What kind of hammer for stamping keys with 1/8" letters

[WOT]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... number=800

Using something like this. I'm not having much success with a standard 1 lb nailing hammer. I can't swing it fast since I don't want to hammer my finger...

What weight and type hammer do you recommend for a 1/8"? what about for 1/4" ?

[keysman]

Interesting question …. I have found that different manufacturers make VERY different quality stamps .
I have a set of Chrome? Stamps that might be Ok for plastic or leather but don’t “cut very well on brass or nickel silver.

The better stamps are black and will last for 10s of thousands of uses.
I use a 12 oz ball peen hammer….. the bigger the stamp the harder you have to hit it.. the 1/8 or 1/16 require just a “tap”

I have also found a ‘stamping block “ .. just a flat solid piece of steel ( mine is ½ in thick 12in round ) makes a big difference in quality of the finished product .


There are several products that help align the letters on the key .. none are cheep , but if you are doing any volume of stamping, they pay for them selves quickly with time saved , professional looking product and fewer “smashed fingers”.

[grit1]

WOT, I have that EXACT set from harbor freight, they're cheap and low quality but I've been getting them to work ok...

I have a small vice grip that has a flat surface that I clamp a stamp into, so I can hit very hard and not worry about totaling my finger...something like this : http://www.irwin.com/irwin/consumer/jht ... arch=false

but the mini version. It works well and doesn't leave excessive marks on the stamps, which are already hardened anyway.

[Firearm]

When we stamp engine parts (iron) we just use a short handled 2# sledge. It would work awesome for brass since you wouldn't have to swing at all, just drop it on the stamp and it would do the job. No effort and no smashed fingers.

[Raccoon]

beware.

Stamp alignment tools, like HPC's, cost a lot of money but aren't very reliable. The tool themselves are good in theory, but stamps by nature aren't perfect square shafts of metal, so 1/3 to 1/2 of my stamps wouldn't fit the HPC aligner. Secondly, these alignment tools aren't built to withstand hundreds or thousands of uses. They die quickly.

I recommend learning how to stamp by hand, how to eyeball your stamps in a straight line, and you will eventually catch on. It will take you about 50 keys before you get really good at it, but trust me, you will.

I recommend a thicker strike plate to stamp on. Buy yourself a small anvil, or just any solid (not hollow) block of metal. When you hammer the stamp, follow through. And wear safety goggles, and do this away from any glass-- stamps like to fly.

[2octops]

I use a short handle, 2 pound hammer with 3/16 and 1/8 letters and numbers. I use a 1" thick piece of flat stock as a stamping block. Make sure that your stamping block is located on something solid all the way to the ground. If your block is in the center of a table, it will bounce giving poor results.

That combined with a quality set of steel stamps will render great results. Cheap stamps will wear quickly.

When using stamps without a holder, make sure to hold the stamp flat on the key and hit the top of the stamp square. If you have the stamp at an angle or hit at an angle, it will hurt and the stamp could fly.

[WOT]

I use a short handle, 2 pound hammer with 3/16 and 1/8 letters and numbers. I use a 1" thick piece of flat stock as a stamping block. Make sure that your stamping block is located on something solid all the way to the ground. If your block is in the center of a table, it will bounce giving poor results.

That combined with a quality set of steel stamps will render great results. Cheap stamps will wear quickly.

When using stamps without a holder, make sure to hold the stamp flat on the key and hit the top of the stamp square. If you have the stamp at an angle or hit at an angle, it will hurt and the stamp could fly.

These are $9 set of 36 piece stamp kit from Harbor Freight. I picked up a 3 lbs sledge hammer (it's much bigger, so you really can't miss it) and so far so good.