Aulmin Vs Stainless Steel

[tankerman1967]

Hi yall

Quick question. I am about to start making some homemade stamps

what are the pro and con of aluminun and stainless steel..

Thanks

[Northmount]

Aluminum is soft, easy to cut and file. Clogs up your grindstone if you are using a grinder. Tends to clog files too, but is easy to clean up. Aluminum deforms easily. If you accidentally hit the stamp you worked on against the granite or something hard, it will damage the profile.

SS is fairly nice to work with (depends on the various grades) and is harder than aluminum. If you do a little searching here, you will find others making some of their own stamps. Some start with SS bolts from the hardware store.

CS (carbon steel) works too, but will rust if it gets wet. If not cleaned and polished well, can leave CS particles in the leather, and you know what happens with iron and tannin. You get blue/black spots due to the chemical reaction.

Tom

[electrathon]

I would suggest starting with stainless bolts.

[cradom]

Stainless. When aluminum oxidizes it leaves a whitish powder all over which may be just as bad as rusty steel.

[oltoot]

Stainless. There is a pretty good reason that you don't see sheets of aluminium used much anywhere in the tack business.

[tankerman1967]

Ok. Thanks for all the advice. But as long as I have yall's attention part 2 of the question.

I know aluminum is easy to work with and make things. If I go with aluminum is there or would be there andy residual from the aluminum that would transfer to my leather?? Like staining or something???

Thanks

[Bob Blea]

Pure aluminum is very reactive to oxygen, so exposed surfaces tend to oxidize fairly quickly. Aluminum Oxide is a very inert substance and it doesn't tend to react to much at all, however it can react somewhat with strong acids. I don't think any of the acids that remain in leather would be a problem as they are probably too mild. Aluminum Oxide is used as a protective coating in many industrial and chemical applications because of it's hardness and lack of reactivity. However, that hardness isn't enough to make aluminum a good choice for a stamping tool.

Aluminum is very reactive to acids. That's why it's a poor choice for a cooking pan. The acids in tomatoes are enough to leach aluminum from the pan and introduce it to your food. That's not good for people to eat but I don't think it does anything to leather like the discoloring you get with steel and leather.

[tankerman1967]

Pure aluminum is very reactive to oxygen, so exposed surfaces tend to oxidize fairly quickly. Aluminum Oxide is a very inert substance and it doesn't tend to react to much at all, however it can react somewhat with strong acids. I don't think any of the acids that remain in leather would be a problem as they are probably too mild. Aluminum Oxide is used as a protective coating in many industrial and chemical applications because of it's hardness and lack of reactivity. However, that hardness isn't enough to make aluminum a good choice for a stamping tool.

Aluminum is very reactive to acids. That's why it's a poor choice for a cooking pan. The acids in tomatoes are enough to leach aluminum from the pan and introduce it to your food. That's not good for people to eat but I don't think it does anything to leather like the discoloring you get with steel and leather.

Ok . Thats what I was kinda thinking. I am still gonna try my hand at some stamps. Got some aluminum and stainless rods. Gonna see what I can do. Thanks so very much. I am amazed at the amount of knowledge yall have and are willing to share.

[TwinOaks]

Be wary of Aluminum DUST as you're grinding/sanding/filing it.

[silverwingit]

Be wary of Any DUST as you're grinding/sanding/filing it.

Michelle

[Bob Blea]

A correction I wanted to add. I found out over the weekend that aluminum oxide is also susceptible to being broken down by acids, so the leather may effect it too. I didn't find anything that would suggest it will react with leather like steel will and discolor it, but as Mike and Michelle mentioned, aluminum dust is bad for people. Aluminum can impair your body's ability to use iron, causing anemia. It can also damage the nervous system and cause bone damage. There are some that believe aluminum intake is somehow connected with Alzheimer's disease though apparently it's never been proven. Aluminum toxicity apparently isn't something you normally need to worry about unless you are working with it as a metal and breathing in the dust, then it is a big concern. So it's not the best substance to work with unless you take lots of precautions.

[TexasJack]

Most people don't realize this, but aluminum products are all anodized before they leave the factory. That places a thin layer of oxide on the surface that protects the more reactive metal underneath from being attacked. If you're grinding or filing, you'll be exposing metal and you it can react to form that white powder people mention.

My suggestion - which was given to me a few years back by a super leatherworker - is to go to your local hardware store and buy some long bolts (carbon steel or stainless). The head of the bolt can be filed into nearly any shape and it makes very cheap stock for producing a custom stamp. If you decide to make fancier stamps - like for sale - you can move up to metal stock, but those cheap bolts will still be the best way to develop each new stamp.

[tankerman1967]

Thank yall for the advice and concern. When I work with fine partials I DO take precaution. I have a 5 micron air filtration system that moves that air in my shop and filters it. I also use my work full face mask, I am about to buy a personal one but till then I use the one from work. A lot of the exotic woods that I turn on the lathe can cause lung problems ie:bamboo can splinter and act like asbestos. The mask I use is for dangerous liquids and fumes ie:benzene and the like.

I am going to try the aluminum first as it is easy to work with and if I like the pattern/ tool I will attempt it in a bolt as yall suggest.

Again thank you for all yall's info and knowledge

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Aluminum will naturally start to anodize once it is exposed to oxygen. This process can be sped up, and made thicker by having a shop anodize it. Anodizing is also nonconductive, that is why the surface has to be removed before welding. I worked with a lot of aluminum in my shop. It works nice, and with any metal you don't want to breath the dust. Brass also works,is easy to machine, and quite a bit harder than aluminum.

Post pics of the finished stamps.

Edited December 21, 2014 by BIGGUNDOCTOR