Stamping Replacement Headstock I.D. Tag

[DanM]

Does anyone have any experience stamping a replacement headstock i.d. tag? I've read the originals were done on an IBM selectric typewriter, but that's not possible with the replacements (at least not for me). The tags are very thin (and expensive) and I want to do it right the first time. I know there is probably no match for the script, but what brand stamps did you use? How much hammer force? Did you use a steel, aluminum or wood backing? How did it turn out? I bought a 1/8" stamp set at Harbor Freight and practiced stamping some thin pieces of aluminum. They didn't look too bad except the 6, 8 and 9 are unintelligible (9 is the 6 turned over). And both 8 and 9 are in my serial number and both 6 and 9 are used in the year of construction. The 3 and 5 aren't much better and they are used several times.

Thanks, Dan

[jbcollier]

Go to a flea market and buy a typewriter.

[vt450scr]

DanM:

I'll need to locate the headstock tag from my '70 ('69 manfactured date) 450, but I'm inclined to think that 1/8th inch characters would be too small. Probably more like 3/16ths (5mm) or greater.
If the originals were done on a typewriter of any sort, the results would be poor, as the capstan would create an unbalanced impression. Also, the force needed to indent, say, even .1mm aluminum would probably pierce through 20 lb. bond paper. I'll look through my stuff and let you know what I find. Also, I'm thinking that a firm (but thin) backing material such as fiberboard (cereal box) would make a good buffer on top of heavy wood or any other unyielding surface.

Cliff

Sorry Dan: Punch characters are 3mm (just a hair over 1/8th inch). Hopefully attached photo helps some....