DIY Wedge Stamping Advice

[BLW15]

I decided to use this down time to get the tools and materials necessary to stamp my wedges. I got a 1/8" letter/number stamp set, small (3") anvil, oil-based paint pens and acetone (to clean off paint). I plan to experiment on some old wedges before I do anything to the gamers. Has anyone does this and have any advice or "lessons learned" to help guide me?

[JBalocik]

Practice practice practice. It takes some time and its definitely a skill to be learned. I fell in love with stamping about a year ago. I bought a bunch of old wedges off ebay (a cheap lot is hard to find) to start with. I wasted a lot of time buying cheap stamps. You have to shell out the cash for quality when it comes to the stamps. Harbor freight product won't work. I might suggest "young Bros".  People say to separate the shift from head but if you anchor the head on your anvil propery you'll be fine. I use a brick to support the grip facing the ground. Always use double sided tape between the face and the anvil. That's your key anchor. You can apply masking tape to the area you wish to stamp. Then stamp directly on the tape. The tape helps hold the stamp in place. (Metal on metal is thought to keep steady) And smack away. Try not to double hit. I do but it runs the risk of skipping. I'm also not the strongest dude in the world so I have to. Make sure that Acitone is industrial grade from lowes or home depot or something. Nail remover from your girls bathroom won't cut it lol. Good luck!! 

 

Edited April 18, 2020 by JBalocik

[BLW15]

@JBalocik What double-sided tape would you recommend? I have seen some that advertise as permanent and that concerns me if it will be hard to pull apart or leave a residue.

[BLW15]

@JBalocik also those wedges look amazing, I like the creativity in the words, symbols and paint job

[Rtracymog]

Practice practice practice. It takes some time and its definitely a skill to be learned. I fell in love with stamping about a year ago. I bought a bunch of old wedges off ebay (a cheap lot is hard to find) to start with. I wasted a lot of time buying cheap stamps. You have to shell out the cash for quality when it comes to the stamps. Harbor freight product won't work. I might suggest "young Bros".  People say to separate the shift from head but if you anchor the head on your anvil propery you'll be fine. I use a brick to support the grip facing the ground. Always use double sided tape between the face and the anvil. That's your key anchor. You can apply masking tape to the area you wish to stamp. Then stamp directly on the tape. The tape helps hold the stamp in place. (Metal on metal is thought to keep steady) And smack away. Try not to double hit. I do but it runs the risk of skipping. I'm also not the strongest dude in the world so I have to. Make sure that Acitone is industrial grade from lowes or home depot or something. Nail remover from your girls bathroom won't cut it lol. Good luck!! 
 

Sweet looking wedges!


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[BLW15]

Took longer than expected but I finally got the tools to start working on this. I got a 4 lb hammer and 3" anvil/vise from Harbor Freight and 1/8" Letter and Number sets from Young Bros.

I decided to start practicing with the stamping promise by making some ball markers. I got a ton of 1" punched aluminum disks that are a waste product from my work and started getting used to the stamping process.

I used double-sided tape to hold the marker down to the anvil.

 

This definitely helped to keep it stationary as I swung the hammer. I was surprised at how difficult it is to get a clean strike on the first blow. Here are two examples of my early trials. I'd consider the one on the left decent but not as clean of imprints as I'm hoping for (especially the W's, which I'm finding to be a tough letter to stamp). The one on the right shows what a series of poor, errant strikes gets you.

 

Anyone have any advice on how to ensure a solid strike with the first swing? I think I'm nervous about mis-hitting it and then don't swing hard enough and then don't get a good stamp... sounds like my golf game off the tee...