Close

Shopping basket

Sub total

$0.00

(You'll pick your shipping method in the next step)

Proceed to checkout
or Continue Shopping
Free shipping over £35 | Free international shipping over £125

Stamp & Punch Blanks


Gemina Stamp & Punch BlanksClick the image to enlarge
BL-PUNCH

Stamp & Punch Blanks


Create your own stamps and punches with these cut-to-length and machined tool steel blanks. Three different diameters are available in both flat and tapered profiles to suit your needs. These are ideal for making your own burnishing tools, texturing stamps, letter and symbol stamps, small chasing tools etc.

These blanks are silver steel, a high carbon tool steel that can be shaped with files, burrs and gravers. If required, you can harden the tool using a medium sized gas torch. Hardening is only necessary if you want to use the tool on ferrous metal or if you want to increase the longevity and wear resistance of the tool.

Instructions for heat treatment can be found below and will also be included with your purchase. 

Product description

  • Specification

    Overall length approx. 95mm

    Diameter options: 8mm 10mm 12mm

    Flat faced or tapered.

  • Instructions

    Once you've formed your punch or stamp to the desired shape, you can perform a heat treatment to harden it. Tool steel is specifically designed to be heat treated and will produce a tool that will last for many years. Silver steel is a water hardening tool steel and should be quenched into cold tap water or brine.

    Heat with a reasonably sized gas torch until the tool becomes the colour of boiled carrots (around 780C). It's better to carry out this stage in a dimly lit environment so you can see the correct colour stage. When the correct temperature has been achieved, a magnet will not attract the heated tool. You can build a small cavity with firebricks to reach temperature faster.

    Hold at this temperature for 2-3 minutes and immediately quench into a decent sized container of cold water or brine. Using pliers or tongs, plunge the tool working end first and straight down into the water to avoid warping. Completely submerge and stir vigorously in a figure of 8 pattern - this helps to quench the tool faster. 

    Hardening will create a blackened surface on the tool that can be removed with fine emery paper or Scotchbrite.

    After hardening, the tool will be too brittle to use and will require tempering. Tempering is a secondary process which reduces the hardness by a small amount but introduces toughness. You can temper in a domestic oven or by using a gas torch. An oven is more reliable and easier. Place the tool on the middle shelf and heat for 1 hour at 250 degrees Celsius (480F). Remove and allow to cool. Your tool is now ready to use.

    To temper using a gas torch, you will be relying on the changing colour of the oxidising steel to judge the correct temperature. Firstly, remove the blackened surface produced during the hardening stage. You need a clean bright surface to see the changing colours. Gently heat the non-working end (or the middle) of the tool and observe the colour change as the heat travels towards the working end. When it reaches a straw colour, quench into water. Your tool is now tempered.

    Additional advice:

    Speed is crucial! It's important to quench quickly and not allow the tool to cool down before plunging into the water.

    If you harden just the working end of your tool, the rest of the shank will remain in it's annealed state. Bear this in mind if the tool will be subject to lots of heavy hammering as it's likely to deform over time.

    If you want to create a tool with a highly polished surface, the final polish is best carried out after hardening and tempering.

    Don't worry if the hardening colour seems to be brighter than instructed. It's better to overshoot this temperature rather than not achieve it.

  • Processing Times & Shipping

    PROCESSING TIMES

    All purchases are made to order and will take 4-5 working days to dispatch. You will receive a dispatch notification via email with your tracking number. All hardened items will take an extra 3-5 working days for the heat treatment process. These times may increase during promotions, sales and holiday periods.

    UK DELIVERY

    UK delivery is free on orders over £35. A delivery charge of £6 applies to orders under £35.

    INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY

    Free International Shipping on orders over £125GBP. Orders under £125GBP have flat rate shipping charge of £10-25 (depending on country) for all items in basket. We use UPS/DPD for all international deliveries. The buyer is solely responsible for understanding and complying with the import requirements of the destination country and any duty, VAT, taxes, or clearance charges that may be applicable outside of the UK.

    If you need to have your parcel delivered to a PO Box. Please contact us first.

    For more delivery information, please see our delivery policy.

    GPRS

    Gemina Ltd, 15 Somerset Road, East Preston, West Sussex BN161BZ, UK. www.gemina.co.uk
    Punches should be used with a hammer. A 2-4lb lump hammer is recommended. Use on a stump, anvil or thin sheet of wood over on a concrete floor. Never use a shot plate punch in a hydraulic press. Wear appropriate PPE. Regularly inspect steel tools and implements for wear and sharp edges. Keep steel tools dry and well oiled to prevent corrosion. Steel can be brittle and can shatter under extreme stress.
    Our EU Responsible Person for product safety compliance is EU Compliance Partner, located at Pärnu mnt. 139b – 14, 11317 Tallinn, Estonia. For any inquiries, please visit www.eucompliancepartner.com.

$0.00
$8.70
Earn 3
Reward points


Add To Wishlist

Recommend this product to a friend

Stamp & Punch Blanks