Hidden tool id labels? I do it.

[Knotgoalie]

Every new tool/battery/whatever I buy gets taken apart and a laser printed 1" round label stating "Property Of..." is applied to every casting inside the tool/battery. ****?...yes! Total surprise for a thief?...oh yeah! I also mark all of my tools/batteries with a Sharpie on the "invisible" connecting surfaces. If they get the Sharpie off, they are not likely to look inside.

 

[dwasifar]

How do you plan to get access to the stolen tool to take it apart and reveal your label? I'm trying to imagine how that would play out in real life.

"Hey, that's my tool, you stole it!"

"No, man, this is mine."

"No, it's mine, and I can prove it! Give it here so I can take it apart."

He'd be an idiot to give it to you, but if he actually does, now you have it again and you don't need to take it apart.

 

[vavet]

you'd be better off recording the serial numbers to have to reference if they ever turned up after being stolen.

Or...write some ID label in ultraviolet ink on a low wear surface that is unlikely to be worn off.

 

[Knotgoalie]

How do you plan to get access to the stolen tool to take it apart and reveal your label? I'm trying to imagine how that would play out in real life.

"Hey, that's my tool, you stole it!"

"No, man, this is mine."

"No, it's mine, and I can prove it! Give it here so I can take it apart."

He'd be an idiot to give it to you, but if he actually does, now you have it again and you don't have to take it apart.

"Yours?...care to look inside?"...and you better be damned sure...I know every scratch on my gear.

 

[Knotgoalie]

you'd be better off recording the serial numbers to have to reference if they ever turned up after being stolen.

Or...write some ID label in ultraviolet ink on a low wear surface that is unlikely to be worn off.

Recording/registering the ser#s are a given and the internal labels don't hurt at all!

 

[engineer2]

Cell phone pics of tools and model/serial numbers work well. I need to do more of this.

A secret label is good if the item has no serial number. I've heard some people do this with their backyard BBQ grills, for example.

Secret marks, tamper-proof labels, Glyptal on screw heads, and invisible ink might be good if you are selling on ebay to deter parts swappers.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Unless you have junk Milwaukee tools, the serial falls off pretty fast.

 

[dwasifar]

"Yours?...care to look inside?"...and you better be damned sure...I know every scratch on my gear.

Not to be a wet blanket, but the thief's answer to that would almost certainly be "Hell no, I'm not letting you take apart MY tool." That'd be the likely reply from someone who was NOT a thief, too, which leaves you in the same position you'd be in without the hidden tags; your word against his, and he has the tool.

That said, I can see it being of some value in the presence of an authority, like a cop or a site boss or something. "[Officer/boss], I can prove it's mine, if you'll let me open it up." If they agree, your thief is cooked.

Don't know how often that situation happens though. I think it's more likely that if your tool disappears, you'll never see it again and never know who took it, and the thief will never know about the labels.

 

[sweet victory]

You would be better off putting near field communication (NFC) tags/stickers into your tools. You can buy custom tags for roughly $1 each online. Use an NFC reader app on your smartphone to identify the tool. Most phones already have this technology built in for things like apple pay or google pay.

 

[Lelandwelds]

You would be better off putting near field communication (NFC) tags/stickers into your tools. You can buy custom tags for roughly $1 each online. Use an NFC reader app on your smartphone to identify the tool. Most phones already have this technology built in for things like apple pay or google pay.

Interesting!

I suspect the OP labels are for when the police recover items.

Off topic, but, snap a cell phone photo of your neighbor holding your drill when he borrows it. It helps get it back.

 

[IUEC Medic]

I work in a field where I always work with an apprentice and we frequently work with other crews, and sometimes we work with or near other trades/subcontractors. I mark all my power tools and batteries very conspicuously with yellow paint pen, as it just makes it easier to recognize what’s mine vs not mine when packing everything back up.

Almost everyone I work with carries 1-2 pairs of knipex cobras or alligators, and a wiha 3 - 4 mm screwdriver at all times, and so those get some yellow too.

As far as “hidden” markings; on my personally purchased higher-end hand tools, like my proto Ratchet wrenches, knipex bolt cutters/dykes/snap rings, t&b crimpers, Etc. I do something a bit more permenant and very discrete..

I take a file, and put two very small dashes “=“ through the finish, in the same spot on every tool. It’s invisible if you’re not looking for it, as it would almost look like normal wear. However, if you were to look closer, it is clearly deliberate, and if you looked at it side x side another 5 of my tools, it would make a pretty strong case that the markings were made by the same person (me). I only started doing this after working on a non-union job and had a pair of nice pliers disappear from a cart while I was working just a few feet away out of sight.

Yes, it damages the finish, but I tend to take good care of my tools, and after I make the marking, I’ll generally put some oil or fluid film on the tool.

Tool theft is beyond rampant here in the Bay Area, and my trade is known by tool theives as being “tool rich”, if you will. So having my company name/trade plastered on the side of my truck makes me a target, and the likelyhood of a police recovery is roughly 0%.

I have photos and documentation of all the tools I have in my truck, not for recovery purposes, but for the insurance adjuster should someone steal the truck and empty it out.

 

[shanny19]

Choose to live where the chances of my tools getting stolen is minute? I do it.

 

[Kenstone1]

I mark my tools too...
Not with "property of ***" though, I mark them "Stolen from ***".

 

[MushCreek]

Buy Craftsman tools. No one seems to want their stuff any more!

I can remember the old days when they advocated putting your Social Security number inside things like TV's. Now days, your SSN is probably more valuable to a thief than the TV.