So while Cowboy has my knives I’m working on my makers mark side project. I get the stencils in and I’m ready to do a few test pieces. It’s a fairly simple process that requires you to make a jig. You essentially take a small I inch block of wood and drill a hole though the center. Insert a bolt through the wood and screw a nut on the end of the bolt. Then you get you a 1x1 piece of steel flat stock and tack weld that to the nut. Once complete you take a small piece of felt and zip tie it to the flat plate on your jig and get you a bowl of hot water with copious amounts of salt added to the water. The actual process is pretty simple. You tape the stencil on the steel and then make sure all the steel is covered in the area you are burning because if salt water touches the steel anywhere except on the stencil you will burn it. Once you get her taped down you simply set the charger on 2 Amp and put the positive lead on the steel and the negative lead on the bolt head of your jig. Dip the felt in the salt water and then dob the felt end on the stencil. You will hear it sizzle.

The process after this is 5 1-2 second dobs.
Clean the stencil (it will turn black)
Repeat 10 - 12 more times.

It sounds more complicated than it it but it literally takes 5 minutes to do. Here’s what you come up with.




You can leave it black or you can clean it out with a little oil and a Brillo pad.