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Thread: Hallmarking charges nearly doubled

  1. #61
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    On the subject of laser marking, am I right in thinking that the cost of registering for an individual non-student applicant who only wanted laser marks (no punch making) would be £72? Or are applicants obliged to have a punch made (at an additional cost) whether or not they intend to make use of it? This page seems to imply a punch is obligatory. If it is obligatory, can you tell us why?
    Many thanks.
    Last edited by Aurarius; 20-07-2015 at 06:51 PM.

  2. #62
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    I already had my punch registered at Edinburgh Mark but my laser mark cost me £25 pounds one off fee to set up I think. I don't know if this helps

  3. #63
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    Quote Originally Posted by CJ57 View Post
    I already had my punch registered at Edinburgh Mark but my laser mark cost me £25 pounds one off fee to set up I think. I don't know if this helps
    Thanks for the info, Caroline.

  4. #64
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    At LAO we do not charge you any extra to set up software for laser marking. It's all included in the registration fee.

    With regard the the obligation to have a punch - the regulations say that part of the process of registration is that your sponsor mark is recorded on a marking plate so that the assay office has a record of what your sponsor mark looks like when applied to metal. I understand the regulations say that the mark should be "struck" on the marking plate, which clearly you can only do if you have a punch, as you can't strike with a laser! The regulations were written long before the introduction of laser marking and so I guess do probably require updating, but until that time, as with everything to do with hallmarking, we adhere strictly to the rules and that's why we insist that you commission a punch. I understand that the regulations are under review at the moment, but being part of the act will probably have to go before parliament and so on, so don't hold your breath.
    I have to say it's an inconvenience for us too, making punches that may or may not be used, but that's what the rules say and we're not prepared to bend them.

  5. #65
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    [QUOTE=ShinyLauren;80187]Ah, thanks for clarifying Steve! Previously there was only the option to ask for standard or 3D laser - hadn't realised it had changed. The last time I had stuff hallmarked I just asked for 3D and the mark was much deeper and more defined than what I was given this time. Will ask for 3D deep next time then. Is the 3D deep covered by the new standard price structure, or is this charged as extra?

    3D and 3D deep are charged the same - you just need to request it. If you want 3D extra deep, where it really cuts it out then that is charged at double the standard rate.

  6. #66
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    ShinyLauren - Ah, found the quote - yes you're right - and we will change the text accordingly. That clearly slipped through our proof readers, (though if you had extra deep 3D it would stand a heavy polish!!) and the text is not accurate so thanks for spotting that.

    Has the mark disappeared altogether? Do you want me to re do it for you?

    Laser marking is really designed for items that have been polished and finished and require no further work so always best to bear that in mind when asking for laser marks.

  7. #67
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    Quote Originally Posted by SteveLAO View Post
    ShinyLauren - Ah, found the quote - yes you're right - and we will change the text accordingly. That clearly slipped through our proof readers, (though if you had extra deep 3D it would stand a heavy polish!!) and the text is not accurate so thanks for spotting that.

    Has the mark disappeared altogether? Do you want me to re do it for you?

    Laser marking is really designed for items that have been polished and finished and require no further work so always best to bear that in mind when asking for laser marks.
    The mark is still very faintly visible on most pieces - I assume this means they still comply with hallmarking regulation? To clarify, the items were completely polished and finished when I sent them in, they just needed a 2 second buff to remove fingerprints and dulled surface from handling during the hallmarking process. There was no 'heavy polishing' by any stretch of the imagination!

    I was just confused as I have never asked for '3D deep' in the past, just 3D, and the marks I have received in the past have been very deep (they happily withstood a go in the magnetic polisher for example!) whereas this time when I requested 3D the marks were very faint and did not withstand even the tiniest buff.

    Can you direct me to the bit on your website where it mentions asking for a '3D deep' mark and the difference between that and the normal 3D mark? I couldn't find this anywhere although may be looking in the wrong places. I definitely couldn't afford to get the '3D extra deep' mark if it's charged as double!

    Thanks

  8. #68
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    I'm at a loss to explain why the mark was so light on that occasion. There must be a reason I guess, but without seeing the item and showing the markers I can't really give you an explanation, which sounds really inefficient I know

    We've not mentioned the various depths available on line. Laser marking was originally introduced to allow us to mark very delicate items which would have been damaged if we had struck them with a hammer and punch, so a standard laser mark was all that was required. However, as some designers really liked the look of the laser mark, they wanted them on all sorts of stuff, and so we had to think about how to apply the mark much deeper and potentially much larger. 3D deep gives a 0.1mm penetrating depth, whereas 2D and 3D standard are just a surface pass, which originally was good enough for the delicate items that laser marking was introduced to handle. Extra deep can go as deep as you like, and we usually discuss with the customer exactly what they require. It does take much longer to apply, at least double the time of a standard mark, hence double the charge.

  9. #69
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    Thanks for all the explanation Steve

    I'll know now to ask for 3D deep next time I've made up enough pieces to send in, rather than just 3D.

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