Makers stamp for burning into wood (part of historic recriation project)

[badgeringtim]

I am looking for a way to make or someone who is able to make a small stamp with which to mark some small hand made wooden items in relation to the Osberg ship re-creation which I help out at. This is the architypical 'viking' boat, if you have seen pictures of one or been to the meuseum in Oslo then this is the one.

http://www.osebergvikingskip.no/eng/index.php

Its a really interesting project involving much axe and tool research work- but i wont go into that too much here;

One of the spin offs i seem to have started is the making of small items from wooden offcuts to sell to assist the funding (essentially whittling while resting arms from swinging axes), and i thought having a stamp that can be heated and burned into these items would be almost like an official seal 'this came from the Osberg ship' type of thing.
Ideally it could be used to stamp leather too - although not sure of the practicallity of this.

Anyhow ideas please to how might i aquire a small stamp (with a styalised ship perhaps) for heating and burning into the wood - i am talking in the order of less than about 4mm x 8mm.

Ideas more than welcome!
Thank you

 

[Mojoracinguk]

would pewter or tin be of any use for your stamp material. I think it would be possible to make a nice detailed stamp with material that melts below 300c without too much hassle or outlay.

 

[badgeringtim]

A good question - would it?
would it be ok to stick in a forge for a few seconds to get hot - or would it get soft itself and run the risk of loosing definition - im not expecting a particularly high detail piece i dont think.

 

[Stoker37]

To get it to temperature to burn on wood it would need to be engraved on brass or something similar. Ive just come back from a Scout camp in derbyshire where they had had a special belt brand made. The firm that made it were M Shaw engraving ltd in sheffiled http://www.mshaw.co.uk.
I have no idea what they charged but they may be worth a call. Hope this helps

 

[Mojoracinguk]

Now they look good...if you find out how much...let us know

Mojo

 

[badgeringtim]

hmm food for thought indeed!

 

[Melonfish]

pewter/lead does melt very easily, so much so you can use it for home casting, i doubt you'd be able to get it hot enough to burn a decent mark into wood.
well without loosing shape or making it so soft it bends.

 

[Mojoracinguk]

Ok, I was just thinking out loud.
I have a nice intricate stamp made of a polymer that i aquired to emboss wet leather....but thinking it would not be hard enough I looked into using it to make a high temp silicone negative, then i was going to cast pewter or tin into it.
The silicone had a working temp of 274C and could withstand 300C long enough for casting.
but as it turned out the polymer stamp is working well.

never mind i'm sure you'll find the solution to your problem soon enough.
Mojo

 

[Matt.S]

If you were to find a rod of metal roughly the right dimensions, you could mark the (mirrored) design onto the end with a permanent pen. Then remove everything that isn't part of the design. If you're clever with the design you should be able to do it with a basic set of warding files (about £5). Softer metals like brass, copper or aluminium would be easier, but they tend to conduct heat easier than mild steel -- though this may not be a problem, especialy if you can add a cord wrapping to insulate your hand.

 

[tombear]

Are you after something like this

http://www.infinitystamps.com/oscommerce/product_info.php?products_id=77

unless you are set on the burning aspect,

http://www.brandingirons.com/fireheated.html

but not for that money of course!

I've been trying to find some one to make me a traditional steel , hand "joiners stamp" so I can mark all my tool handles with my name but so far have had no joy at all. At one time they were very common and a lot of the 50s and earlier tools I restore have them on.

If anyone knows of somewhere in the UK that still does them I'd be very grateful to know who/where.

ATB

Tom

PS Just emailled these guys to see how much a 9 character joiners stamp will be, I think I will probably be horrified.

http://www.eyreandbaxter.co.uk/steel_handstamps_steel_type_dies.html

 

[tombear]

I heard back from them very quickly, 62 quid plus VAT and postage so I will give it a miss this year. If I was using it for a business, fair enough, but I just can't merit it.
ATB

Tom

 

[shaggystu]

To get it to temperature to burn on wood it would need to be engraved on brass or something similar. Ive just come back from a Scout camp in derbyshire where they had had a special belt brand made. The firm that made it were M Shaw engraving ltd in sheffiled http://www.mshaw.co.uk.
I have no idea what they charged but they may be worth a call. Hope this helps

not really relavent to the thread, my apologies, but 'twas a lovely little stamp. Dave Smith was the bloke doing the leather embossing, who also happens to be one of the wardens at spitewinter campsite where we have one of the midlands meets, i got the peak 2010 stamp put on a little leather belt pouch that i made and he's going to do me the peak 1985 stamp at the side of it, i wanted to commemorate in some little way my 25year break from scouting.
anyway, small world

cheers

stuart

 

[caliban]

Am I being thick, or couldn't you just bend wire into a sig shape and blast it with a brule torch to brand your wood?

 

[Hedgehog]

Just to add to some of the good advice above.

I'd be tempted to try making one from Brass bar.

I made a fawns foot stamp for my leather & wood work with a 4" long bar & hand files. I use it as cold stamp mainly - tried heating it up but had trouble getting it hot enough to burn wood & still be holdable - needs some sort of insulation & probably less metal to conduct the heat away from the face.

A good crack with a soft hammer (to prevent mushrooming) works fine for most things.

If you choose a simple motif then it shouldn't require any specialist engraving tools.

 

[budgetbus]

Check it out on youtube, people making brands for body branding and scarification....its all skin after all.

 

[Ben Trout]

I don't know if I've posted them, but I made some stamps a little while ago. I made a pattern in copper wire, then soldered it onto a bit of copper plate. I have only used them for stamping leather but if should take enought heat to burn the pattern onto wood or leather. For a predominately branding pattern, the same thing could be brazed/silver soldered.

 

[tombear]

Just picked up a pyrography set on a carboot near Bristol and it set me thinking, how about just making a stencil and using a pyrography tool or similar to burn identical marks in?

http://www.artifolk.co.uk/catalog/p...25_hobbykit_25w_pyrography_iron.htm?r=froogle

Or and this one will probabbly be be shot down as imparactical, could you make a really heat proof stencil and use a blow torch to burn the patten through it?

I'll get my coat...


ATB

Tom

 

[badgeringtim]

No Tom- this was that i was thinking about to - fileing a stencil from steel might be easier for me.. still thinking about it all.
might have to use coals - cos we would be in the worksite which is all traditional kit but with a stencil and hot coals and a tounges should be possible...i reckon at least

 

[Ben Trout]

How about you leave a message on a popular Bushcraft forum and wait. Sooner or later some muggins will come up with something!

Errr...opps.

Is this anywhere close?

Still blasted hot, won't be touching it for a while

A couple of trials;

The image is about 6x6mm and the brand is 50x15x6mm copper.
As it is the brand should be good for heating in a fire then picking up with tongs. I cheated and used a blowlamp and mole grips.

As for using as a leather punch, it should work. You might have to come up with a clamping soloution.

Alternatively; brandingirons.com/fireheated

 

[badgeringtim]

Thats well cool!!

How did you put the shape on? file it in or ....?

if you were give a small simply picture (rather like that one) could you make it up, just hypothetically speaking... tum te tum..