STAR STAMP

[Michigan Flinter]

  i WANT TO DRESS UP THE MUZZLE ON THE RIFLE I"M BUILDING BY DRILLING A SMALL HOLE IN THE BARREL THEN USING A STAR STAMP TO FORM THE STAR THEN USING A PIECE OF SILVE WIRE AND PEEN INTO  HOLE ON ALL EIGHT POINTS WHERE THE FLATES MEET. mY FRIEND HAS A STAR STAMP HE USES IN HIS LEATHER WORK I CAN USE.  MY question is will a leather stamp hold up used in metal? If you know where I can get a small star stamp made for metal please let me know.  Eric D. Lau  Riverdale Mi.

[rich pierce]

I think Acer or somebody has some tutorials on how to inlay metal.  Basically the trough or hole must be undercut to lock the inlay or wire in.

[Acer Saccharum]

I believe Rio Grande jewelry supply has star stamps of many different sizes, and designs of other images as well.

Your leather stamp MIGHT work on steel, but it may be just casehardened. One of those things, you don't know until you try. BUT if you get started stamping, and the stamp fails halfway through the job, you might end up filing the muzzle clean to start over with a good tool steel stamp. Try it on some junk first.

http://www.riogrande.com/

Tom

[David Rase]

Eric,
Here is a picture of the muzzle I did on a S.W. Virginia rifle 5 or 6 years ago.  I did just like you described, I drilled a small hole for the silver wire, indented the muzzle with a star stamp, redrilled the hole to remove the burr and then set in a piece of silver wire, peened it over the star impression and filed it flush.  I got my stamp from N-graver but I hear they are no longer in business.
DMR

[Michigan Flinter]

Dave that is what I am looking to do .Nice nose treatment also.Thanks everyone for your responce to my question. I've learned so much from this site.  Eric D. Lau  Riverdale Mi.

[Ken G]

I tried buying a star stamp a while back.  N-Graver was no longer making it.  The Rio Grande stamp doesn't look right to me unless they make something i've missed. 
Your best shot in my opinion is Acer's tutorial or saying a prayer and going with your friends leather stamp. 
Ken 

[TPH]

The leather stamp is hardened and tempered steel, it might work for the first couple of strikes but I doubt that it will hold up, it is not that hard. I also doubt that your friend will be able to use it for leather again, he at least will not get the sharp detail in cased leather he may be used to.

[Ted Kramer]

Eric-

Take a look at these and see if they might work for you.

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=934949

Ted Kramer

[Ben I. Voss]

You could try making a stamp! I've made stamps like that out of brass rod for stamping leather, and stamps for stamping in brass sheet out of masonry nails. The brass rod I just filed to shape (use a triangular needle fie to make a star)-- the concrete nails I used grinders and a dremel tool to shape. If you want to do it right, get some drill rod and file it to shape. If you don't know how to harden it, you might find someone here who can do it for you. Good luck!

[davec2]

Making a star stamp is one of the easiest tool making tasks and is excellent self training in tool making and hardening / drawing.  Get a length of the appropriate size O-1 or W-1 drill rod (or any piece of scrap tool steel like a very small cold chisel - anneal it if it is already hard).  File a star shape in the end, heat and quench, then draw to a straw yellow.  To install the silver in the star, get the punched star in place and slightly undercut by pushing a chisel pointed graver straight in in several places around the inside of the punched star.  Cut a short piece of silver wire and melt on a charcoal block to form a small bead.  (You will need to experiment with the size.)  Place the silver bead in the center of the star and drive it flush with a brass punch and a hammer.  Do all eight and lightly file the surface flush.  Here are a couple of bad pictures of a star (in gold on a practice plate) and the punch I used to make the preform in the steel.  The star is about 1/16 inch tall.

[Rolf]

I'd like to try making a star stamp for inlaying silver. I got a couple of questions.

1)How deep does the impression have to be to fill with silver?

2) I gather, the larger the star, the harder it is to make a deep enough impression. How large is it practical to make the star?

3) Could you inlay silver stars in a brass triggergard this way?

Best regards

Rolfkt

[t.caster]

Eric, next time you see Dennis Purdy, ask about the ones he made for this purpose. Similar to the methods shown above. He may have used old screwdrivers though. Dennis loves to make all his own tools and show you how!