped one of them once and slightly damaged the border around the stamp. That is the disadvantage of magnesium. It is a soft metal with a low melting temp., which is why they can make a stamp as inexpensively as they do.

The delrin stamps like Grey Ghost makes are next and seem to produce a very nice stamp also.

The most expensive stamps are the steel ones. These are like the one from Harper Mfg.

I have a couple of these. One I had tempered to be able to strike it into sterling silver as well as leather. It works great. They are excellent stamps and very tough.

Hope that helps,

Troy West

[Vikti]

Hidecrafters. I think they still advertise theirs for about $60. I'm going up there in a little while I'll verify that for you.

I spoke with Ron at Hidecrafters FT. Worth and he said that the price is still good.

[flathat4life]

Jed,

I think what you have in mind is pretty good thinking. A simple stamp that conveys the information you want is best. I would agree with you on leaving off the rope border. That leaves you the option of using any border you want later or using no border. The one thing you didn't say was on the stamp was your city and state. You have no idea where your stuff will go but if they have your name and location they can find you.

I really like the name Flat Hat Saddlery. Conveys to me a buckaroo origin. I've never heard of another one.

The magnesium stamps are the least expensive and they actually work pretty well. I have a couple of these and they work fine, however I dropped one of them once and slightly damaged the border around the stamp. That is the disadvantage of magnesium. It is a soft metal with a low melting temp., which is why they can make a stamp as inexpensively as they do.

The delrin stamps like Grey Ghost makes are next and seem to produce a very nice stamp also.

The most expensive stamps are the steel ones. These are like the one from Harper Mfg.

I have a couple of these. One I had tempered to be able to strike it into sterling silver as well as leather. It works great. They are excellent stamps and very tough.

Hope that helps,

Troy West

Thanks Troy,

you have clarifyed alot......

I would like to put my city and state on the stamp but i'm not permantly liveing somwhere yet... my parents have just moved up here to Spirit Lake, Id (Northern pan handle) from the southern part of the state where we were about 30min. from the nevada and oregon border...i cant stand these trees and plan on moving back to the buckaroo country after finishing high school but i dont kow where yet. otherwise i would put flat hat saddlery in the top, brand inthe middle, and my location on the bottom..... maybe i'll just have another stamp made after things are a little more concreted a few years down the road......

Jed

[flathat4life]

Mine is from DBar Leather, and I love it. You'll want a deadblow hammer to get a good impression, though.

Tashabear,

if you dont mind me asking, how much did your stamp cost....

-thanks-

Jed

[Cowboy Crafts Online]

Jed,

For main markers mark I bought one from Harpers. I also have one from Green Parrot he is from somewhere in WY. I have one on order from Barry King. If you are serious I would save up and buy a steel one from Harpers.

Ash

[Suze]

swinging a bit off topic here

Just how detailed can they make a stamp like that - I've been thinking that our SCA group could use a stamp with out shield device on it.

[tashabear]

Tashabear,

if you dont mind me asking, how much did your stamp cost....

-thanks-

Jed

$65, I think; it was a birthday present from my husband. For Christmas he got me the deadblow hammer. Ain't he romantic? ;-)

[tashabear]

swinging a bit off topic here

Just how detailed can they make a stamp like that - I've been thinking that our SCA group could use a stamp with out shield device on it.

What do the group arms look like? It's a good idea; I think I need to come up with a badge sooner rather than later, and I can use that as my maker's mark in the SCA. Or I can keep using a tiwaz rune, though it looks as much like "this end up" as it does my mark.

[Suze]

If you "speak herald" it is

Or, a Pavilion Vert within a laural wreath, in Chief Three Compass stars Or

Or in "english"

think a sheild shape the top third is green with three "Christmas Stars" (the eight ponted ones with four long legs and four short) the bottom two thirds is yellow with a green pavilion tent and a "Cadilac Wreath" around it.......

http://www.regalproservices.com/norborough/ Thsi page is our shire homepage (needs updateing badly) The shield on the top is mostly correct - the pavilion should be a bit larger and more centered in the wreath and the wreath sould be a bit "narrower" and not so fat.

We went with simple. except for that dratted laural wreath that every shire device has to have. (It's my design BTW)

[RonaldSe]

Mine is from Grey Ghost, Jeff Mosby, in Myrtle, SC. It's GREAT!!!!!! Fast service too!

