Jig for Stamping Key Labels

[MWMWMW]

A little background. I have some apartments and need to make strong labels for keys. In the past, I used plastic labels and they would break frequently making the key hard to identify. Currently, I use metal circular stamping blanks and letter/number stamps to label them. This has a number of advantages, but the downside is that it takes about 10 minutes to label each key tag. I have hundreds of keys that need to be labeled and organized, and it’s time consuming to label each blank by hand with a hammer.

Here is a blank that was labelled and it looks ok, but the "2" got messed up and it takes too much time to make each one.

I have a press and want to make a small jig to hold a number of metal stamps in a line to use on the press. This will make the letters spaced evenly and with a more consistent pressure applied. Basically I want this to speed up the labelling process and make each label look better.

The circular stamping blanks are 1.5” round and the metal stamps are 1/4” x 1/4” x 2 3/8”. I’m planning on making a jig to hold the stamps in place without making any impact on the blanks. I think I’ll use metal from a stout old bed frame on the front and back and then need to be able to clamp the two pieces of metal together so it can be opened and closed quickly and easily. I’m planning on hinging the left side on the front plate, and using a wing nut essentially to tighten the other side down.

My goal for this is to make a functional jig, but also get better at more precise fabrication. More practice!

Below are photos of the banks, stamps, and very rough outline of the design for jig.

Jig Ideas:

This doesn't have the extra part for the hinge on here yet.

Are there design elements you would change to make this better?

 

[kmacht]

You are overthinking this. Just get an engraving tool and write what you want on the tag. Should only take a few seconds per tag rather than having to setup a different stamp each time.

 

[Jagmandave]

No, I agree that stamps will last longer and be easier to read.....

Be aware tho, the quality of these stamps is questionable...the ones I got, not all of the letters or numbers are square to the body of the stamp - so while they may be in a nice straight line, they may not be straight on the disc.

How are you planning to support the disc?

Are you going to use an arbor press or what to stamp the letters into the disc?

 

[4xdog]

I use a strip of masking tape holding the work onto whatever anvil I'm striking against. I place the tape on the line for the stamped characters and align the punch against the edge of the tape.

Not perfect, but with care it can give good results.

 

[The Cobbler]

I too think you're overthinking this, but heck, this is Garage Journal, it happens all the time. this time is no different
I like your idea.
I wonder how much "fiddleing" you'll have to do with pressures, setting the stamps in place etc . as mentioned above, not all stamps may be square to the shaft, and I wonder how precise the stamps are in lenght too.
would a jig that holds an individual stamp , that can be located with spacers so to speak be a better option?

 

[rlitman]

Buy a dog tag printer.

 

[dogdog]

fiber laser or CO2 laser... cheap now a days...I think one of the guy have a 40 or 60watt one here....

 

[rlitman]

fiber laser or CO2 laser... cheap now a days...I think one of the guy have a 40 or 60watt one here....

That laser engraving will disappear quickly on a key tag jingling around in a pocket. A stamped number will last many times longer.

 

[4xdog]

Use a dead blow hammer, too -- that'll help with the double-strikes from bouncing the punch.

 

[rlitman]

Use a dead blow hammer, too -- that'll help with the double-strikes from bouncing the punch.

You only get a solid strike if you have a metal faced hammer, so if you do this, use a steel faced dead blow. If you only own soft faced dead blows, don't bother with them.

The bigger thing about rebounding is to use the right backer.
I hand stamped a bunch of of dog tags a few years back and it took a little to find my groove. Here's what worked for me.

1) I placed my dies on a magnetic strip for easy access.

2) I setup a stamping area on my magnetic vise, with steel blocks stuck to the vise arranged to keep the tag from shifting as I struck it.

3) I used a snipping of copper flashing as my backer. Here, you want something hard enough to take the impact and support the work, soft enough to deform to allow the stamp to shape the metal above, and springy enough to retain its shape after repeated stamping. Wood fails that last part, and I found that one piece would only last a few stampings before being squished too much. I think that a 1/8" thick sheet of rubber gasket might work well, but my attempts at using a plastic cutting board didn't end well.

 

[4xdog]

You only get a solid strike if you have a metal faced hammer, so if you do this, use a steel faced dead blow. If you only own soft faced dead blows, don't bother with them...

Right on.

And the comments about the anvil are important, too. I've seen people strike work supported against MDF or plywood. That leads to unsightly deformation all around the letter. It gives better results to strike against a heavy sold block as rlitman states.

 

[rlitman]

...It gives better results to strike against a heavy sold block as rlitman states.

I think the thickness of material you are stamping matters a lot.

With the thin stainless dog tags I was stamping, there is a lot of deformation on the back-side, so using a steel anvil left me with shallow impressions that I wasn't happy with. Using a copper backer helped a lot.

With a thicker brass tag that won't see much back-side deformation, a steel backer might be fine.

 

[dogdog]

That laser engraving will disappear quickly on a key tag jingling around in a pocket. A stamped number will last many times longer.

that 100watt in the video burns pretty deep....I don't think it can be rub off... It's not a 40watt one....

