Arbor Press

[Shaunread]

I've decided I want to get a stamp with my logo on it to start stamping onto my products. I have limited space as I am a student in student accommodation at the moment and need to transport everything back in summer, I thought of getting an arbor press for stamping my leather. The one im looking at is 1/2 ton and seems ideal if I put a slightly different base on it to stamp on, its relatively light at 9kg. However, im not sure if it'd be suitable to stamp leather well enough.

At the moment I'm mostly using 1.4mm calf leather but Im hoping to move up to 2mm then 3mm at some point for bags/belts etc... will a 1/2 ton arbour press have enough force to stamp these types of leather well enough to show the logo? my logo isnt particularly complicated with just text.

As you guys are very knowledgeable I thought it was best to ask before committing to something I dont know much about! Any help would be great :D

[Tree Reaper]

1/2 ton is more than enough for that task.

[Flattracker]

I use a 2 ton arbor press for the same thing. I ditched the lever bar it came with and bought a longer steel rod to get more leverage. It has to be screwed down though to a workbench in the workshop so not sure how small the 1/2 ton is but bear in mind you might need to screw it down to something to stop it lifting when you pull down on it.

[Flattracker]

Ah, and also, the stamp logo you deboss into the leather has to be not much bigger than the vertical press that you push down. If the stamp is say an inch or more bigger than the press foot then the deboss kind of tails off at the edges, doesn't look good. Using a plate between your stamp and the press foot helps some though. Cheers Rich

[Eccho]

Why not just get yourself a makers mark that only requires a couple of mallet blows and looks great. You don't need a press. There are a few sites around and you can pick which one suits you. I bought mine from " Grey Ghost Graphics " for around .$65.00 and it works excellent. It leaves a nice clean impression, and it weighs about 2.5 ounces (guessing). Or there are electric brand irons as well. JM2CW :>)

Edited February 16, 2014 by Eccho

[Troy I]

Go for the makers mark from gray ghost. Fast service. Good price. Nice stamp.

[GlenH]

I've got a 1/2 ton arbor press that I use for stamping. It's really amazing at how well the impressions look; there's just no way to get the even impresson all around by hitting the stamp.

I use the maker stamp that I got from Black River Laser with the press. I thnk they sell them for well under $50.

[retiredff]

GlenH - I know this is an old thread but, I know what you mean the impressions are not that great done with a hammer. My question is: I have not used a press before, I have some figure stamps, and alphabet stamps. How do you use the press with these? Just put the stamp under the arbor and crank away? Do you need the handle?

I have not bought a press yet but if your response is positive I will buy one.

Any info appreciated

[RavenAus]

I use an arbor press all the time with my stamps. The only issue I have is with some stamps it's easy to put too much pressure on. I've cut the leather with the rune stamps before, and one of the cog stamps from Tandy. It is however MUCH easier to get a good impression with a press than with a mallet. Case well and test on scrap. If the stamp is large then you may have to move the piece and apply pressure at more than one point but that seemed to work fine for me.Just don't move the stamp in the process, just slide the leather into position with the stamp in place.

You don't need to screw the base down though, my press is secured with a G-clamp. It's not AS secure as screwing the unit down but unless you're gonna go Arnie on it then it'll be enough

Edited April 10, 2014 by RavenAus

[retiredff]

Is 1/2 ton sufficient?

Your reply has got me looking on Harbor freight for a 1/2 ton press. They are on sale now for $37!

Thanks

[Dwight]

Is 1/2 ton sufficient?

Your reply has got me looking on Harbor freight for a 1/2 ton press. They are on sale now for $37!

Thanks

Take a look at these letters, . . . done with the half ton Harbor Freight press, . . . a couple of them actually went deep enough that you could see the impression of the material around the actual stamp.

The trick to using the press (for me, . . . this is how I do it) is to first go through the whole line to see how big it will be. You do that by positioning the letters, and measuring how long it is.

I then start in the middle and work both ways.

Say I wanted to stamp "NORTH", . . . and it measures out 3 inches long. I make a mark at 1 1/2 inches, . . . position the center of the R at that mark, . . . and press the R into the leather. I then remove the R from the handle, . . . and lay it loosely back into the impression. I would then take the T, . . . position it so the edge of the letter touches the edge of the R, . . . and press it.

Next I take the O and lay it next to the R so the letters touch and press it. Then I would do the N and the H, . . . again leaving the O and the T to maintain my proper spacing between letters.

Be careful to make sure your handle is perpendicular, . . . gives an even stamp, . . . slanted will look uneven on one side or the other.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited April 10, 2014 by Dwight

[retiredff]

Dwight - thanks for the great insight. I think this press would work great for me.

should the handle be perpendicular before starting to press of when completing?

Thanks again

Tony

[Dwight]

Dwight - thanks for the great insight. I think this press would work great for me.

should the handle be perpendicular before starting to press of when completing?

Thanks again

Tony

Actually, Tony, . . . the ending attitude of the handle is more important than the starting.

Think of the handle as the minute hand on a big clock. If you were to turn the press to the left, 90 degrees so the handle is out front, . . . you want to wind up with the handle pointing to about 8 o'clock.

And that is 8 o'clock as the press contacts the handle holding the stamp, . . . and the stamp laying on the leather. This gives you your best pressure leverage, . . . and the best control.

You can take the front bolts off your press and adjust the mesh of the teeth to obtain that result. Takes a few minutes of playing with it, . . . but once it is set, you are all set.

There are also youtubes out there showing how to manipulate the press by removing teeth from the bar. I decided not to do that, . . . but you may want to. Just google up youtube: arbor press.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited April 10, 2014 by Dwight

[retiredff]

Thank you Dwight!

[zaynexpetty]

Ah, and also, the stamp logo you deboss into the leather has to be not much bigger than the vertical press that you push down. If the stamp is say an inch or more bigger than the press foot then the deboss kind of tails off at the edges, doesn't look good. Using a plate between your stamp and the press foot helps some though. Cheers Rich

I was considering buying a 1/2 ton arbor press with a 1 inch square ram for a large 10 x 10 cm brass stamp. I also had the idea of placing metal plates on either side of the stamp to see if it would even out. Are their any other ideas you might have for achieving an even stamp with a press like that?

Here is the one I was considering buying:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-ton-arbor-press-3551.html