http://www.shopgoodwill.com/auctions/Etch-O-Matic-Etching-Metal-Markin g-Kit-6051505.html

dcarch

Donna in Florida

That's how I got my silverware for a windchime flat was pound on it with a mallet. You can use a buffing wheel if you have one, or buffing attachment for a dremel or even fine steel wool to take any sharp spots off and make them pretty after you've flattened them.

This is what you will need to do:

1. Get a big hammer.
2. An anvil, or a flat piece of steel about 1/4" thick as the base.
3. Using the punch, you hammer as hard as you can while holding the punch in the exact same place, which is a very difficult thing to do.
4. You may find it difficult to hold the punch in exactly vertical position, which makes the letters come out uneven, in that case, you may need to rock the punch once slightly forward, hammer, then rock the punch slightly backward and hammer one more time.

Good luck

dcarch

What size punches work best on silverware? Also has anyone seen any novel ideas using the punches for garden junk?

Thanks ... a girl named "Max"

What size punches work best on silverware? Does anyone have a kit that includes both upper and lower case as well as numbers and symbols or do you have to buy individual kits if you want variety?

Do you always need to flatten the silverware first?

Also has anyone seen any novel ideas using the punches for other garden junk?

Any other advice ... like watch out for your fingers while hammering the punches? It seems like this project requires more than two hands. One hand to hold the punch, one hand for the hammer, and a third and possibly fourth hand to hold the silverware. Am I correct? Or is there a way to secure the silverware while you're hammering the punch. (Hey, maybe I can convince hubby to be to hold the punch while I give it a good pounding? hehe.

Thanks ... a girl named "Max"

That was my one and only attempt, so I have no advice.

I was very disappointed. I don't know where I put the punches. I suppose they might be good for something, just not for stainless steel spoons.
Kathy

The punches work better on softer metal like copper.

We recently picked up a small drill press at a garage sale (for $2!) that's perfect for stamping the letters. I tape each letter punch in place, add a metal plate to the top, and use the press to imprint them all at once. Depending on what your punches are made out of, you might have to be careful not to apply too much pressure to the press, but you can get all the impressions done at once, and they will all be the same depth.

You can also make the letters appear deeper by staining them with a little watered-down paint or stain. Paint it on, and then rub it right back off, being careful not to take all the color out of the impressions. When I do this, I sometimes seal the spoon in polyurethane after the paint dries.