# How to put kanji or other marks on a blade?



## greasedbullet (Jun 10, 2013)

Title says it all. I would like to put some writing/marking on a blade, I just do not know the best way to do it. Should I etch it, or get an engraver, or some form of laser thingy? It would be awesome if it was something affordable, but I understand that some things cost money.

Any and all recommendations are welcome.

Thanks for the help.


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## danielomalley (Jun 10, 2013)

If you're just marking the blade for identification, electro etching is a quick and easy way to go. For Japanese blades with softer sides, you can also just use a hammer and a small chisel. There is something incredibly artful to the simplicity of hammer and chisel (though it does take some practice). I've attached a couple photos from one of my visits in Japan where a maker (Kobayashi) is marking the sides of a blade.


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## Mucho Bocho (Jun 10, 2013)

Thanks Daniel. Great to have your feedback on this forum. Hopefully we will be hearing more from you. you and Drew have always been great to deal with.


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## greasedbullet (Jun 10, 2013)

Thanks. I think engraving the blades by hand is a little too intense for me right now. I will definitely look into electro-etching.


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## JBroida (Jun 10, 2013)

hand engraving is HARD... i've been practicing for 2 years now and i still suck


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## greasedbullet (Jun 11, 2013)

I'm sure it is much harder than it looks, and it looks really hard to begin with.


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## ThEoRy (Jun 11, 2013)

Why do you want to engrave or etch blades?


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## greasedbullet (Jun 11, 2013)

Hopefully some day soon I can sell the knives I make. I am just trying to figure out how to put my mark on them.


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## ThEoRy (Jun 11, 2013)

Ok heads up then, market research is prohibited here. Looks like you might want to check out some of the stickied threads around here for that sort of thing.

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/849-Shop-Talk-Information-amp-Rules-for-Posting.


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## greasedbullet (Jun 11, 2013)

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't think these kinds of questions would be considered market research. I am not trying to break any rules. Is there any way I can take this post down then?


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## Dave Martell (Jun 11, 2013)

ThEoRy said:


> Why do you want to engrave or etch blades?





greasedbullet said:


> Hopefully some day soon I can sell the knives I make. I am just trying to figure out how to put my mark on them.





ThEoRy said:


> Ok heads up then, market research is prohibited here. Looks like you might want to check out some of the stickied threads around here for that sort of thing.
> 
> http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/849-Shop-Talk-Information-amp-Rules-for-Posting.





greasedbullet said:


> Thanks for the heads up. I didn't think these kinds of questions would be considered market research. I am not trying to break any rules. Is there any way I can take this post down then?





This sub forum isn't here to teach pro (future pro) knifemakers how to make a knife or for researching what this market wants. This is a sub-forum for the non-pro knifemaker to ask questions and seek help from the more experienced members. If you're a knifemaker asking questions here in this forum then I'd suggest that you're not ready for KKF just yet and might even benefit from going with a hobbyist subscription so that you can do your market research and find your way through passarounds and sales, etc.


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## greasedbullet (Jun 11, 2013)

Thank you. I will give it a try.


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## JMJones (Jun 11, 2013)

For marking blades, electro etching is probably the easiest and etchers are pretty easy to make yourself or a few hundred bucks new. Stencils can be bought or make to just about anything, including traditional looking Kangi. 

Other people use a stamp and mark the blade either when it is hot or before it is heat treated. It can be marked after ht, as Dan mentioned, if the outside layer is not hardenable, such as mild steel or wrought iron. 


The most labor intensive and difficult would be using the hammer and chisel. Again this would have to be done before heat treat or on a non hardenable material. I attended a sword making class and watched Howard Clark carve in his Kanji on a small sword he made and it was pretty cool.


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## greasedbullet (Jun 12, 2013)

Thank you. You are a gentleman and a scholar.


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## JBroida (Jun 12, 2013)

@jmjones there are actually chisels geared towards engraving hardened metal too, but they are really difficult to use... kind of slippery feeling on the surface of the steel


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## JMJones (Jun 12, 2013)

JBroida said:


> @jmjones there are actually chisels geared towards engraving hardened metal too, but they are really difficult to use... kind of slippery feeling on the surface of the steel



I didn't know that, thanks for sharing your info. 

John


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