One of our most popular part marking solutions are steel hand stamps and we've dedicated a number of posts recently to discussing the various kinds of hand stamps that we manufacture. Steel hand stamps are versatile and long lasting, made from a special grade of tool steel to resist spalling and mushrooming. Steel hand stamps also allow for a wide range of design options and can be custom made to satisfy almost any part marking requirement.
Since our hand stamps are so versatile and popular we wanted to dedicate a post to them and pass along some tips and best practices for hand stamping into metal. The following guidelines would also apply to using a hand held holder with steel type. We've broken down the hand stamping process into easy steps:
- Make sure you mark on a solid, stable bench, located over a support or leg to eliminate any bounce or flexing of the bench surface. Use a large, flat piece of soft steel as a base to lay your parts on when marking with a steel hand stamp.
- Choose the proper marking hammer size based on the following criteria: If you're marking a single 1/4” tall character into mild steel you'll need approximately 2.1 tons of pressure. Choose a 3/4 to 1-1/4 lb. hammer. (Note - a more experienced operator can usually use a lighter marking hammer.)
- When marking multiple characters using a hand stamp or hand held type holder the amount of striking force required is dramatically increased.
- Place the hand stamp onto the part to be marked and rock it back-and-forth to make sure the stamp is laying perfectly flat on the part.
- When hitting the hand stamp with a hammer only strike the stamp once; hit the stamp and pull the hammer away. If the hammer bounces on the stamp more than one time, you will end up with a double or triple impression. Speed and accuracy of the hammer blow when striking the stamp is very important.
- We always recommend using a hand stamp holder to ensure operator safety while marking.
CAUTION: Wear safety goggles/eye protection whenever using a hammer and marking with hand stamps.
Contact us today to see how Durable Technologies can help you with your hand stamp and steel stamp requirements.
