Maker's Mark?

[windyflatsranch]

My wife does leather work and build's saddles. Last night when she was putting her maker's mark on a piece of leather, I wondered do engravers leave a mark or signature on their work to identify it?

 

[Big-Un]

I do. Normally I engrave my name in a hidden place, but sometimes I will leave my mark hidden in a scroll somewhere, to be discovered upon extensive inquiry. I haven't registered it yet with FEGA but intend to soon. By the way, when I do the hidden in scroll signature, I enclose a written description of where to look to the person that purchased it.

Bill

 

[Dave London]

Tasty drink but kind of pricy

 

[Brian Marshall]

When you are first starting out, and have no idea what you are doing - the temptation to "sign" everything that you do is overwhelming... (kinda like a dog marking his territory?)

No one can convince you that shouldn't. Not me. Not anyone. (nor can you convince the dog)

I think it is one of the "rites of passage" for all hand engravers, be they hobbyists or actually heading down the road to becoming budding professionals.


You have to mark things. And then you have to regret it a few years later. When you find out what good work really is. That's the "rite".

Sometimes it can cost you dearly. I myself bought or traded back and melted down several pieces of my early work. Embarrassing stuff.

I've kept one piece in the back of a drawer in my bench to keep me humble... and yes, I do look at it fairly often.


So go for it. Just keep in mind that you may regret doing it too early - as I did.


Brian

 

[tdelewis]

Small pieces I don't always sign but guns I do. I say if it isn't worthy of a signature you haven't done your best. In the very beginning of my engraving I did not sign anything. At that time I was doing mostly smalls for family and friends.

 

[monk]

i usually do. if feeling tired or (more likely) lazy, i sometimes do not. i use a morphed form of my first name, "jd".

 

[windyflatsranch]

Thanks for all the info. I was more curious than anything. If I seen some work I liked sometime what I might look for to see who did it. I'm not ready to claim anything I made yet.

 

[BlueberryBob_T]

I am a custom auto painter/airbrush artist - I actually give everything I do a thumbprint in the curing clear somewhere out of sight ,, as well as hidden signature in the paint.....