Making Your Own Stamps

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I know I've posted about making your own stamps before. I couldn't find where it was so I'll just start a new topic on it here.

For years I've made my own stamps. This doesn't mean I would rather make them but often what I need just isn't available. I got the idea when I worked in the saddle shop with Charlie Miller, an old time saddle maker who in the 1940's and 1950's, with his partner, made his own stamps and even manufactured them to sell to other saddle makers. He eventually sold his equipment and the rights to his designs to Tandy. I was fortunate to see some of the original prototype stamps that they would duplicate for production stamps. Those stamps were made from odd bits of steel or bolts. It was really cool to see those and watch saddles go out the door with the designs stamped into them. After that when I needed a stamp but couldn't find anything to do the job, I simply went into the garage and made one from an old bolt or piece of steel. Also, there have been times when I wanted to duplicate something from the 1800's but the stamps just weren't available.

Today I probably have close to 200 leather stamps and a full third or more of them are ones I've made. I have 9 basketweave stamps and only one was purchased. I seldom make anything without using a couple of hand made ones.

It doesn't require any special equipment. With a bench grinder, a vice and a set of fine swiss files you are in business. You can even do without the bench grinder if you're so inclined but it does make short work of roughing the shape in.

Here are some examples of stamps I made from old bolts. Of course I chose the nastiest looking ones for examples. One was a rusty carriage bolt I pulled out of some old wood. Really, any old bolt the right size will work for this, even new ones. I actually like the pitted ones because I don't have to texture the shaft for ease of holding them. The stamping on the left shows what those stamps do. I used lined bevels on the one on the upper left to clean things up so I stamped those next to the example, too.



These holsters were made possible by stamps I've made. Not the flowers but the other stuff.







With a bench grinder, a vice and a set of fine swiss files, you are in business. So increase your potential and get to making your own. It's fun and certainly makes your work your own. If you have made any, let's see them.

[Cliff Fendley]

Very nice Marshall. I've made and modified a few myself.

[Capt Quirk]

Cool story Will, thank you for sharing it!

[1961MJS]

Hi

Do you re-temper the stamps after you get them the shape you want? 

Thanks

[Marshal Will Wingam]

MJS, when I make stamps, they don't get heated at all in the making. I never wear gloves while grinding so if the steel starts to get hot, I let it cool before proceeding. Also, they only get used for leather so they don't need to be tempered, anyway.

Thank you, Capt. My leather work certainly was influenced by that time I worked for Charlie.

Very nice Marshall. I've made and modified a few myself.

Thanks, Cliff. Modified. A big yes to that, too. Once you get past having to replace the one you're about to modify, it's easy to jump in.  Hopefully you're not looking to modify a $100 stamp, though.

Once, after I made a pair of stamps to do a certain holster, and finished the holster, I found a source for stamps almost exactly like them. But! You just can't buy stamps with rust-pitted shafts.

[Rube Burrows]

That is very impressive. Thanks for sharing again because I never saw the first post about it.

Great looking holsters and stampings by the way.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Thanks, Rube.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Yesterday I made a new basket weave stamp. My favorite BW stamp was one I made many years ago. It has a simple single bar across the center of the weave and makes a clean pattern.



I wanted one that has that same nice, clean look but was a little longer proportionately and maybe a little less industrial looking. Like the previous one (actually number 8 of my home made ones) I wanted to make one that no one offered. Since that time, there have been a couple tool makers who have made this design stamp but this was not available when I made it. With the vast selection of BW stamps available out there, it is hard to think of anything that someone doesn't already offer in their line-up. I had another idea but opted for this one and may still make the other one also.

So, Here is BW number 9. When I made this test piece, I found that my UHMW tooling mallet with the 8 oz head inadequate for the job so I went back over the impressions again with my cast iron mallet with the leather inserts, hence the slightly irregular look to the pattern. When I use this stamp, I'll use the heavy mallet from the git-go.

[Cliff Fendley]

Yesterday I made a new basket weave stamp. My favorite BW stamp was one I made many years ago. It has a simple single bar across the center of the weave and makes a clean pattern.



I wanted one that has that same nice, clean look but was a little longer proportionately and maybe a little less industrial looking. Like the previous one (actually number 8 of my home made ones) I wanted to make one that no one offered. Since that time, there have been a couple tool makers who have made this design stamp but this was not available when I made it. With the vast selection of BW stamps available out there, it is hard to think of anything that someone doesn't already offer in their line-up. I had another idea but opted for this one and may still make the other one also.

So, Here is BW number 9. When I made this test piece, I found that my UHMW tooling mallet with the 8 oz head inadequate for the job so I went back over the impressions again with my cast iron mallet with the leather inserts, hence the slightly irregular look to the pattern. When I use this stamp, I'll use the heavy mallet from the git-go.

That's very nice Marshall. Takes a bit of patience I bet making the groove for the crossbar. Did you use a file for that?

[Marshal Will Wingam]

That's very nice Marshall. Takes a bit of patience I bet making the groove for the crossbar. Did you use a file for that?

Thanks, Cliff. Yes. It was the small round file in my Swiss file set. I marked a line across the center and filed on both sides of the line. That was the easy part, though. What took patience was ramping both sides then filing the little grooves with the corner of another Swiss file.