Wedge Stamping, Let's Talk About It

[TSauer]

I am wanting to add another skill to my resume, and I'm looking for some insight from those who have done this themselves. I already have a cheaper set of steel stamps and a bench vise, but I am considering upgrading some things so I can really dive in. The stamps I have aren't S-tier, I bought them on a whim a few years back to see if it was something I'd be interested in doing. I stamped an old wedge I had lying around and as it turns out, I need some practice... lots of it. So, here are some questions I have:

• Are there any stamp brands you recommend (CH Hanson, Young Bros, other?)
• Thoughts on the magnetic steel block versus a vice and double sided tape?
• Aside from old wedges, did you practice on anything else beforehand?

Feel free to share any tips, recommendations, or general knowledge you have on the matter. 

[SickstixSpokane]

I bought some wedge stamps so I could add wedge stamping to my offerings as well for my small club building business and i gotta say.........i don't really like it.  Maybe it's just that i need to practice it more, but i can't seem to really consistently make it work.  And there's really no margin for error when it comes to stamping, so it just doesn't seem like the risk is worth the reward.  I use a 4 pound mini sledge hammer (maybe i need a heavier hammer) and have 3mm and 4mm stamps......and i just use double sided tape and the anvil on my vice which isn't very big.  I don't know, i'm just not really into it as a business offering 

[McGolf]

Harbor freight makes a small press that will hold the club and control the way you press into the club

[GolfGuy1980]

On 3/14/2024 at 2:41 PM, McGolf said:

Harbor freight makes a small press that will hold the club and control the way you press into the club

Thank you.   Do you have a link to the product you are referring to?  

[McGolf]

https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=press 

there is a one ton option or a floor model at 12 ton.  for $100 buck more the floor model would be my choice. 

[Headhammer]

I tried it a few times with not much success. I'm sure it's a technique issue, but I just can't seem to get the punch deep enough into the club. I sort of get a portion of the punch shape, but rarely the entire outline. Anthony Taranto's job marked safe today!

[Rtracymog]

So I've done this a fair bit and I like it. It's not easy and when you screw up, there isn't much you can do about it. I've seen the big magnets, but for how often I do it, it's just not worth the money. I would suggest laying out some tape as a straight edge and that seemed to help a bit. I've thought about doing a sticker or something that I could use to make a pattern, but I haven't gone too far down that road as of yet. 

I got my block and a set of stamps from here https://www.clubstamping.com/ I read a lot places don't make stamps hard enough to get into the wedge and I've never had an issue with these. I don't love the text style, but I could purchase some more from somewhere else. 

It's a lot of fun and rewarding, but man it's stressful. Seeing what guys like Taranto and Dill do, just amazes me. 

[Nick_D]

Weston Maughan is a boutique putter maker and has some really helpful tips and videos on his Instagram. I recently stamped a putter and definitely would have made some mistakes had I not watched a bunch of his stuff!

[TSauer]

58 minutes ago, Nick_D said:

Weston Maughan is a boutique putter maker and has some really helpful tips and videos on his Instagram. I recently stamped a putter and definitely would have made some mistakes had I not watched a bunch of his stuff!

Right on! I'll give him a watch. The customization/restoration side of golf is something that I'd love to get into more.

[GolfSpy_APH]

An area of the game and golf club building I am not too familiar with, but would love to learn more. Now that I have a workshop I think I am going to get a kit and get started!

[Byrnzee]

I think wedge stamping is such a cool part of the "new era" of golf. I really wanted to get stamps on my new wedges, but couldn't justify spending nearly the price of another wedge on it. 

Potentially will do some after-market stamping if I can find a good deal. Similar to @GolfSpy_APH, I'm not overly familiar with it, but would love to learn more.

[Rob Person]

I think it looks cool, and have to say it looks extremely tedious to accomplish. 

I will never dive into this, as combined precision and patience is not my forte.( It's one or the other for me)

The part I would be afraid of the most is damaging ANY other part of the club head.

Would dremel etching using a template be a more suitable alternative?

 

[WeileMom]

Personally I really like it.  Handstamping is not an exact science so as long as you can get it deep enough I wouldn't worry too much about spacing or alignment.  

I haven't stamped yet, but I have used acrylic paints to change the color of the numbers and it worked well and lasted a long time.  Tarantino has been pretty forthcoming with info on the process on his Instagram.   

[Shrek74]

https://www.ebay.com/str/supplyguyjewelrysupplies
https://www.clubstamping.com
https://stampyours.com

A few links I found while watching Weston Maughan on IG work on his putter.

Now I need to figure out the best way to hold a wedge/iron/putter to stamp without damaging it. That's the key.

I really want to get into this as well as paint filling. I have a few old wedges that I can work on for testing/learning. Hopefully I'm a quick learner.

[TSauer]

2 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

https://www.ebay.com/str/supplyguyjewelrysupplies
https://www.clubstamping.com
https://stampyours.com

A few links I found while watching Weston Maughan on IG work on his putter.

Now I need to figure out the best way to hold a wedge/iron/putter to stamp without damaging it. That's the key.

I really want to get into this as well as paint filling. I have a few old wedges that I can work on for testing/learning. Hopefully I'm a quick learner.

I know the best way to hold it is one of those big magnetic blocks, but man are they pricey. 

[Shrek74]

43 minutes ago, TSauer said:

I know the best way to hold it is one of those big magnetic blocks, but man are they pricey. 

Yeah, I found a 3x2x1 neodynium block on Amazon and it's $100. Not even sure that's big enough for a wedge head. Ugh.

Did find a 3x1 for $47 and a 2x2 for $36. May be big enough.

Edited August 1 by Shrek74

[TSauer]

1 minute ago, Shrek74 said:

Yeah, I found a 3x2x1 neodynium block on Amazon and it's $100. Not even sure that's big enough for a wedge head. Ugh.

If you didn't want the magnetic feature, you could always keep an eye out for the Golfworks one to come back in stock. That is probably the route I'll end up going if I ever decide to bite the bullet. 

Golfworks Stamping Block

[Shrek74]

6 minutes ago, TSauer said:

If you didn't want the magnetic feature, you could always keep an eye out for the Golfworks one to come back in stock. That is probably the route I'll end up going if I ever decide to bite the bullet. 

Golfworks Stamping Block

There are a ton of standard blocks on Amazon like that pretty inexpensive, $15-$20. Then I can add double sided tape to it like Weston does and go from there, if I can't get the magnet.

[TSauer]

2 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

There are a ton of standard blocks on Amazon like that pretty inexpensive, $15-$20. Then I can add double sided tape to it like Weston does and go from there, if I can't get the magnet.

If you end up getting one from Amazon, let me know. I'm curious how heavy/durable those are. If I can get a cheap one for that price, I may just snag one as well and start practicing. 

[lmh3]

I use the anvil part of my bench vise, some grip tape holds the head on and make sure to hit the stamp hard with a 3 lb. sledge hammer. I’ve been stamping wedges for years with this method. It is always easier to stamp with the shafts removed since the head will stay in place better without the extra weight. 

[RyanGi]

I’ve had great success with double sided tape and the anvil section of my bench vise. Easy peasy.