Alphabet stamps for sheet metal?

[taylordebs]

Could anyone recommend some if these that will line up nicely and give good service please as I have read that some of them are better than others! I don't want to spend a fortune but could get them from america if that's the best option as son going out there on holiday soon, I see beaducation have lots and i am really confused! Thanks one and all.

[Obsidian Butterfly]

I don't know if you have a Machine mart near you, if not they are on the net, but they do the letter stamps very reasonably and I find them to give a good clear stamp. I got 2.5mm ones for approx £13 for the letters and £9 for the numbers

[caroleallen]

I see they do one where you don't need a hammer. Wonder if it's any good? http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/pr...etter%20stamps

[Di Sandland]

I have a beaducation one from America (never used if you decide you'd like to buy it - but that's not the purpose of this reply!). They are easier to use than the machine mart ones because the punches are designed so that you can instantly tell which way round the should go. The letters are embossed so that, providing you keep the bottom of the punch to a straight line everything lines up. Also, the letter stands proud of the punch meaning that all you punch is the letter and there are no accidental marks from the surrounding metal. They are very expensive, it's true but my reasoning for spending that amount was the fact that I'm s**t at punching - I have the machine mart ones and failed miserably with them!

In the end I taught myself to etch so I didn't have to worry about lining the punches up any more. Not everybody is rubbish with punches - George's work is, as always, clean and very tidy and another jeweller friend of mine, Sarah Wadley, is excellent at punching. Maybe the idea would be to get yourself a cheap set from machine mart and see how you go. If you think you're going to be doing a lot of punching, then buying the pricey ones would at least give you some choices of script.

Hope that helps a bit

[taylordebs]

Thanks for all your help

[Oldvideotech]

I was reminded of reading this thread when I received an email today advising of a UK stockist of ImpressArt stamps, cjbeaders. Has anyone used these stamps? I have often thought about buying from the USA, but postage has been a killer. Buying from a UK supplier is making me think again.

OVT.

[mizgeorge]

The Impress stamps are OK. Not the best, but in the mid price range they do a reasonable job. The biggest problem with them (compared to, say, beaducation) is the designs themselves, which tend to be a bit twee, as well as the fonts, some of which are horrid.

I've never found shipping on metal stamps from the US a problem - and they're a lot cheaper there. It's the royal mail ransom for collecting the VAT that I object to, and which makes them seem more expensive.

[Kate]

I started with cj beaders metal complex playground & posh and they have been fab. I totally recommend beaducation for their choice (and quality) picture stamps but I bought a tiny dancer lower case font from them and after good use (no more than the metal complex) they are starting to wear from stamping onto sterling silver. If starting out, I would go for metal complex / impress art, earn your stripes, and then move onto the expensive stamps.

Buying from the us is a lot more expensive with shipping, customs and an annoying 2 week wait. Even if paying more for the quicker postage option, I find customs end up holding onto my orders with processing so they still take 2 weeks to arrive.

I have just ordered my first impress art letter set from cj and so far it looks good. They also have a great choice of picture stamps and they sell the tape which can apparently help with lining up the letters but I find loads of practice on copper helps to get to know the nuance of each set - even my expensive beaducation ones have little quirks.

Hth

Xxx

[solitarysmagick]

Does anyone know where you can get custom made alphabet stamps that arent too pricey?

Rachael x

[silken]

Does anyone know where you can get custom made alphabet stamps that arent too pricey?

Rachael x

I was looking for some about a year ago and the cheapest quote I got was in the region of £250 for a full alphabet set. I gave up on that venture and bought some from beaducation and a cheap lowercase set by beadsmith and they do the job perfectly. What sort of font are you looking for?