 

[cvairwerks]

Reinventing the wheel....

https://www.toolfetch.com/c-h-hanso...MInpDM1o2s5wIVB77ACh0MiQc9EAQYASABEgLV4vD_BwE

 

[rlitman]

that 100watt in the video burns pretty deep....I don't think it can be rub off... It's not a 40watt one....

Maybe, but in the years that I've owned my Medeco keys, the "do not duplicate" that was coined in the surface of the one I carry every day is completely gone. Looking at it now, only the top half of the Made in USA remains legible, and only because that part is above the ring hole, so it's protected by the ring.

A stamp displaces rather than removes metal. It raises a rim around the impression, leaving you with something much deeper and harder to erode than you'd get from an engraving. Plus it work hardens the impressed area. There's a reason the ATF requires stampings for firearm serializing.

That, and I own several professionally laser engraved sockets where only the stampings remain.

Not that I think that laser engraving isn't good. It looks great, and is tougher than say screenprinting for example. And no, it doesn't rub off, but

 

[matt_i]

I think if you have a repeatable number of digits you want to make a rectangular pocket that allow the 3 (or wahtevrer) punches to fit closely next to each other. Quality punches will have almost identical lengths. Others may not.

I have gotten more repeatable impressions with an arbor press. You might have to make a set of custom blanks with approximate the square shank of the individual so you can do them one character at a time instead of a group.

Expensive but there are sets of "type" that are designed to be struck by a hammer as a group and quick change to mark a numbered sequence. George T Schmidt has such a thing.

Someone with a machining center can knock these out fast (engraving cutter) and beautiful but you'd have to pay their fee.

You could also use a Telesis dot peen marker if you can find one used. Fast and permanent, marks automotive parts but needs programming, etc.

 

[matt_i]

Reinventing the wheel....

https://www.toolfetch.com/c-h-hanso...MInpDM1o2s5wIVB77ACh0MiQc9EAQYASABEgLV4vD_BwE

This is very similar to the product I mentioned made by Geo T. Schmidt. Also have to buy the "type" as well plus enough blanks.

However the type is not cheap. Approx $10 per letter...

https://www.toolfetch.com/c-h-hanson-27634m-3-16-steel-type-individual-letter-m.html

 

[The Cobbler]

sounds like OP needs to get a master key system set up

 

[MWMWMW]

Wow, thank you everyone for the replies!

I have a 20 ton Harbor Freight press in my fab shop. It's obviously excessive for this job, but It's really just to make sure my idea will work. My Fab Shop and office are in two different locations so if this works I'm probably going to get an arbor press to keep in the office next to the key machine. All the keys and key organization is in the office.

I think the laser cutter is a little above what is needed for my purposes. Definitely cool though. I invariably have problems with fancy stuff when it comes to my business projects/tools, so I always try to keep everything as simple as possible. It really helps to keep projects flowing especially as there is so much going on.

I like the idea of the engraving tool, but my handwriting is terrible and I want all the labels to look clean and uniform. Quite a few people will see/use these and I prefer to be clean over not. Not really necessary, but just a preference.

cvairwerks and matt_i - That jig is nice, but a little pricey for me.

Jagmandave - Thinking about how to keep the circular blank secure? I'm just planning to have it lay on the work surface on the press. Are you thinking this might make the blank shoot out from the pressure?

The Cobbler - I have a few hundred apartments and it's not safe to have one master key for every door. Most buildings have their own master key system though. This isn't so much about managing the keys I carry daily, but it's for all the keys needed for tenants (each unit), utility rooms, entry doors, etc for each property. I have probably 350-400 different keys that need to be labeled and organized.

Design Revision Ideas:
An issue in my mind so far is keeping the stamps straight and lined up under pressure. The front/backwards movement is handled with the front and back plates. I think I'll weld a square piece on the hinge side of jig to have a solid side to line the stamps up against. Then I'll weld a tab on the non hinge side to run a screw of some kind to hold the stamps in place left to right so it'll be adjustable depending on the number of stamps are in the jig.

Another issue is applying pressure evenly to all the stamps if there is a long stretch of letters. I can't remember the size of the press head. I suppose I could just put some flat metal somewhere on the top to fix that. That idea needs more thought though.

Do you see any other issues?

 

[Jagmandave]

I honestly don't know if the press is better or a good blow from a 3 lb hammer.....but having a jig I think is a good idea.

I was thinking of uniformity of location, having some sort of holder so the rounds are always in the same place means all your stamps are also in the same place. I'm a little OCC that way...

 

[MWMWMW]

I honestly don't know if the press is better or a good blow from a 3 lb hammer.....but having a jig I think is a good idea.

I was thinking of uniformity of location, having some sort of holder so the rounds are always in the same place means all your stamps are also in the same place. I'm a little OCC that way...

This is just my experience with a hammer, but it tends not to work that great. It works, but it’s not perfect. I assume (perhaps incorrectly), that a press will apply pressure evenly to all the stamps so they’ll look better.

 

[dogdog]

they do have these embossing machines if you just search "metal embossing machine" and ranges from cheap to expensive...

maybe just take a look at their setup and see what you can come up with to make the die that fit the punches that you needed....