Who makes the best stencils for electro etching,? I have been Using TUS in Mass.

LARRYZ10

LARRYZ10

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Feb 6, 2010
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Hi, Please give your opinions. I have been using stencils from TUS in Mass. and the electrolyte that comes with a "personalyzer". I just bought a Personalyzer plus and want to try some new stencils for a crisp blaCK MARK. aRE MY MARKS SOMETIME A LITTLE FUZZY BECAUSE i HAVE THE PAD TOO WET? I have to buff then out with 1800 grit compound on my buffer. Other times they are perfect but not with a real deep etch.. I am :Dgoing to use more voltage now on the etch and try to get a deep black mark also. Any tips. I have etched over 200 knikves but don't always get what I want. Please help me!!! Thanks , Larry Lehman
 
I use TUS exclusively, including electrolyte.

Once you find a method that works, stick with it.

For me, it's a small wet pad, and about 15 swipes at 16v AC.
Not so wet as to drip, but wet.

Pressing, holding and repeating seemed to give me inconsistent results, and since I switched to swiping I get consistently GREAT results.

There's a lot of complicated and fancy etching units out there, including schematics I personally made, but to be honest, all you need is a doorbell transformer, and a few connectors and a power switch.
DC is not necessary for the most part, and really complicates things when you want a nice crisp, dark mark.
16v AC seems to be the Magic number for me, and a doorbell transformer provides that right from the output.
 
I'd swap electrolytes to see what happens. TUS makes good stencils, as does Ernie Grospitch.
 
One thing that really helps is once you get the stencil in place on the blade, put a couple of drops of denatured alcohol on the logo; cohesion causes the stencil to "grip" the surface of the steel. When you place the wand/pad on the surface the electrolite wont leak around the edges, making for a very clean image that does not have that ghost like appearance.
 
The one thing I did that improved my etches the most was to stop using the electrolyte that came with the Personalyzer and stat using an electrolyte from IMG,

The Personalyzer will make a good etch and mark but as Fellhoelter said, find a method that works, and stick with it.
 
Charles Vestal said:
The one thing I did that improved my etches the most was to stop using the electrolyte that came with the Personalyzer and stat using an electrolyte from IMG,

The Personalyzer will make a good etch and mark but as Fellhoelter said, find a method that works, and stick with it.
Click to expand...

I use the IMG products and feel they are excellent.
 
I use a Personalizer, but I get my etchant from Tracy at USA Knifemakers.

Like Brian, I only use the AC for a nice clean, dark mark. I do hold my pad down for four seconds at a time with a four second break in between, but I never lift the pad straight off the blade. I swipe it off. I don't know if Brian's results and mine are both due to the swiping of the pad, but like he said.....you find what works and stick with it. I use Ernie's blue lightning stencils.

I get good clean results with this method. Hope this helps. I remember being VERY frustrated with etching my makers mark early on. You just need to work through some different methods and see what works.

11-16-2012CTPCPrototypeCoffinTippedPocketCleaverCPM154058.jpg
 
i use IMG ands mickly is where i got the last etchant both are great to deal with and the poducts work
in ll get a shot of my mark for you guys but i burn into the steel with AC then flip to DC to black it out
one thing that eveyone tells me is that i have one of the deepest marks they have seen (even asking about if i stamp them in )
dsc07372sm.jpg
 
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If you want a deep mark, do LOTS of short etches, like 10 seconds at a po instead of fewer long sones. I follow that up with 4 or 5 "marking" cycle etches, then lightly sand the mark with like 2000 grit wet paper.
 
Butch, I hate to sound stupid but is´nt it the other way around? Direct current for deep etching and alternating current for blackening the mark?

Besides that, there where some great tips here that I have to try out. I´ve been having my share of inconsistent etches.

Thanks Guys

Brian
 
I do lots of short 4 second etches and get a very,very deep mark..I had to grind one off the other day I messed up and had to take it all the way back to 110 grit to get it off..We have a marking methods unit that Phillip got off ebay for something like $35..It has DC/AC and A-B-C power levels with a cleaning electrode to clean stencils with but Ive never used it..
 
Fred, I just ordered ectchant # 94 for stainless steel from IMG. I grind CPM 154 Cm, 154 Cm, 440C, and Ats -34 . IMG also sells number 35 for stainless steel and they also sell SC-44. DID I buy the best etching solution? thanks Larry Lehman
 
Fred, I just ordered ectchant # 94 for stainless steel from IMG. I grind CPM 154 Cm, 154 Cm, 440C, and Ats -34 . IMG also sells number 35 for stainless steel and they also sell SC-44. DID I buy the best etching solution? thanks Larry Lehman
 
BUTCH, WHICH ETCHANT NUMBER DO YOU USE FOR STAINLESS STEEL? i ORDRED NUMBER 94. tHANKS, Larry Lehman
 
What's a good etching machine for marking knives. Personalizer seems popular. What the difference between the models? What's the deal with the Etchomatic which is all over you tube. I want a quality machine at a reasonable and don't want to be disappointed. Obviously I'm new to marking blades. Thanks.
 
I bought a cheap etching tool which made pretty good marks with AC current only when I first started etching my knives. I wanted something better that would make a sharper deeper etch so I bought the "Personalizer" which worked better but still now exactly what I wanted it runs at 12 volt and has DC current for etching and Ac for marking in blaCK. I came to this forum for advice and found that many pros were happy with the more powerful "Personalyzer Plus" which has varible power from zero to about 24 volts or 72 amps. OF course many guys built there own etching machines from plans and most are happy. Marking Methods company sells their own machines but they are pretty expensive and so does TUS. I just bought the Personalyzer Plus from Jantz supply for $250 plus shipping but have not used it yet as I am waiting for my order of number 94 etching solution from IMG which was recommended on this forum by several makers as the best for stainless steel and I also ordered green stencils from Marking Methods company which again several makers said they were the best for a crisp good etch. I have been advised by more than one experienced maker that good etches can be made with a current of about 16 volts so having a variable current control instead of a switch is a good thing. Of course I will have to guess what the current is on my new machine unless I measure it with a voltmeter which I have and do not know how to operate but I will find an electrician to take pity on me and explain. Thats all I know about the subject but I have etched between 2 and 3 hundred knives so far. I hope this helps. Larry Lehman
 
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