Electro etch makers mark w/emblem

springer82

Well-Known Member
I have been thinking about trying a etch for a makers mark. My girlfriend made one up that I think is nice. I got turned down by Blue Lighting Stencil. Its to hard for him. I don't get it. Can't they just scan it and run it with there software. We make cad files that way. Just wondering. Has anyone else incorporated a emblem with then name. Can I see please. Where did you get it done. Thanks in advance. Mine says it does not have a allowed extension. I'll have to work on that.
 
If you can print the image, you can likely make a stencil out of it, but not all features will necessarily translate, depending on size, shape, resolution, etc...
If you post a pic of what you’re trying to have printed, we can let you know if it’ll work.

Keep in mind though, marks for knives are usually very small. Scale accordingly.
 
Drew has the right idea, print it actual size you'll be using on a knife to see how it looks.
 
Many have heard/seen me post concerning "marker's marks" on knives. It's something that I believe should be considered carefully as to what the mark is, and it's content. Remember that something that has meaning, and/or looks cool to you, may be meaningless to the majority of the public.

A mark needs to be something that not only identifies YOU, but also allows potential clients to find you as easily as possible. I've said it before, but it bears repeating...... MANY times I have had people walk into my shop with a knife that had only initials, or some obscure logo on it, asking if I could help them find the maker..... if there's not enough information to find it in a google search, they will move on, to someone easier to find. If they can't find you, they can't order a knife from you..... ;)

I've had Ernie/Blue Lightning make a number of stencils for me.... if he's refusing to do it..... there's likely a good reason.
 
Good morning Ed. If been expecting you. lol,,,
Tonight I will spend some time trying to figure out why I can't post my mark. I'm sure I'll get it done. It has my full last name. Mom,, I have read many of your post on makers Mark's and I'm trying to be good! ;-)
Let me know what ya think.
 
In my experience, if Ernie won't do it he's doing you a favor. Some times the makers mark just has too much going on to make sense.
If they are very intricate you must have a pristine stencil, good marking system and a foolproof method too make them readable and repeatable.
IMHO a sloppy mark can really detract from the value of the knife.

Just my two cents....
 
In my experience, if Ernie won't do it he's doing you a favor. Some times the makers mark just has too much going on to make sense.
If they are very intricate you must have a pristine stencil, good marking system and a foolproof method too make them readable and repeatable.
IMHO a sloppy mark can really detract from the value of the knife.

Just my two cents....

I have to give you that one. With no background in having stencils made I don't know what is to busy and what is not. He could be the best in the business and I would not know. What I do know is my girlfriend hand drew it scanned it and put my name on it. I think she did a wonderful job. I myself like it. That does not mean it is doable. That is why I asked here.
 
Ernie told me my original design would not etch clear and sharp, so I redesigned it with crisper, simpler lines. He made the stencils, and after a few tries I now can produce perfect etches. Thanks, Ernie.
 
Ok.... So as far as maker's marks go, I'd personally go back to the drawing board.

Can that mark, as is, be made into a stencil? Yes Should it be? In my opinion, no.

For one, in order to actually read your name, it'd have to be a significantly large print, maybe somewhere around 2"x1", which even for a large chef knife would be a HUGE mark. Secondly, you typically should try to avoid large areas of black in your stencil. The black (letters, lines, shading) is essentially what the etcher is going to etch away. The larger the black area, the rougher the etch tends to look. You also have too large of a span of sizes between your details, which makes scaling in either direction an issue. I.E., if you scale your print down, the small details will be lost, and if you scale it up large enough to see those details, you're asking the etcher to do too much for the larger black areas.

Now if you wanted to put that graphic on a t-shirt, or a shop sign, or even a web page header/background, that might be another option, but I'd seriously consider re-working even still. Right now, I'm not sure what your name is. Is that a "T" in the beginning? Is it supposed to be T. Jostelson? Or is it TJ Ostelson? The curvature of the letters doesn't follow the helmet very well either, and looks sloppily done and stretched out. I'd space the letters more evenly, and make them the same size, and maybe space them away from the helmet some more. I'd also suggest simplifying the helmet a little bit more.

The best, and most iconic logos are dead simple. A good maker's mark should be as well.

Personally, I'd leave logos/pictures for your t-shirts and websites, and just put your name on your knives for your makers mark.

Hope the above doesn't sound too harsh.
 
I'm looking at it on my phone now. With a machinist 6" scale in hand. Its approx..550 long and .300 tall. I can read it. Can it be better,,,,,, YES! If you need it 2"x1" in order to read it? Maybe eye exam. I can understand about to much dark area.

I know the lettering on my last name went a little off. When she rapped it around the top the "T" went a little wacky. I might not be able to keep it but I do like the viking helmet. Sorry,,,, I grew up eating lutefisk. lol,,,, This is a wip. Thank you everyone for your help! I do appreciate it.
 
I'd say if you're set on the helmet, that's fine. Take you name and put it in straight line under it where it now says custom knives, easier to read. Delete the "custom knives" from you mark, save that for a tshirt.
TEMP LOGO.JPG
 
Good morning Ed. If been expecting you. lol,,,
Tonight I will spend some time trying to figure out why I can't post my mark. I'm sure I'll get it done. It has my full last name. Mom,, I have read many of your post on makers Mark's and I'm trying to be good! ;-)
Let me know what ya think.
'bout 3 years ago Ed gave me the same advise as he did on this post. At that time i told myself to pay attention. That an experienced professional maker would express a strong opinion on something as "emotional" to a person as their logo had to mean something. I'm glad I listened....I worked hard to create a simple logo that I could scale up and down to match different knives...Everyone seems to like it and I have already had two people hunt me down on Facebook because of two knives I gave away in a raffle....

As much as I wanted an "artsy" logo...I had to keep reminding myself...the knife is the "art"....

Don't be in a rush on this....it'll pay off and you'll be happy later on...


logo hk.jpg
 
'bout 3 years ago Ed gave me the same advise as he did on this post. At that time i told myself to pay attention. That an experienced professional maker would express a strong opinion on something as "emotional" to a person as their logo had to mean something. I'm glad I listened....I worked hard to create a simple logo that I could scale up and down to match different knives...Everyone seems to like it and I have already had two people hunt me down on Facebook because of two knives I gave away in a raffle....

As much as I wanted an "artsy" logo...I had to keep reminding myself...the knife is the "art"....

Don't be in a rush on this....it'll pay off and you'll be happy later on...


View attachment 64309

But, you just made a mark that everybody from Millennials to younger cant read now, lol! The wife and I joke that cursive handwriting is our secret code that the kids can't read. My kids ages 14 and 15 were never taught cursive in school.
 
Anthony...LOL!! Never thought about that!! At least they can read "knife" though...they'll have to hunt down some ol' geezer who knows ancient American Cuneiform for the rest of it...lol
 
My kids ages 14 and 15 were never taught cursive in school.

I have a question, and I don't mean to be "mean", just wishing to know. Can they write their name in cursive? If not, how can they sign many places that require a signature? Some forms say "print here" and "signature here".
 
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