Diy Hot Stamp Help?

[niftycurly]

Hi Everyone - I've searched the boards but not found the exact solution to my self imposed dilemma.

Thanks in advance for any insights you may have

I already possess a lovely set of small magnesium photo-etched plates with our logo that we've successfully used to stamp veg-tan leathers by hand and with an arbor press.

We're now doing more work with chrome tanned leathers and I'd like to keep using the stamps but they sure don't work cold.

They can be put into a hot foil stamping machine I know, but we'd like to avoid shelling out $1000+ at this time. Nor would we like to give up the shop space for such a single use machine. I've seen handheld branding irons all over the internet but they seem to require a specific type of threaded brass stamp head.

Anyone have suggestions for attaching the magnesium dies to a heat source in a usable manner that won't permanently maim ourselves?

Many thanks,

-Ellen

[Jazznow]

i dont have any experience, but i would try to heat it on a propan flame and put it into the arbor press. Be sure to wear some thick gloves when touching the hot iron...

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

You would be better off using an oven, stove top, or toaster oven as you could control the heat better. You can melt the magnesium with a propane torch. I have TIG welded plenty of magnesium, but those plates might warp if a stud was welded on. How big are your stamps? The ones we used at the Jelly Belly Candy Co were around 4" square. The plates were taped onto an aluminum plate that had the heating elements, and it also added thermal mass to the plate allowing it to stamp more efficiently. A large soldering iron could work for your application. With the plate taped to a full sized backer that was made to fit the soldering iron it should do fine.

[r lenna]

Watch out for the fumes of that chrome tanned leather it bad stuff. it will kill you

[UKRay]

For short run work you might want to try an electric domestic clothes iron. Attach the magnesium stamp to the iron plate with heat resistant double sided tape, wind it right up to as hot as it will go and experiment. I had a tiny little travel iron that worked well for a while and allowed me to see the work as I applied the stamp. Obviously you won't get the depth of impression you get with an arbor press but with a 'sharp' stamp it will give you a reasonable impression if you are careful.

Ray

[niftycurly]

All excellent tips, many thanks. (Especially the one about the chrome tan fumes! I wouldn't have thought of that)

UKRay - do you have any leads on the heat resistant tape? A quick google tells me that there are many industries - perhaps a shirt printing supply shop?

[lwleathers]

Or you could try our heat embosser with custom made stamp, it's easy to use and doesn't cost you a fortune!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/98894284/custom-leather-stamp-with-heat-embosser?

[evanvaldes1]

@niftycurly...

did you ever find a solution for this? I too have the same type of issue. I have a logo, and a t-slot system to hold letters like a printing press. I have had success with using a soldering iron, but quite hard to get consistent results. using an arbor press is great when cold for veg tanned leather, like you say. any way to combine the soldering iron heat aspect to the consistency of the arbor press?

i guess you can use a heat gun or oven like some users have said here. i have a potentiometer on my soldering iron so that i can keep a consistent temperature from 1 brand to the next. i believe if i heated the oven to a certain temperature and used that method, the stamp would begin to get cold over time, meaning each successive stamp would be more faint.