Etching vs Stamp

Fletch Helical

Fletch Helical

Joined
Sep 29, 2009
Messages
1,614
As usual I'm thinking way ahead from where I'm actually at in my knife making journey but since it's on my mind I'll ask anyway. What are the pros/cons of either, or is it all just personal preference?
 
Maybe you should do a poll. :D

I like the etcher. I can put my mark wherever I want, can make sure it's straight...and I can make it as deep as any stamp.
Mace
 
I like the etcher also. The pros are it looks more professional, easier to get stencils with almost anything imaginable, and if you mess it up and it is not etched too deep, you can sand it off and do it again. Cons, well I do not have any that I can think of really. The stamp can be nice, but time needs to be taken to make sure you stamp it square, do not double tap it, and do not hit it too hard or you get a bump on the backside and a divot on the front. Stamps can be real simple and not detract from the overall look of the knife.

I have both a stamp and the etcher. I do not use my stamp anymore.
 
Mace said:
I like the etcher. ...I can make it as deep as any stamp.
Mace
Click to expand...

Really? Do you have any pics of that? I've seen some etches that had a bit of depth to them, but I've never seen one even a tenth as deep as a deep stamp.


That's really the main disadvantage I see to etches- they generally don't seem to last as long on the knife as a stamp. A hundred years from now, will someone still be able to read that etch after the knife has gotten rusty & cleaned up again? It seems every week there's people posting in Bernard's forum here trying to identify a handmade knife that may be less than 40 years old, where all the etched marks have disappeared through use.
 
I use an etcher. I like it and it allows me to put speacial notes on
my knives , like the steel used, name of the blade. Stuff like that. Stamping can make stress risersnand I try and avoid that.
 
Here ya go Possum.:D
I etch DC only touching the pad for aprox 3 seconds each time...I do this 30 times taking a little break every tenth time to let things cool down. Then I cold blue the etch and re-sand over it.
Mace
etchcloseup.jpg
 
Nice Looking etch Mace...I use a similar technique with my etching, but I think sometimes a stamp works best. Like on some Mosaic Damascus I have a hard time getting an etch to show up as well as I would like. Most likely just me and need to improve my etching. I would take etching over stamping if I was only going to go one way.
 
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I'm not sure I buy into this theory about stamps causing a stress riser. Most knives have a relatively thick ricasso compaired to the adjacent thin blade. It would seem this thick/thin area where blade meets ricasso whould be much more of a stress concentrator than a stamp.
Anyone ever seen a knife broken through the stamp?

Jim
 
I do both. All my forged blades are stamped, and the stock removal blades are etched. This is my way of differentiating between the two. A number of years ago the issue of stamps and stress risers came up in a conversation several of us were having at the Blade Show. I came home and did some testing. What I found was that if the blade is hot stamped, it's is as tough/durable as a blade that isn't stamped.
On the other hand, cold stamping was a totally different story. I did it with both a hammer blow, and with a bottle jack press....every single blade that I cold stamped and then flex tested, either cracked of completely broke at either the top or bottom edge of the stamped mark. It was always at bottom leg, or one of the two ends of the "Y" in my last name.
 
Ed Caffrey said:
I do both. All my forged blades are stamped, and the stock removal blades are etched. This is my way of differentiating between the two. A number of years ago the issue of stamps and stress risers came up in a conversation several of us were having at the Blade Show. I came home and did some testing. What I found was that if the blade is hot stamped, it's is as tough/durable as a blade that isn't stamped.
On the other hand, cold stamping was a totally different story. I did it with both a hammer blow, and with a bottle jack press....every single blade that I cold stamped and then flex tested, either cracked of completely broke at either the top or bottom edge of the stamped mark. It was always at bottom leg, or one of the two ends of the "Y" in my last name.
Click to expand...
Interesting experiment and results! Was the cold-stamped blade stamped just before quenching or was there other thermal cycling after stamping?
 
I did both.....3X thermal cycled, then cold stamped a blade with the bottle jack press, and did another with my stamp fixture and a hand hammer. During the same week, I did the same thing with a couple of other blades, but also did a 3X normalizing AFTER I cold stamped them.....didn't seem to make any difference. The cold stamped blades would either crack or break from one of the ending points of the "Y" in my last name. (the stamp was simple block letters..."CAFFREY".) NOTE: These blades did not simply crack or break when cold stamped...the cracking/breaking occurred when I tried to flex test the blades)
What really grabbed my attention about cold stamping is that I had one of the blades (it was annealed and 3X normalized prior) on which the ricasso literally cracked from the leg in the "Y" of my last name, to the bottom edge of the ricasso. Blade was totally ruined..no saving that. (this was stamped with the bottle jack press).

Another issue I see with cold stamping is how quickly you can destroy a stamp that generally costs $100 or more. I did those experiments with a perfectly good stamp from Evers, and after several cold impressions, the "C", and the "Y" on that stamp began to mushroom. An identical stamp (I order two at a time, just to have a spare on hand) used only for hot stamping, is still going strong...and its been about over 4 years since I did those little experiments.

In the end, I think its up to each individual to decide what does or does not work for them. For me, if its going to be stamped, its going to be hot stamped. I think etching might be the easiest method for new makers to use, but it also offers some challenges to be overcome.
 
Will someone please elaborate on their favorite etching machines, and how you can make a home made one & where you get the stencils made. Thanks, I have been having problems with my stamp. Hard trying to get that hot piece of steel into the knife holder & placed exactly where I need it for impression to come out where I need it. I am going to try the etching & stencils.
 
Most explanations of stamping blades I have seen have been for cold stamping. When doing this flex test on cold stamped blades, exactly how much were they "flexed" before they started to crack, or was it more of an outright bend to the breaking point rather than a simple flex? It is more flexing than would be seen under normal usage of a blade? I would like to try hot-stamping, but I am not sure the process and how to keep the heat from ruining the stamp itself. How hot is considered hot stamping. Is the blade red-hot when stamped? How do you position it in time before the blade either cools too much or ruins the stamp. I am assuming the hardness of the stamp is affected by the heat also, or am I wrong?
 
I would think the hardness of the stamp would be compromised from hot stamping....but I don't think it would be an issue if thats all you use it for.
Mace
 
If the stamp is made from the right steel and you don't hold it on the hot work piece for too long it should be more or less unaffected by heat. I stamp my blades at a moderate forging heat, usually around 1600F, and try to work quickly. I have the place I want the stamp marked with a soapstone beforehand. The stamp I use is home-made, made from a cold chisel, using a home-made die, and re-hardened and tempered afterwards. It has stamped dozens of blades. I can use the die to freshen the face of the stamp as necessary but have only had to do this once in nearly 5 years. A professionally-made stamp should serve for years in this capacity if used correctly.
I think if you forge your blades then hot-stamping makes perfect, natural sense, and is sort of traditional. For those who are hard-core do it yourself-ers, making your own stamp can be a fun challenge and is a personal mark of your capabilities. Otherwise I would probably just get an etching machine.
 
fdh54turkeyshooter said:
Will someone please elaborate on their favorite etching machines, and how you can make a home made one & where you get the stencils made. Thanks, I have been having problems with my stamp. Hard trying to get that hot piece of steel into the knife holder & placed exactly where I need it for impression to come out where I need it. I am going to try the etching & stencils.
Click to expand...

I made the crawford etcher and did the 12v/24vdc mod to it. Can't go wrong with that, altogether I spent less than $60. I think the pitch is it can be built for less than $50 but I had to buy the extra switch for the 12/24v operation.
 
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