New Makers Stamp Is Hard To Stamp Cleanly

[Leatherbyelaine]

This is a newbie question, but I finally got my makers stamp and its a kind of stamp I've never used before. It's HUGE and I'm having a hard time getting a clean stamp that isn't "shaky". What is the best way to hammer this stamp?? I'm using a rubber mallot on granite with (obviously) tooling leather. Here's a pic of one stamp that came out right (after several mishaps !)

[stelmackr]

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-lb-neon-orange-dead-blow-hammer-41800.html

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Probably a heavier maul and make sure your leather is cased up good, just like for tooling. You want your maul heavy enough that one hit will do the job without putting a whole lot of effort into the blow. I don't know how heavy my heaviest one is, but I don't use it for tooling, just for my makers stamp and drive punches. Weaver's catalog shows their heaviest maul at 4-1/2 lbs.

[Leatherbyelaine]

Really? Ok. I wish Tandy would have mentioned this before buying the stamp.

Thank you Bob for the link!

[King's X]

Making sure to wet your leather and allowing it to soak is a great start. The orange or dead blow hammer works great. Also, when you hold the stamp handle.....make sure to apply downward pressure on the stamp.

[Studio-N]

The real problem is the evil empire got it backwards. The face is brass which is great. but the 5" delrin rod they attach to it is the problem. It absorbs

the majority of the energy of the blow. So yo have to hit it with something very heavy and very hard and probably multiple times. In my setups, the

stamp is delrin but is only 1" tall. I use the hefty handle to drive the stamp. As we all know, metal transfers energy very well.

The easiest solution may well be to simply NOT try to do it all in one blow. Looking at the picture, the center looks good and any fading is

in the outer edges. Hold on tight to the handle and After the initial strike, try rotating the handle like you would a joystick while tapping the

handle. This will slightly tilt the stamp which should allow it to bring out those edges. Hope that helps.

Now if you really get frustrated with it, break off the rod and make your own metal handle. Attached is my original handle (circa 1996). It

is a home depot special. a 6" pipe threaded on both ends and two brass cap with a flat top. I use to just double face tape my stamps to

it and use my regular mallet. worked quite well until I modified the stamps for the hefty handle.

Cheers!

[Leatherbyelaine]

Yes. Tandy should change their "custom makers stamp " manufacturer. Not only was this a problem, but because of the lack of communication it took THREE MONTHS to make.

Thank you for the idea! I purchased a 4lb mallot. If that doesn't work I'll try removing the pesky rod!

Edited June 26, 2015 by Leatherbyelaine

[Red Bear Haraldsson]

I actually have the bounce problem with my deadblow hammer. My stamp is all Delrin (I got mine from Grey Ghost Graphics). I'm guessing the hammer (only 16 ounce) is making the stamp jump.

I'm planning on getting an arbor press and a stamp meant to go in the press so I can just lean all my Chef Boyardee on it and not have to worry on bounce.

I want it for other things, too, of course. But, with the maker's mark and the fine detail in it, I cannot feel where it is sitting in the impression like you can with the big 3D stamps. (Mind you, I think I have hit my maker's mark maybe ten times so far...)

[Studio-N]

RB,

the surface is of course important when you stamp. if it is bouncy, that could be the problem. No need to get a new stamp if you

get a press, just cut the rod down to about 1" and you're good to go. I put an arrow and crosshatch in the back of mine for alignment but a

marker is all you need to place an alignment arrow. cheers!

[Red Bear Haraldsson]

I actually use my coffee table, and sit everything right on the corner over the leg, but then, there is the carpet and the pad underneath.... I have to imagine some of it is the carpet, pad and table because I do rivets on the kitchen floor. (Another reason I want the press)

The table itself is monstrously sturdy, wife found it at an apartment where the people were moving out and going to throw it away. I've had me and my brother both standing on it to put up a ceiling fan, and that's pushing 600 pounds between the two of us. Thus the Chef Boyardee reference earlier...