How do I remove engravings on tools?

[Mike83]

I would like some advice on how to remove engravings on some tools of mine. With cheap Snap-On comes a different price - someone's name or a serial number!

Would a grinder with a wire cup work? Sandpaper? File? Let the dog chew on it? Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[T56 Impala]

Let the dog chew on it gets my vote! If you do find a good solution, many of us would like to hear it.

 

[nissan_crawler]

leave it alone, anything you do just makes it worse.

 

[Mike83]

That *****.

 

[LoneGunman]

leave it alone, anything you do just makes it worse.

Yup, unless they are engraved VERY lightly there is nothing you can do. You can grind them out but then you are removing even more chrome that the person who engraved them did.

If the engraving is very light I have been able to buff them out and not burn through the chrome BUT I also have a pretty good amount of experience buffing firearm parts in preparation for bluing.

 

[Mike83]

I'll just deal with it then. Not like it affects the tool's performance, anyway.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[folsom]

I got a nice sae flank drive plus set for around 150 about five years ago. Unfortunately, the trade off was having some dude's name on my tools. Last year, I decided enough is enough, and went at it with a dremel, and rubbing compound. The results are pretty good, and I will post up some pictures when I get home from work.

 

[Merkava_4]

Use the flat side of a Dremel 541 to take out the engraving and then follow up with a Dremel 413 for buffing out the fine grinding marks left by the 541. This method is fairly fast and removes a minimal amount of material.

 

[bushhawg73]

I just bought a 3/8 air drill, PDR3A. On the back strap was the previous owners name. The frame is aluminum so I used the wife's nail file and it took the name off perfectly. No way to tell it was ever there. It only took a few minutes and removed the slightest amount of material. Chrome is another story so I would take merkava advice. It appears that he may have used the method before.

 

[Mike83]

Don't have a Dremel - guess I have to buy a new tool, darn!

Actually was going to hold out for a Proxxon rotary tool, but I suppose that is for another thread.

 

[Merkava_4]

^^^^
Make sure you get the variable speed.

 

[LoneGunman]

Never heard of Praxxon, decent? They seem a little too inexpensive compared to what I am usually looking for. My Dremels were given to my sons right after I got my first Foredom.

 

[rsanter]

I really do not tools engraved with someone elses name on it.
in the past the few tools I have that had engraving on them I took to the belt sander to remove the markings.
I think I would rather deal with the grind mark than someone elses name on the tool

now I just wont buy anything with someone elses markings on it, the ones I have are from buying an entire toolbox.

bob

 

[Uncle Buck]

The best way to deal with the unsightly SOB's is to sell them to me dirt cheap,cause with those marks and all that is all I am sure they are worth. Let me know how I can help you.

 

[folsom]

I got a nice sae flank drive plus set for around 150 about five years ago. Unfortunately, the trade off was having some dude's name on my tools. Last year, I decided enough is enough, and went at it with a dremel, and rubbing compound. The results are pretty good, and I will post up some pictures when I get home from work.

Here is the 3/8 - 1 set with the names near the open end.

Here it is after the dremel

They are really hard to see now, but not impossible. Here is the 15/16 that you can see so well in the before picture.

As you can see, the name is still there, but in real life, it does not show up as well as in the close up picture.

 

[Bolster]

I recently bought a wrench with the following name carefully engraved on it:

"Jaimenacho Guadalupe Luis-Fernando"

The wrench was cheap, and the amount of engraving was humorously enormous (took up all the real estate on the wrench), so I could not pass it up.

So there, I'm becoming like Uncle Buck. In this instance, I actually went out of my way to buy an owner-engraved tool.

Here's to all of you who don't fear engravings!

And here's to all of you who have figured out how to remove engravings!

And here's one just for me, because beer goes good with roasted gopher...

 

[-B-]

You could always do the old bumper trick; rub tin foil on it until it blends them buff it a bit.

 

[rsanter]

I think I would try to use a flat punch over the engraving to see if I could reduce the appearance of the engraving

bob

 

[Bolster]

I think I would try to use a flat punch over the engraving to see if I could reduce the appearance of the engraving

bob

I've wondered the same thing, anybody tried it?

 

[mkdive]

"Jaimenacho Guadalupe Luis-Fernando"

Now thats a name! Lets see a pic of that wrench!

 

[mrpowderkeg]

I make sure I engrave deep, and on some of my more expensive stuff, like welders etc I make sure I tag it in several places. I never plan on selling my tools, they're like gold to me, some day, my sons and grandchildren will think of me when they are wrenching on something.

 

[CutterFarms]

I know this is a old thread, anyone come up with any other tricks yet?

 

[TK-421]

To remove engravings don't you have to remove the metal surrounding the engraving so that it all becomes the same depth, thereby you have a flat surface again? That's my guess anyways, which means the only way to remove engravings would be to remove metal. The deeper the engraving, the more metal you have to remove.

 

[atomicpunk]

I bought a used torque wrench with some guys name engraved in it, nice cursive writing. So I got my engraver and scribbled it out and put my initials under under it.

 

[Majordisorder]

I am proud to own a few tools with engraving. They came from people that had a lasting influence on me. Grinding someones name off seems like grinding the serial numbers off a firearm so it can't be traced. Did you ever think of trying to find the original owner and returning the stolen tool?

 

[ganymede]

. ... Did you ever think of trying to find the original owner and returning the stolen tool?

