An Accidental Hand Stamp Guide

[rgsparber]

Using hand stamps should be a science, not an art. Today I decided that my hand stamp skills needed to be improved so the results were clear and consistent. Along the way I stumbled into a bit of scrap metal that made a great stamp guide plus learned a few things about my stamping set.

If you are interested, please see

https://rick.sparber.org/AnAccidentalHandStampGuide.pdf


Your comments are welcome. All of us are smarter than any one of us.


Thanks,

Rick

[Cdronbrn]

Well DANG! THAT is a good idea. Can’t tell you how many times my steel stamping was crooked over the years.

[rgsparber]

I’m working on a simple attachment to compensate for rotated letters. The glue is still setting up. Stay tuned.

Rick

[rgsparber]

I just published version 2.0. It offers a way to indicate when the letter will be up-side-down plus an additional attachment that minimizes letter rotation.

Rick

[DIYer]

Thanks Rick! We've added your Hand Stamp Guide to our Miscellaneous category, as well as to your builder page: Rick's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Hand Stamp Guide by Rick Sparber

tags: stamp

[tonyfoale]

Rick,

have you seen my solution at http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/m...882#post105674

[ranald]

Thanks Tony & Rick. I've often considered buying a set for marking woodwork but remembered a mechanics mess he made on a diesel engine head as required by a transport dept person (why?) when i wanted to register a truck I had all receipts etc. Anyway, I haven't been able to find anything appropriate for my simple idea:THERE IS ONE OUT THERE. I DON'T WANT A BURN ON type STAMP as I will sometimes require it over a finish. Needs to be adjustable for year also.

ANYONE, ANY IDEAS?

[Mr.Pete]

wow this is a wonderful tool ! so simple to make I going to make one too keep up the good work !

[rgsparber]

Thanks Tony & Rick. I've often considered buying a set for marking woodwork but remembered a mechanics mess he made on a diesel engine head as required by a transport dept person (why?) when i wanted to register a truck I had all receipts etc. Anyway, I haven't been able to find anything appropriate for my simple idea:THERE IS ONE OUT THERE. I DON'T WANT A BURN ON type STAMP as I will sometimes require it over a finish. Needs to be adjustable for year also.

ANYONE, ANY IDEAS?

Could a metal plate attached with screws work? If so, it could be stamped or etched. There is a lot of information available on transferring laser printed artwork to metal. If copper, it can be etched like a circuit board. If steel, it can be etched with DC current and salt water.

Rick

[rgsparber]

Rick,

have you seen my solution at http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/m...882#post105674

Tony,

Wonderful solution! I particularly like being able to stack stamps tightly yet hit one at a time with the rod.

It does appear that you are using a better grade of stamp than I own. I suspect that none of your letters are rotated relative to the shank of the stamp.

There is still some "art" involved with all of these solutions: adjusting the striking force as a function of the amount of imprint. Stamping an "I" takes a lot less force than stamping an "M". I was playing with an adjustable length sleeve that would absorb the hammer blow after the punch went in a set distance. It did not work well enough to justify proceeding. Using an arbor press is another way to control imprint depth but it is limited to flat stock that can fit in the press.

I wonder if you could replace your rod with a screw with two nuts on it. Adjust the nuts so they lock while just enough of the screw extends below them. The hammer blow would drive down the screw and stamp until the bottom of the lower nut hits the top of the support frame. This would insure that all stamps went into the base material to the same depth.

Rick