Hi Bob,
As you may have read over the yrs from here, stamping and/or minting
in the BIG sense of the word has been my main way of making things
for the past 28 yrs. However I also have to mark my work and have
hand stamps for this. There all custom made, and this includes each
year mark, in 1/16th in size numbers. being the smallest, the other
size is 1/8th in.
Now stamps for marking can be of 2 types.
-
The recessed design, no, or letter. This type is used by our
assay office and has done so since they started some 500 yrs or so
ago. -
This sort, is called skeleton, and is not recessed into the
punch. This is like a chisel, which cuts down into the metal.
All my hand stamps are of this type and my logo or registered
goldsmiths mark is an equilateral triangle with my initials inside
of VF. Fits well in this triangle.
Ive these up from 1/16th in sides to 1/4in for marking the different
size things I make, and causes the least damage to the work.
I dont know where or who makes stamps in skeleton form in the USA
but here in the UK the latest computer controlled CNC die engraving
machines can cut stamps with detail down smaller than 1/250 in. The
reason I know this is that ive some exciting news from this side of
the pond.
ive just taken delivery of 6 proper minting dies, 2 designs in 3
sizes 1in 1.5in and 2.25in dia of my next and probably my most
exciting minting project ive ever done since I started minting some
28yrs ago. The designs are Bertel Thorvaldsens “Night"and"Day” neo
classical images. Look them up, there just beautiful designs he cut
in 1815 when he was working in Rome. Ive the blessing of the
Thowaldsen museum in Copenhagen for this. I hope to get reviews in
the international Art magazines to coincide with the publication of a
new book on B Thorvaldsen this fall.
Now These were digitised from the plaster positives I “Found” at a
car boot sale some 9 yrs ago, and it has been my dream since then, to
interpret these in my medium. Its now happening!! Now the plasters
are some 6in in dia and that needs a reduction of 6 to 1 to translate
the designs down to 1in in dia. This cnc machine has done so cutting
into the grane tool steel in the negative! so even the angels eyes
and the individual feathers on her wings can clearly be seen with an
8x loupe. Im confident that if B Thorvaldsen was alive today, he
would approve of my interpretation of his masterpieces. They are his
most famous works, and I now feel good enough to do justice to them.
How many yrs does it take to be good enough to interpret Chopin’s
revolutionary study. So I know how high the bar is set.
Ill be minting these in bronze and silver and if anyone wants them
in any carat gold.
Exciting times.
Ted,
in Dorset UK.