[tashabear]

If you "speak herald" it is

Or, a Pavilion Vert within a laural wreath, in Chief Three Compass stars Or

Or in "english"

think a sheild shape the top third is green with three "Christmas Stars" (the eight ponted ones with four long legs and four short) the bottom two thirds is yellow with a green pavilion tent and a "Cadilac Wreath" around it.......

http://www.regalproservices.com/norborough/ Thsi page is our shire homepage (needs updateing badly) The shield on the top is mostly correct - the pavilion should be a bit larger and more centered in the wreath and the wreath sould be a bit "narrower" and not so fat.

We went with simple. except for that dratted laural wreath that every shire device has to have. (It's my design BTW)

I do speak blazon fluently; it's actually part of my promotional materials.

That's a lovely device, though I would make the lesser points of the compass stars more pointy and less square-ish. As it is (though the rendition on your group's webpage is teensy), it looks like a crux etoile quadrate. All that aside, I think it would make a lovely stamp. Don't go too small, though, or you'll lose all the detail, and you need at least some. ;-)

[hidepounder]

Jed,

I use a stamp from Harpers on all my work. It has lasted for many years. They are a bit pricey, but well worth the money. Infinity Stamps makes them also.

Jeff Mosby's stamps are very nice, faster to get and very reasonable. Daryl Barberousse also makes them, he's here on LW. I don't remember what material he uses. I'm not familiar with Barry King's stamps, I'm very anxious to visit with him at Wickenburg about them. Barry is a great guy and can make anything you can possibly imagine is his shop. If you're ever in Sheridan, it's a must see!

I have discovered that it is necessary to have several size stamps for different uses. Obviously you will want a large stamp for saddles. You will probably want a medium size stamp for mid sized gear (dayplanners, briefcases, scabbards, etc.). I have discovered that having a small stamp for belts, headstalls and the like is really handy also. I am going to have a small "signature" stamp made to incorporate into my tooling patterns where a makers stamp might be distractive or inappropriate.

I'm with Troy, Flat Hat is a great name! It definitely suggests cowboy/buckaroo using gear! Because you haven't "landed" yet, I think it would be wise to get one of the less expensive stamps and get that name out there! Name recognition is extremely important! When you do land and have grown a little you will definitely want a steel stamp. When you get rich and famous you'll want to look into incorporating makers plates made out of silver, into your projects!

Good Luck,

Bob

[flathat4life]

Well thanks guys for all the help......

I've e-mailed Jeff from Grey Gohst Grafics and got all the details worked out..Now i just have to call him tomarrow when hes backin the shop to get him paid... hope to have the stamp by the end of this week.

i prettymuch stuck with my original plan... after a couple of years i'll order a higher grade steel stamp with my city and state in it..

I appreciate all the input...

Jed

[Suze]

I do speak blazon fluently; it's actually part of my promotional materials.

That's a lovely device, though I would make the lesser points of the compass stars more pointy and less square-ish. As it is (though the rendition on your group's webpage is teensy), it looks like a crux etoile quadrate. All that aside, I think it would make a lovely stamp. Don't go too small, though, or you'll lose all the detail, and you need at least some. ;-)

That is not a very good rendition of the thing at all .....

We all admit it - I think the girl that did it just took what she could find online and put it together. I would love to redo it but I do not have photoshop skills at all (as in never touched the program) the whole website needs a redo and she has no time to do it.

Johanna just locked us into using Norborough.org for a year - web minister is thinking about moving to TN and I thought that it might be a good idea to catch the new site.

You going to Pennsic? It will be my first year there.

[seveneves]

I saw some stamps on ebay made out of a hard plastic called delrin. I'm not sure how they hold up but they say that it works. It's only 20$

[King's X]

I know that you ordered yours already, but I have 3 different size stamps and they all came from Brenda at Laser Gift Creations here in Texas. She is a member here on the forum and sells her stamps for $35 plus shipping. No artwork cost involved. She laser cuts the stamps and uses Delrin. The smallest stamp she made me was 3/4" and the largest is 1 1/4" for the clarity. All of my stamps are either words up to words and art work. I absolutely love them. Crisp, clean and right now.

at the beginning, I purchased a stamp from Phillips Engraving, but I believe I have that one in a drawer since I get better mark from the Delrin. Now, from what I heard you will not go wrong with Grey Ghost.

I also believe that YakLady also has the capability to laser cut Delrin stamps, but you will have to check.

If I was in business, I would probably go with Harper's because I have seen them in person and they look awesome. But as a hobbyist, I will stick with what I have for now.

Good luck.

[Spence]

I am also a fan of Brenda at Laser Gift Creations. I have 3 stamps. Two have a centerpiece of a German Shepherd head shot that Brenda crafted from a photo I sent her. The other is a Cadduseus (sp?). Outstanding customer service along with a great product.

Edited January 25, 2010 by Spence