You can use any stamp in an arbor press. The stamp will bounce, as mentioned with a hammer. I bought a stamp from Everstamp and use a cheap harbor freight arbor press to stamp my blades. Buying that expensive stamp holder is a waste of money. And for me, building a holder for my stamp and permanently attaching it to my arbor press is a waste of my time and a perfectly good arbor press.
Here's exactly how I do it:
Here's a picture of the press. It costs about $30 I think. It's bolted to the bench and there is a piece of 1/4" mild steel plate just setting on the base of the press.
Here's the blade set on the base ready to place my stamp. It has a layer of masking tape to protect the ricasso from scratches on both sides. The tape also helps keep the stamp from slipping.
Now I have positioned my stamp where I want it and bring the press arm forward so the weight of the ram holds the stamp in place. I check quick to make sure the stamp is straight up and down front to back and side to side.
Lastly I take the press arm handle and apply some pressure to the stamp so nothing moves or bounces then I give the ram a good rap with the hammer to ensure a good deep stamp. And done. No bouncing, no double stamp and no hassle.
The whole process takes about 30 seconds total. This is just how I do it. I'm only trying to demonstrate that you can stamp without buying that expensive holder or doing a lot of work to modify an existing press.
My stamps come out exactly where I want them on the blade and perfect every time. I stamp my blades cold but they are annealed and dead soft when I do it. I always thermal cycle after I stamp and before quenching.
Here's a good pic of the final result.
