Help with personalized stamps on leather

[sonataworks]

I never thought I would be asking questions about stamping. It sounds so silly (what's to ask? you just smack it with a hammer ) but I'm having a lot of problems and was hoping you good people would be able to help.

I recently got a personalized brass stamp made online. It turned out beautifully, but I'm having problems getting an imprint on leather.

The first piece I tried applying it to was just a piece of 5oz vegtan. Hammered it down with multiple strikes from a deadblow hammer and it left a visible but faint impression. Definitely not the strong impression I was hoping for. I tried again, this time dampening the target area with some water. Again, it left a better impression, but not very deep.

Results however, were even worse on my most recent attempt.

The leather I attempted to stamp is a 5oz vegtan Eco-Flow dyed and Super Shene treated piece. (Yes I am well aware of how much everyone hates Eco-Flow and Super Shene, but I was trying to use up what I had) It's the inner card slot piece of a card wallet.

I first tried carefully using a deadblow hammer with several solid strikes. No luck. Then I tried using a drill press. Still, no luck. Also, due to how hard it was to align the drill press, I instead ended up with multiple phantom imprints.

I read around and here's what I got for advice so far. I'll list these out as well as the problems I am having for each.

1. Heat up the stamp - I have no idea how to do this. I've tried holding up a lighter to the stamp, but it doesn't seem to work too well.

2. Apply the stamp to untreated leather - From my examples above, I appear to be having difficulties with even this. Also, when I watch videos on YouTube I never see people having this much difficulty applying their stamps! Granted, they usually use a clicker press..

3. Moisten the leather prior to stamping - This seems to improve results, but it does also cause the leather to have significant differences in appears from where it was moistened.

Anyone else have some good tips? I can try a combination of all 3 above...

Oh right. Some may have tips to buy a clicker press or a shop press. I would absolutely love to. But I don't have space for it, nor do I really have money for new tools at this moment.

Edited January 10, 2020 by sonataworks

[fredk]

Presuming your stamp has a handle (?)**

1. Strke once with stamp flat.

2. Holding the stamp in place, tip stamp slightly to the left, strike again

3. Tip slightly to the right, strike again

4 & 5, tip to top and bottom striking again each time

If your stamp is large enough, say 40mm or over

6, 7, 8, 9. Tip to each corner and strike each time

You can mix these and 'walk around the clock', eg left side, top left corner, top, . . . . .

Veg tan leather should always be damp to slightly wet for best impressions

Heating the stamp is usually for Chrome tan leather

Moisten the leather all over - more wet where the stamp goes, less in the other areas to avoid tide marks. I usually dampen on the flesh side, this also avoids tide marks

** If not drill and tap a hole in the back of the stamp, if its not already provided, and screw in a 4 to 6 inch long large headed bolt for a handle. My brass stamps come with a M5 tapped hole in them

 

[chuck123wapati]

sounds like your trying to make the stamp without casing the leather, You need to case the leather with water by wiping it down with a wet sponge then leave it until it looks almost dry again. Case the whole piece then it wont leave a stain when it dries back out. If the leather is cased properly it should stamp easily  you may want to google the casing process there are a ton of videos out there, here is a very good description of the process.https://dgsaddlery.com/properly-casing-leather/

[sonataworks]

fredk, thank you for your response.

The stamp I am using is sourced from amazon here. Stamp size is 1/2" x 1 1/2".

So yes, there is an M5 tap at the back, and it comes with a 1" lg. bolt.

I find it hard to tap "around the clock" as you put it, because there is not much contact area between the hammer and the bolt. I could always fashion a handle out of a wooden dowel, if that's a good idea.

I will definitely take your other tips. Do you also recommend stamping untreated/undyed leather first?

[TomG]

A couple of things here.
First, I would dump the deadblow hammer. You can still get bounce with them.
Get a 2+ pound Maul or Hammer. rawhide is bet, but the new Poly Mauls work well too.

