Paint Fill for Metal Stamping

I'm aiming to start using metal stamps for the front panel text on my DIY projects ( as seen here - https://groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=48046.msg605955#msg605955), so I'm here to solicit a little advice.  I have two main questions:

1. I'd like to fill in the stamped text with paint to make it stand out more.  I've read about a few different materials to be used and a few different methods, I'm wondering what people here have had luck with.

2.  Is it worth paying $150 (plus extra for additional letters and blanks) for a type holder so I can do a whole word at once, or is it not too bad to just stamp one letter at a time?

Paint stick, like a crayon, is the classic.  I haven't gotten into stamping much, so can't say about a holder.  I would think it would save a lot of time and frustration. 

If you want to have more than a couple of characters together I'd suggest getting a stamp holder. It's hard enough to get the type where you want it without having to line up each letter and number. I got my stamps from Columbia Marking Tool. I have two stamp holders and three sizes of type. For each size type I have three of every letter and number. The stuff is pricey but lasts a lifetime.

If you have the room and the confidence not to loose digits, a pneumatic punch would make crisp impressions.

It took me over a year before I figured out a punching method that I am happy enough with. I learned some valuable lessons. The most valuable lesson was how to swing a mallet for both accuracy and power. There is technique. If you are a carpenter or roofer you probably know how already.

I use paint crayon to infill. From McMaster -Carr. When stamping multiple characters it is hard to get even depth for all of them. Without even depth the fill looks uneven.

One thing I learned the hard way is to not try to stamp an anodized faceplate. Anodize is synthetic sapphire. It's too hard for the stamps to penetrate.

excellent, thank you for the info. I'll make sure to avoid anodized stuff.

regrettably I am not a roofer or carpenter so I'll have to practice my mallet swing.  which reminds me of another question - what type of mallet are you using?  I've seen websites recommend a 16oz. ball pein hammer but that seems a little puny to me.

Aesthetically I love this style, but I'm still deciding how much money I want to sink into this considering it's gonna translate into probably just a handful of front panels. 

You need a to make a holder for  the stamp holder.  To get a good impression the stamp can't move. There is no way to hold the stamp holder and swing a mallet without the holder moving.

Use a dead blow mallet. Metal to metal like a ball pean hammer will have some bounce. I'm using a 97 oz mallet but I'd suggest starting with a 50  oz or so one. I moved to the heavier one after I got a lighter one down.  I'm using Wiha mallets with the metal handles.

I think a sledge hammer would probably work too. Like an Estwing  Engineer's Hammer. I haven't tried one though. Any mallet  should be 2lbs or over. A 4lb hammer works better but is harder to control. So it's probably worse to start with that.

If you are just doing a few faceplates then tooling up for this might take more time and be more money than it's worth.

Even though I have about $1500 into the stamp setup it's  much less expensive than an engraving table setup.  I'm not good with CAD or drawing software. Along with not having the shop space a stamp setup seemed like the most efficient thing I could live with. I also  find swinging a hammer for power and accuracy fun.

I like the look and many clients  comment they like it. If I build things for others it doesn't fly. I have a feeling a lot of people don't like the look because it looks  sloppy compared to engraving and silk screening.

Gold said:

I'm not good with CAD or drawing software.

Click to expand...

Yeah another big reason I like the idea of stamping is to avoid having to figure out how to do layouts on the computer.  That does not sound fun to me. 

Although your mention of silkscreen is interesting too, I forgot that was an option, and I'm sure I know several people with silkscreening setups.

Matt C said:

Yeah another big reason I like the idea of stamping is to avoid having to figure out how to do layouts on the computer.  That does not sound fun to me. 

Although your mention of silkscreen is interesting too, I forgot that was an option, and I'm sure I know several people with silkscreening setups.

Click to expand...

Computers have made product design orders of magnitude easier than decades ago...

I used to design PCB with tape and exacto knives....  never again.

I used to design metal boxes with pencil and paper .... never again.

I even bought a cheap 3D cad package and designed my own injection molded package...  Decades ago that would be unheard of.

Computers are the designer's friend. A relatively inexpensive tool that reduces errors when used properly.

JR

JohnRoberts said:

Computers have made product design orders of magnitude easier than decades ago...

Click to expand...

I mentioned that this is not appropriate for a commercial product. It's great for prototyping and personal use. No waiting a week to get your faceplate back. When you realize you forgot something it isn't $150 plus shipping to fix it.

The crowd here is mostly builders, not designers.

about ink filling,  i have decent results using normal nail polish.  You fill a couple letters, wait 2-4 secs than wipe off the excess with nail polish remover.
If some letters appear less good you can easily add other layers until it's all even. 

Might seem ghetto but works ok and super cheap. Plus you have access to almost any colors.