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HAND STAMP MARKINGWITH EPOXY INK
AND RUBBER HAND STAMPS
The same inks that are applicable with the Model 105 marking machine may also be used for hand stamping short runs of parts using ordinary rubber stamps. This procedure applies for any letterpress paste ink, including the epoxy inks that satisfy the requirements of CID A-A-56032D and MIL-STD-43553b standards, commonly specified in the aerospace and defense industries.
These inks are paste or semi paste consistency and are not generally suitable for use with a regular ink stamp pad. Since epoxy ink will cure and ruin an ink stamp pad, there are several alternate techniques commonly used. The most common method is to spread a thin film of ink on a smooth flat surface such as a piece of glass. This can be done by rolling out a dab of ink using a brayer (rubber roller) or by smearing the ink with a single edged razor blade. In either case, the object is to create the thinnest possible film of ink on the flat surface.
To mark a part, the hand stamp is touched first to the ink film, and then to the part. Touch the stamp to the ink supply before marking each part. It sounds simple enough, but you will find some challenges that affect your mark quality. It takes a steady hand. The foremost challenge is that the ink is like grease. It is difficult to touch your stamp to either your ink film or to your part without skidding. Skidding on your ink film will force ink into the reliefs of your stamp, which then transfers to your part, leaving a poor quality mark. Skidding on the part obviously isn't good, either. It also takes a light touch. Apply no more pressure with the stamp on the part than is necessary to transfer ink from the face of the die to the part. Too much pressure forces the ink on the face of the stamp to migrate out to the edge of the die face. The result is a mark that looks light except for an outline around the characters. The forced ink also fills shallow reliefs in the die and you lose detail.
At some point in your marking job before you are finished, you may find that your ink is becoming too dry to make good marks. You do not necessarily have to clean the drying ink off of your flat surface and start over. While that's an option, you could instead just add a small amount of ink thinner/reconditioner fluid to your ink film. Work it into the ink to replace the volatile part that has dried out. You can repeat the reconditioning process numerous times until the pot life time of the mix is reached.
If despite your best efforts, you find that your hand stamped marks do not properly rerflect the quality of your parts, then please consider a JanTech Model 105 marking machine for making high quality imprints.