Touch Marks

[Bart]

Can anyone tell me where I can purchase "Touch Marks" or have one made?

[keweenaw]

Lots of places on the web.  http://www.steelstamps.com/custom-engraved-stamps.html

http://www.infinitystamps.com/oscommerce/product_info.php?products_id=87

[smylee grouch]

TOTW sells several different stamps, if those are the ones you need .   Gary

[Dennis Glazener]

Just a note to anyone interested in having a stamp made.
I had one made like this:  (D * G)   Not a lot of letters.

I have been disappointed with the stamp it makes. Even hitting it as hard as I can with a pretty good size hammer, it does not leave a very good mark! Since its for use on a barrel I am afraid to heat the barrel red before marking.

Just think about the imprint before you order.
Dennis

[Rasch Chronicles]

Mr Dennis,

What is an appropriate "design" for  touchmark? Obviously three letters in a row don't work very well, maybe a compact design is best?

Regards,
Albert A Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
Wild Pigs: Not Tough Enough to Face Ol' King Coal

[keweenaw]

If you look at some of those companies making stamps, it's obvious that not all are created equal. 

[Z. Buck]

Rasch, many stamps are made to be used either in hot metal (as Dennis mentioned not a great idea for on a barrel, or with a fancy machine to help hold the touch mark while several strikes are made. i am pretty sure there is a tutorial laying around here somewhere the Acer made showing his system and the machine he made. most that are made for one strike cold marks are quite small (look at proof marks) hope this answers your question

Zack

[Rasch Chronicles]

Zack,
Yes it does, thank you. I figured hand held and struck touchmarks would have to be small, by neccesity.

Best regards,
Albert “Afghanus!” Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles: Best Boar Hunting Calibers Part I

[davec2]

Bart,

I posted this a while back.  It might be useful

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=1138.0

[Acer Saccharum]

Bart, keep in mind that a stamp needs to be driven into metal deep enough to show the design well. The larger the stamp, the harder it needs to be struck. The stamp does not cut metal, but displaces it.

A lot of surface area will require a lot of force, and multiple strikes. A simple character with a simple line border does not have much area, and stamps in easily.

Heavy stamping should be over the plug in a rifle or pistol, or the bore can be crushed out of round.


This tutorial shows a stamp with a reasonable amount of surface area to stamp easily into steel: http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=8.0

[Dphariss]

The difficulty in impressing large stamps in why stamps for more than 4-5 letters used commercially are (or should be) roll stamps that only impress a letter or 2 at a time.

But they require a dedicated press to use.

Larger hand stamps need a 2-4 pound hammer, a solid surface like an anvil as a backer and care to not double strike with a bounce.

Dan

[Dphariss]

Bart, keep in mind that a stamp needs to be driven into metal deep enough to show the design well. The larger the stamp, the harder it needs to be struck. The stamp does not cut metal, but displaces it.

A lot of surface area will require a lot of force, and multiple strikes. A simple character with a simple line border does not have much area, and stamps in easily.

Heavy stamping should be over the plug in a rifle or pistol, or the bore can be crushed out of round.


This tutorial shows a stamp with a reasonable amount of surface area to stamp easily into steel: http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=8.0

One day at Shiloh I suddenly heard a burst of German laced "exclaimations". Wolf was roll stamping barrels and had switched from standard weight to #1 heavy without resetting the machine. It was possible to see the impression in the bore and this barrel was 45 and about 1 1/16" where it was stamped.

Dan

[Dennis Glazener]

Mr Dennis,

What is an appropriate "design" for  touchmark? Obviously three letters in a row don't work very well, maybe a compact design is best?

Regards,
Albert A Rasch

I would assume that a single compact design would work ok with today's barrel steel. I patterned mine after the way my Gillespie ancestors marked their barrels. Evidently the old barrel steels were much softer and I now suspect that they used a single stamp for each letter/character rather than having all the characters in one stamp like I tried.
Dennis