Makers Mark "How to"?

[ShortBBL]

Ok.. I'm a brand new Rookie and here to learn. Hi everybody!

So I had a Makers mark made up.... yeah, I know... "saddle before the horse".... and I want to know the best way to get uniform results with it! I tried using a hard nylon mallet... I got half the mark showing up. Do most use a press with their marks or how do they come out nice and uniform?

Thanks guys!! You'll see me pokin around here a lot... askin and a learnin!

Jon

[Dave Cole]

I don't know about the others, but I use the same stamp for both my knives and leather. I modified an arbor press for the task.I use a 3 lb. hammer for doing knives and hand pressure for leather, makes a clean nice impression.Dave

[Dalton Masterson]

I get my leather cased well and just a little on the wet side. Then I use a large maul for the job.
A lot of it will depend on what kind of stamp it is, too. Mine would be better in a press, but works pretty good on a handle too.
DM

[ShortBBL]

Thanks! I might try a $50 Arbor Press! That would make it much more even.

[Slowhand Bob]

Presses always work better, if big enough for the job, but tend to be much slower if not dedicated.  The small thumbnail sized stamps will do fine with a maul when the leather is well cased.  One thought on hammer setting, I find that I do much better going with a hammer heavy enough to do the job with while only swinging with light to moderate force.  If you try to make up for to light a hammer by swinging away you will get poor stamping results and possible injuries, ask me how I know.

[Dalton Masterson]

Good point, SB. Plus you can possibly break the stamp.
I use the ASB 2 lb maul and give mine 2 of 3 hits to get an even impression. The first hit is usually not straight up or down, so then I tilt it a little the other way, to even it, then give it a final tap to "set" it.
Mine is one from Hidecrafters, and build like a Tandy 3D stamp.
DM

[cowboywc]

Howdy
I use a 1lb maul. Hit it once straight up. 4 more taps, one in each of the 4 directions. Never had a problem that way.
Same way I teach kids to use 3-D stamps.
WC

[Slowhand Bob]

I bought one of the BIIIG brass head mauls from Harbor Freight for the really tough jobs but would never try to use that weight for blunt force power plows, a miss would cripple you.  I find that I can actually set a larger embossing plate with this than I can with a large two ton arbor press but the real workhorse for setting larger dies would be a frame mounted hydraulic press similar to what Weaver sells.  I would think of this a minimum for the standard size US/CS stamps for holster covers.  If Harbor Freight ever runs the right one (a 12ton bench top a-frame) on sell I plan to get it.