Marking mags? sandblasting option?

[wonderwolf]

I'm starting to loose my mind with marking magazines, a buddy and me shoot using the same 1911 stainless steel mags (power mags) and I've gone from industrial acid proof sharpie to paint pen and now I'm thinking engraving OR make a thick sheet metal template that could be snapped over part of the mag body and a short blast in the sand blasting cabinet and I would have a design that I want in the mag body.

I'm open to other ideas, anything that reacts with SS that could mark it better but not weaken it or eat it up? engraving it by hand with one of those "buzzers" is a option but I do not have a steady hand for that to make it look nice. I don't want crappy looking mags that are otherwise high quality.

[Dryball]

Unless you are set on doing it yourself...how about taking it to a local trophy/sporting goods store that offers engraving? They look very professional and fairly inexpensive and won't weaken the metal. You could also look for someone that does laser-engraving.

[220swiftfn]

If this is just to keep your mags separate from your friend's, just use a prick punch (or one of those Harbor Freight automatic spring punches) and put a dot on the front lip of the baseplate.


Dan

[Sasquatch-1]

If you need to mark a lot of things you could have a metal stamp made up with an image special to you. Would be good for marking lots of different things. Maybe one of those used for embossing leather. Probably won't last long but would be cheaper.

[CastingFool]

If you need to mark a lot of things you could have a metal stamp made up with an image special to you. Would be good for marking lots of different things. Maybe one of those used for embossing leather. Probably won't last long but would be cheaper.

Like you said, probably won't last long. I don't think they are hardened. When I worked in a machine shop, they had a set of punches, like numbers and letters, but this one had different symbols. I used one that stamped a diamond, as it is my birth stone. Still have it. I'm not saying you would have to buy a set, but maybe an individual stamp maybe.

[Sasquatch-1]

A very quick check of the internet turned up these.

http://www.steelstamps.com/stamp-perfect-ss-symbol-hand-stamps.html

[nicholst55]

Acid etching or laser engraving; both can be done at a trophy shop. No danger of denting the mag with a number stamp, and it will look professional.

[Cactus Farmer]

A steel laser cut mask would be good if held tight against the mag and bead blast the exposed mag. Masking tape will take a fair amount of blasting. I use tape to mask off areas that should stay shiney and blast the other areas to avoid reflections. IE, top of 1911 slides.......the steel mask would be east to use, and a lot of mags would be a short project. Then reassemble after cleaning the grit out of the mag.

[Baja_Traveler]

Do it yourself - cant get any cheaper or easier...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV-PItEcLXY

[wv109323]

What about adding base plates/bump pads to yours.

[deltaenterprizes]

I used number stamps on the flat part of the bumper pad .

[wonderwolf]

Wow thanks guys for all the responses, Lot of good ideas! I'm talking with a chemist friend of mine about etching, I have a design in mind that I generally use to Paint mark the powder coated mags/ parkerized mags that keep the paint longer. We'll see where this ends up at.

[xs11jack]

I can see the etching process would be handy and wouldn't take long on a rainy afternoon. Thanks Baja Traveler! I am going to use it soon.
Ole Jack

[dsbock]

Do it yourself - cant get any cheaper or easier...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV-PItEcLXY

Very cool. I'm going to have to give that a try myself.

David

[TXGunNut]

Paint the bumpers red or another bright color, many comp shooters do it to get mags dropped on the line back into the right shooting boxes. They'll wear off eventually but it only takes a minute to re-do. Someone used to make pink and green bumpers for mil-spec mags, those work well but haven't seen them for the power mags.

[jmorris]

I have had one of these for many years.

http://www.etch-o-matic.com/index.html

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have a device that produces the electrochemical etch that I used in my Knife making .

It was sold buy an outfit know as Marking Methods Inc. It produces a blacker etch than the battery/salt water method shown above however it was a helluva a lot more expensive than a 9 volt battery two wires and a few Q tips!

For what you want to do I would suggest watching the video and doing what she is saying. Making a few stencils out of masking tape might take a little while but what she is doing is a good process and will yield a half way decent looking result, and he best part is it won't alter your mags in any way. It is the cheapest way to do this process I have ever seen.

Using a stamp of any kind will distort the sheet metal, and NOBODY is steady enough to make a vibro etcher look good. Been trying for many years, and never got it yet.

Here is a pic of my signature on one of my knives. The stencil was made by MM Inc, and is my actual signature. I used a post it note to diffuse the flash. That etch is about .005 deep.

Stencils can also be made by typing over carbon paper with a typewriter. This is how many parts for the govt. get marked.

Randy

[Any Cal.]

I have done electric etching with a battery charger and q-tips. Worked well enough, still have a decent etch on knives and things I did 5+ years ago. I used wax for a stencil, just scratched out what i wanted to etch, but a commercial one or vinyl one would probably be cleaner.

[dbosman]

I mark metal with a Sanford, now Sharpie, MEAN STREAK waterproof marking stick.
It ever so lightly etches many metals so even if the color wears off, the marking shows.

[Sasquatch-1]

If you are going to use the saltwater and battery method you should consider going to a local craft store and visiting the scrapbooking section. Find a punch that has a design you like and use that to make your stencil.

[jmorris]

These folks will take your art work and make stencils for you that can be reused thousands of times.

http://www.tustech.com/admin/ecst

[T-Man]

Take the things apart. Paint them with bake paint from Brownells, rig a wire clothes hanger bracket to hold the bodies upright, onto a cookie sheet, plop in the Easy Bake oven and voila...custom finished mags that will match your pistola

[W.R.Buchanan]

My stencils for my name were made by Marking Methods Inc. They took my signature and blew it up and then corrected all the minor flaws and then reduced it and burned the name into the plastic stencil material that is similar to Silk Screen.

I have only used two of the stencils, but have about 20. I have done probably 100 knives and the first one is still good. The second one is larger and I only used it on really big knives.

If you are only going to do a few mags then the Carbon Paper method works pretty well, if you want something special then Morris' outfit or MM Inc. are the places to get what you need.

Randy