Need to find a tool

[Beekeeper]

I have a couple of rifles I built and need to engrave the fact that they are BP only and the caliber on them.
Unfortunately there very few engraving shops within driving distance and the hammer and punch method looks like a drunk chicken walked across the page.

When I worked for the airline we had air driven hand engraveing pencils to mark parts with.
Have been looking for one I can afford but haven't found any yet.
Was wondering if anyone has ever used one of the electric engraving pencils before and how did it stand up?

[largom]

The ones I tried made your "drunk chicken" look sober. I now use a stamping guide by LaBounty which I have had for several years. Don't know if they are still in business but pretty sure others are available. This guide clamps to the gun barrel and holds the stamps in a straight line, also correctly spaces the stamps for distance between letters/numbers.

Larry

[legend]

many police departments have them that you can use.

[rmcc]

Check Brownells. They have stamping kits.

http://www.brownells.com/

Rich

[Tokarev]

Is chemical engraving acceptable? You can DIY by pouring thin layer of wax over the metal, writing with a pin and building up a wax box around, then filling the box with acid appropriate for the material - sulphuric, nitric or hydrocloric. HCl would work on almost all metals and alloys and is easiest to get a hold of.

[John 242]

The ones I tried made your "drunk chicken" look sober. I now use a stamping guide by LaBounty which I have had for several years. Don't know if they are still in business but pretty sure others are available. This guide clamps to the gun barrel and holds the stamps in a straight line, also correctly spaces the stamps for distance between letters/numbers.

Larry

Larry,
Here's your stamp guide. Seems it's got a pretty poor rating, though.
Maybe you want to add your own review, seems like your a fan of the tool.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=26535/Product/STEEL-STAMP-GUIDE

I remember Larry Potterfield using both hand stamps and a chemical process in different videos. The chemical process looked awesome, while the hand stamps, even following a layout line looked like the fore-mentioned drunk chicken tracks.

Doing a search at Brownells or Midway didn't turn up a chemical engraving kit.
Brownells offers custom stamps at about $14 per letter, which while expensive, would be more professional looking than drunk chickens.


Found the videos-

Stamping-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BsTAoQonIM

Chemical engraving-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AYid-tbnSo

[nanuk]

those chickens weren't drunk, just injected with marinade

[largom]

Larry,
Here's your stamp guide. Seems it's got a pretty poor rating, though.
Maybe you want to add your own review, seems like your a fan of the tool.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=26535/Product/STEEL-STAMP-GUIDE

I remember Larry Potterfield using both hand stamps and a chemical process in different videos. The chemical process looked awesome, while the hand stamps, even following a layout line looked like the fore-mentioned drunk chicken tracks.

Doing a search at Brownells or Midway didn't turn up a chemical engraving kit.
Brownells offers custom stamps at about $14 per letter, which while expensive, would be more professional looking than drunk chickens.


Found the videos-






Stamping-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BsTAoQonIM

Chemical engraving-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AYid-tbnSo


Not really a fan of this tool, it's the only one I have and it's better than my old eyes and shakey hands can do alone.

Larry

[fecmech]

Was wondering if anyone has ever used one of the electric engraving pencils before and how did it stand up?

I bought one for about $25 and it works fine. I use it for marking various items and have had it about 10 years now. Before I'd write on a gun I would practice a fair amount with it. I use mine a lot marking ingots, just like writing with a pen.

[fireball168]

http://www.etch-o-matic.biz/