Next, don't just moisten the leather. Wet it thoroughly and evenly. Allow it to dry until it LOOKS almost dry, but is still cool to the touch. Use your cheek on the back side.
Now, he's a key to getting better impressions on thin leather. Put a piece of 8oz or thicker under it and stamp. The thinner the leather, the less fibers you have to compress into a the image. The scrap piece lets the impression hold better.
So.. Yes, you CAN wet the leather and stamp it while soaked, but you will find that many times you get squishy impression edges and the details will fade as it dries. You can also see the leather distort and do other weird things as it dries.
You can also spray the surface and let it dry a bit and then stamp.
The key here is to properly case your leather. Casing is basically getting the moisture to the core of the leather but have the surfaces almost dry.
You can get away with these shortcuts on thicker leather, but thin benefits from using the proper method.
For heating, you can use a gas stove, alcohol lamp, or even a propane torch. But beware. The newer Tandy stamps are pot metal and even a gas range (stove) can actually melt them. A propane torch will turn them to slag in a heartbeat..

For now, just case as I described and use the heavy scrap leather under it and on top of your granite slab.
Oh. You can dye first, but leave and top coats or treatments off. They can block the water being absorbed.

 

 

Edited January 10, 2020 by TomG

[fredk]

We all have our own ways of working. What works for me may not work for someone else.

When hand thumping I use a brass headed hammer, weighs about 1Lb 5oz, heads are 30mm diameter. This is easy to use on bolt heads. I use 'coach'  bolts. They have a head about 25mm or greater diameter and having a curved/domed head they are dead easy to hit when 'walking around the clock'

When doing a single small stamp I don't bother with the full casing. Wipe the leather over with a wetted sponge, get me bits n bobs ready for stamping, clear the stamping block, then stamp away. About 3 minutes from wetting leather to stamped.

I've successfully stamped fully finished veg tan long after its gone away. Come back, want name or initial put on it afterwards. Even fully finished leather is never totaly water proof - water can still get in.

Question: is your stamp letters? or a design of thin lines or does it have broad areas?

Thinner lines give deeper sharper impressions than broad areas.

 

[sonataworks]

It seems like casing is what I've been missing all along. Thank you gentlemen.

@fredk The stamp is mostly smaller letters, so thin lines. Acuity of the stamp is still very good as its fairly new, so I would expect it leave a good sharp impression. I'll try it with these new tips and see how it fares.

[Hardrada]

I use an iron, placed upside down, for heating up my brass stamps.

[chrisash]

A 2 ton Arbor press is a good way to apply pressure and low cost even the 1/2 ton will do the job

 

[toxo]

If you can, put it in a vice for a while. If not use a good G clamp.

[toxo]

Another upside of using a vice or a clamp is that you can leave it to dry which will usually give a better result.

[Dwight]

5 hours ago, chrisash said:

A 2 ton Arbor press is a good way to apply pressure and low cost even the 1/2 ton will do the job

 

I make key fobs like this one, . . . dampen the leather, . . . 1/2 ton arbor press, . . . using a little brass stamp from Hong Kong, . . .

Works like a champ.

The actual impression is about 7/8 inch tall and about 2 inches long.  Trying to stamp that with a hammer, mallet, or maul is a lesson in futility.

I lay a 1/4 inch plate steel piece above it, . . . press it down and hold it for about 10 seconds, . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

 

[TargetRockLeather]

18 hours ago, sonataworks said:

The leather I attempted to stamp is a 5oz vegtan Eco-Flow dyed and Super Shene treated piece.

I don't see this mentioned anywhere so I'll add my two cents. Stamp the leather BEFORE you dye it and certainly before you apply a top coat. You can't properly case the leather if it has been sealed by a top coat. Also I agree with the comments about using an arbor press. They are not expensive and it will make your stamped impression much more crisp and even.

[Hardrada]

Just got a 1-ton arbor press, but my results haven't been so consistent: the stamp's impression is kinda uneven. More practice and finesse are needed, I guess. I haven't modified it, by the way, aside from adding a magnet to hold my snaps and rivets setters I'm still using the round-cross-shaped plate.

These presses are, if you ask me, indispensable in a leathercraft workshop, and they're half or less the price of Tandy's setter press.

Edited January 11, 2020 by Hardrada