Did you ever think that phrasing a cunty accusation as a question doesn't make it any less accusatory or cunty ?

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I know this is a old thread, anyone come up with any other tricks yet?

No. Main reason is that so many of Us who stamped or engraved our tools did a good job of it.. I can credit the return of tools due to engraving more than I care to count.. For that reason, I want My name or initials on My tools, but absolutely nobody else's name. I feel that having tools with a ground off name can look quite "questionable", so I prefer to stay away from buying used tools that are engraved or stamped.. The only advantage to buying engraved tools should be a super cheap price. If you do buy them, just use them as is, and remember where you bought them?? in case someone asks

 

[ca90ss]

I usually use one of these followed by the buffer.
https://www.amazon.com/3M-Abrasive-048011-05132-SCOTCH-BRITE-DEBURRING/dp/B002P51S72/ref=sr_1_2?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1470105503&sr=1-2&keywords=deburring+wheel

 

[CutterFarms]

No. Main reason is that so many of Us who stamped or engraved our tools did a good job of it.. I can credit the return of tools due to engraving more than I care to count.. For that reason, I want My name or initials on My tools, but absolutely nobody else's name. I feel that having tools with a ground off name can look quite "questionable", so I prefer to stay away from buying used tools that are engraved or stamped.. The only advantage to buying engraved tools should be a super cheap price.

I bought some of a 70 year old retired engine builder he put his initials on every piece but they were so light I couldn't even see them in his garage it was in the sunlight when I got home that I noticed them. All snap on and yes super cheap. His initials are easily changed to mine as I have a engraver also but none of mine are engraved so if they could be sanded or buffed without really much notice I would be interested. If I have to I will change them to mine or just live with them. If I would have seen them before I would still have bought them. I'll work on one tomorrow with some of the advice on here so far and post a before and after pic.

 

[Greg85mcss]

I've only bought one ratchet with engraving but it was really light & the initials were CD. GB went over top of that easily. I engraved everything when I worked in a large shop with a group of known thieves. All worked at another shop full time & shared a couple cheap boxes full of mismatched random tools they probably stole from their other shop. I literally watched them take the company name off an impact gun with a wizz wheel.


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[BDT/NWMN]

I bought some of a 70 year old retired engine builder he put his initials on every piece but they were so light I couldn't even see them in his garage it was in the sunlight when I got home that I noticed them. All snap on and yes super cheap. His initials are easily changed to mine as I have a engraver also but none of mine are engraved so if they could be sanded or buffed without really much notice I would be interested. If I have to I will change them to mine or just live with them. If I would have seen them before I would still have bought them. I'll work on one tomorrow with some of the advice on here so far and post a before and after pic.

Sounds like You have a winning deal whether the buffing works or not

Luckily, You didn't buy any tools stamped BDT,, those initials would take some serious grinding and would really look like

 

[honza.vosalik]

I was given a good amount of tools from my wife's dad and his dad. I definitely plan to keep their initials there. Once my little guy asks about them, I can tell him they came from his grandfather / great grandfather

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I was given a good amount of tools from my wife's dad and his dad. I definitely plan to keep their initials there. Once my little guy asks about them, I can tell him they came from his grandfather / great grandfather

Family keepsakes that still serve a purpose. Glad to hear they ended up in the hands of a family member who will appreciate them.

 

[Know Wosad]

Family keepsakes that still serve a purpose. Glad to hear they ended up in the hands of a family member who will appreciate them.

Unless the heir had no interest and considered selling the jumbo box full of tools to provide a college education.
Then "great granpa was a *******" might be the first thought that came to mind.
Maybe I should go take my air hammer and carve my initials in the rear quarter of my 66 'stang ?

 

[sonic.apex]

Personally I'd leave it. If I didn't buy the tool brand new, I didn't get to leave my mark on it first. It's a character mark so I leave them be. I have a fair few tools from my Great Granddad that have marks on them, tools from my own father and my own tools with my marks. They'll all be passed down the line hopefully and any tools I've picked up along the way there have markings from anyone else too because well, they're still a good tool and have a little bit of someone's craft mixed in with them too.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Unless the heir had no interest and considered selling the jumbo box full of tools to provide a college education.
Then "great granpa was a *******" might be the first thought that came to mind.
Maybe I should go take my air hammer and carve my initials in the rear quarter of my 66 'stang ?

Need any help? I have two Grandsons who can inherit My air hammers

 

[2oolhound]

I buy a lot of my tools used as I prefer the the older brands and don't want to support certain overseas economies. I try not to buy engraved tools because I don't like someone else's name on my tools even though I know where they came from but even worse than that is the damage engraving causes over time particularly if you break through the chrome. This opens up the protective layer and gives deterioration a place to start. These examples are from tools 25 years after deep engraving where the owners marks went through the chrome. Chrome itself will eventually wear through from use but engraving will speed up the process.

On this 6" extension you can see how the chrome has fallen away after corrosion crept under it through the openings where the initials were cut in.



Again on these sockets:



The peeling chrome on this wrench is the kind that will cut your hands, not good if you expect to still be using your tools in 25 years or plan to pass them on to offspring. Sadly your kids won't even be able to warrantee them as it is owner caused damage.

 

[honza.vosalik]

Family keepsakes that still serve a purpose. Glad to hear they ended up in the hands of a family member who will appreciate them.

These tools were given to me short after I immigrated to the US the day we moved to our new place. I definitely appreciate such a gift