Hi,
Using a spring action stamp would be interesting - spring loaded
centre punches only have to apply a bit of force - but a stamp
needs considerably more (i.e. a wack with a heavy hammer). Basic
physics dictates that for every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction.
A small hydraulic press would probably be easiest to use to get
consistent results - I have seen these made with simple frame, a
small car jack and a couple of springs to retract the moving
part. Solves the balancing act part too - holding the workpiece,
stamp and hammer. Would be useful for forming over dies too.
I’ve seen an air powered peening hammer but it had only a 4mm
impact area. You could rig up a pneumatic ram but it gets back to
the same issue of trying to resist the force when it goes off.
Cameron Speedie
Island Gem and Rock
A company called Micro Stamp in California makes spring loaded
stamps which I use for trade and quality marking.
Thinking out loud again. Haven’t I read here now and again about
hammer type handpieces for Foredom like tools. Could this be
somehow adapted to "punch’ in the stamp? Teresa
I have a stamper in a holder that works like a drill press
- a lever action brings the stamp down and you control how much
pressure is used / how deep is impresses.
There is a tool called an Arbor Press that can be found in most
hardware tool supply shops catering to tradesmen. This tool can
exert a pressure of several tons just by pulling on the handle
very much in the manner of a gambling slot machine. The arbor
press is used for removing parts such as bearings and gears
which have been friction fit. The tool should cost under $100.
The tool consists of a heavy steel base which holds a steel arm
at the rear of the base. This arm rises 12 inches or more
(depending on the model) and arcs over to the center so that a
geared rack can be raised or depressed vertically over the
center. In an arrangement very much like the rack and pinion
gear for steering the front wheels of a car a pull handle
attached to a gear (the pinion) is used to raise or depress the
rack. At the bottom face of the rack is a hole (1/4in to 1/2in
depending on the model) for inserting a facing tool, for example
a stamping pattern for jewelry. To get a consistent depth for
the pattren’s impression on a ring one should be able to
fabricate a stop for the handle travel.
Kelvin Mok (klmok@shaw.wave.ca)
Home: (403) 463-4099 | Home FAX: (403) 430-7120
Thinking out loud again. Haven’t I read here now and again about
hammer type handpieces for Foredom like tools. Could this be
somehow adapted to "punch’ in the stamp?
The stamp would jump around too much. Gesswien sells a stamp
holder (a steel base with an upright with a sleeve to hold square
shank quality stamps) that takes either straight or ring stamps.
It has a nylon button that can be shaped for ring shanks and it
does reduce tool bounce. I usually just use a led block- it
becomes pocketed with handy shank shapes after a few weeks of
use. I like using a chasing hammer with the stamps.
Rick Hamilton
Thinking out loud again. Haven't I read here now and again
about hammer type handpieces for Foredom like tools. Could this
be somehow adapted to "punch' in the stamp?
Not really; the hammer handpieces for flexshaft uses a very
short stroke & the force of the hammer is too light to cause a
stamp to indent the metal. The hammer, whose working surface is
quite small (about 2 sq mm), is usually driven forward by a
spring, on some models, the spring is changeable. This allows a
springs of different strength to be installed for different
applications. The hammer can also be changed to permit the use of
different shapes & sizes.
An internal mechanisim converts the rotary motion of the
flexshaft to a linear motion. The linear motion retracts the
hammer a short distance while compressing the spring. When the
spring is compressed, a mechanism within the tool automatically
releases it. The result is the spring drives the hammer forward
to strike work. After reaching the bottom of it’s stroke, the
whole process begins again.
If the hammer tip were replaced by a graver, the hand piece may
be able to be used as a powered graver (ala Gravermiester).
Dave
A company called Micro Stamp in California makes spring
loaded stamps which I use for trade and quality marking.
Check them out at http://www.microstampusa.com
good products, good company. Kinda pricey though.
a company I used to work for did all their quality stamping with
a device that looked a little like an arbor press, that is a
fixed ram with a handle on the side you pulled down to lower the
ram. But the end of the ram was set up with something very like,
though a bit larger and more adjustable, an automatic center
punch. You’d set it up with the desired stamp, which clamped to
the end of the spring loaded punch, place your piece below,
testing the location of the stamp gently, then pull the handle a
bit harder till the spring loaded part “fired”, which gave a nice
clean repeatable impression.
this version was made in europe for that use, but you could rig
up such a thing easily enough with a normal automatic center
punch, a small arbor press (or even a drill press), and stamps
custom made to screw into the usual automatic center punch end,
or perhaps some sort of adapter to hold the end of a regular
manual stamp might be not too hard to make either…
also, one method of stamping that has not been mentioned before
in this thread is rolling stamps. These are stamping devices
where the logo or phrase stamping face is made to go around a
small steel rod, which is in a device, either bench mounted or in
a plier type affair, that allows you to press that roll against
the inside of a ring and roll it accross the inside. The
advantages are the ability to impress a fairly long line of text,
such as “10% iridiom platinum XYZ jewelers” or the like. hard
to do that with a hammer driven stamp.
Peter Rowe
Peter - thanks for the Microstamp web address. A friend of
mine use computer driven mechanical engravers and sent me the
following
Hi Tom
Our engraving machines are made by a company called New Hermes.
I did a web search under tht name and did not find anything. I
did however find a page called TDiArt.com 's Engravers Database.
Try looking for this: http://www.tdiart.com/engraver.htm
This page lists a number of engraving systems, as well as
resellers. If you page down to Massachusetts, you will see a guy
named:
Richard Altonaga representing New Hermes
PO Box 1037 Melrose, MA 02176-9998
Phone:(617)665-9838
Give him a call.
Look at some of the systems with links on the page. The Phoenix
system sold by Western Engravers Supply looks very similar to the
systems we use.
One other thing. Don’t be afraid to put your parts in a vice.
You cannot hand hold parts in one of these things.
These things can do a lot of engraving jobs and used may not be too expensive
Tom Kruskal
G’day I recently had in two girl Scouts (11& 12) to make finger
rings for a jewellery badge Because it is difficult to hold a
punch dead upright on a sterling strip whilst it being hammered,
(especially at that age) I made a simple holder, much like the
Gesswein device only in wood - it took about 15 minutes to make,
and was extremely successful, producing clear ‘STG’ marks - after
only a very little practice with scrap copper. Cheers,
/\
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/ /__|\ @John_Burgess2
(_______)
At sunny Nelson NZ