metal stamping
mary jane dodd
one of the first techniques i tried was metal stamping...
how hard could it be? you have a metal blank and hit the metal punch with a hammer on an anvil or bench block...
right?
well, yes...
and, no...
i learned that you could get some very frustrating results...
like double striking - you know that one, where you get a double image of the stamp...
or the letters are drifting up (or down)...
or the character is sideways - because you didn't check that one last time to make sure it was being held correctly in your hand...
when you make mistakes in stamping, it can be incredibly frustrating - you can be almost to the end of a phrase and get careless... the metal gets put into the recycle bag... but if you aren't able to cut your own discs, you have now lost one blank in your limited supply...
like any technique, it is worth learning about... trial and error are always important learning methods, but the waste of time and money can be teeth gritting...
double strikes - if you are using a steel hammer to hit a steel punch on a steel bench block there is a lot of bounce back... the energy has to go somewhere... for me, a brass head hammer has really been helpful... a softer metal, brass absorbs the shock...
brass head hammers are also recommended any time you are hitting something steel - like when using a disc cutter... metal work hardens when it is repeatedly struck... eventually it can snap... using the brass lessens that effect...
wonky orientation - draw a line with a sharpie marker, double check just one more time that the stamp is facing the way you want it to...
and find the position that works best for you... meaning, whether you are sitting or standing depending upon how high your work table is... it matters in terms of the strike... i have found that i really do need my elbow to be able to come to a 90* angle... stamping is also not really a technique you can do on a plastic card table... you need some stability behind it...
i hope these tips will reduce some of the frustration for you... because there are such fun and beautiful stamps out there to purchase... and it is a rather inexpensive way to personalize your work...
if you want to be inspired by clean stamping, take a look at the work of cindy pack - she is a great example of one who knows her tools and the techniques by which you optimize their use...
Category Article brass, decorative, hammer, metal, punches, stamping, steel, techniques
