Makers Mark

I usually stamp my name and the year into my project somewhere, but it always seems a bit clumsy and crude, so as my projects get better I’d like to do a better looking Makers Mark

-- It's made of wood. Real sturdy.--Chubbs Peterson

It is not vanity. It’s your work, it’s the children of your hands, sign your work proudly.
MIKE

-- See pictures on Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/44216106@N07/ And visit my Facebook page - facebook.com/MTEnterprises

I ues a branding iron to mark my work.I bought it on Rockler on sale last year after my wife bugged me to get one to mark my work.

I’ve tried several methods from signing, to having a stamp made, to stamping with steel lettering. A while back I finally got a simple branding iron and I am quite happy with the results.

I agree it isn’t vanity. You sign your correspondence, why not the things you create?

-- "Measure twice, cut once, count fingers"

I don’t view it as a vanity thing at all….just a historical identifier (helps in the case of theft too!). I use a rubber stamp in an inconspicuous location prior to adding the clear coats. It was $8, is super easy, and looks a lot like a much more expensive brand stamp. I also like to add a penny from the year the piece was made.

My stamp looks like this but has my name:

-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

I thought about ordering from Makers Marks in England. It seems like it takes forever to order and get the order, from what I’ve heard. I read a review on on a blog somewhere here, and the guys paid about $2 each, from what I remember, and they seem very nice.

-- Have a blessed day!

I use an electric branding iron and brand my name, month, and year it was built.

-- Wayne - Plymouth MN

A friend prints mine on a decal with his computer. I clear coat a place add decal, clear coat over it. People seem to want this. Who whould want a painting without the artists name???

-- What started as a hobbie is now a full time JOB!

Signing your best work is not vanity at all.

It’s part of it’s identification and history. And it’s your work.
I wouldn’t bother signing stuff like stained pine country style crap, yard art and flower boxes.

I use a branding iron to “sign” my work somewhere inside a cabinet but I’m not always happy with the results. If you don’t brand it right the first time, there’s no going back. Found that out the hard way. Now I practice on a scrap piece first.

I really like the decal idea. Might be time to retire the old branding iron.

-- mark

I write my name with a wood burning pen and month/year of creation. I also don’t think it is vanity, if my signature is on something, it means it is the best I can do at the time, I own the craftsmanship, and am proud of it

-- http://www.etsy.com/shop/KandJWoodCrafts

I am having a custom woodburning iron / branding head made with a logo I came up with a while back. Until then, I have a small label that I print out that self sticks to the work piece, and then whatever clear finish is on the piece goes over that.

-- Manufacturer of fine quality sawdust since 1984. Comments and advice on my shop welcome. Check it out at http://lumberjocks.com/dbhost/workshop. Gladly accepting shop build donations!

Thanks for the feedback. I like the idea of marking projects in an inconspicuous place with my mark and the month and year of delivery. If I could combine a few of the ideas you included in the comments, I would like to have a clear, self-stick decal made with a wood burning font. I wonder if there’s such a thing as a “wood burning font”?

-- People say I hammer like lightning. It's not that I'm fast -- it's that I never hit the same place twice!