Data plate stamping

Svenn Ryen · #1 20-11-12, 00:53

My truck was missing several plates, but got new blanks from Dirk. Does anyone stamp this the original way?

Svenn

Andy Beevers · #2 21-11-12, 23:15

I will be interested in the answer to this one too!

Andy

derk derin · #3 21-11-12, 23:25

I brought up this question a couple of years ago as I have blank data plates that need the information stamped on them for my Ford cab 13 60 cwt ambulance and I never heard back from anybody.One source of stamping upwards is the machine that people have at the military conventions for stamping dog tags but the letters would be too small to look correct.I too would be interested in finding a way of doing the stampings.
Regards,Derk.

Little Jo · #4 22-11-12, 01:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Svenn Ryen

My truck was missing several plates, but got new blanks from Dirk. Does anyone stamp this the original way?

Svenn

Hi Svenn

I had a set of new Nomenclature plates done and stamped by a guy in Holland. He does stamping and has 5 types of fonts that can be used. You can check him out on: www.dataplates4u.com I found him to be very good and he forwarded my new set of stamped plates for my 1942 MB Willys Jeep to Australia in no time at all. He also does research on the serial numbers as well.

Cheers

Tony

ozm29c · #5 22-11-12, 02:45

Hi Svenn,
Tony is right in advising you to contact Robert at http://www.dataplates4u.com/
I had a blank New Old Stock M29C Weasel Ord plate stamped by Robert and might I say I am impressed with his work. I also needed a complete weasel hull tag made from scratch. I will let the attached photo do the talking. Robert is your man.
Cheers
John W.

Cameron Reed · #6 22-11-12, 03:13

not to sure but i think it is called embossing where the lettering is raised may find some alternate leads hope this is of some help

Andy Beevers · #7 25-11-12, 14:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozm29c

Tony is right in advising you to contact Robert at http://www.dataplates4u.com/
I had a blank New Old Stock M29C Weasel Ord plate stamped by Robert and might I say I am impressed with his work. I also needed a complete weasel hull tag made from scratch. I will let the attached photo do the talking. Robert is your man.

Hi, I have been in touch with Robert at dataplates4U, this was his reply...

Quote:

"Hello Andy,

This sort of stamping can only be done with special tooling, which I do not have for this style...
So I can not help you with this unfortunately.

Regards Robert de Ruyter"

It would seem another outlet is needed.

Andy

George McKenzie · #8 07-12-12, 18:13

I have been trying to get data plates made for the carriers .I have tride alot of places in the USA but the problem is that if it is like a motor vehicle plate there is law in USA and Canada against having the tools for this and making a plate . David at DKlone@aol.com does the etching plates in the USA .I tride a addressograft machine but the numbers and letters are too small .maybe I can get them done in holland .Too make the carrier plate its called reverce stamping and you need letters male and female that are backwards for both sides of the plate

George McKenzie · #9 12-12-12, 00:30

I have been along time it seams trying to get the data plates made for a carrier .I have contacted many plate makers but when they finally understand what I needed they freek out or never undertstand ,The law is that it is illeagal to make a car vin serial number or have the tools to do it , but these plates we need are not a vin plate .I did not find one that could do the reverse stamping for us . One guy did Vin plates for autos but only on a car that there was enough information that would satisfy the goverment that it was a repoduction of the original numbers . I tried a addesograft but the numbers were too small .Now I can get a fellow to make a plate by etching .This would have raised numbers and be flat on the back . Would anyone want this kind of plate ?

Robin Craig · #10 12-12-12, 02:50

Yes, I can vouch for one sale.

R

Jordan Baker · #11 12-12-12, 04:52

What about finding a place that was able to do just the publication plate? This was mounted on the front armour just below and to the right of the gun slot. It would be standard for the carriers and it has no VIN/serial info on it.

Jack Innes · #12 12-12-12, 05:19

The automobile was patented by a man named Selden in the late 19th century. Most car makers paid him a royalty & were supplied a plate with raised lettering & a stamped number indicating the fee had been paid. (Henry Ford fought him until the patent was weeks from expiring.)

These plates have been reproduced by casting new ones from an original pattern. The back is, as you would expect, smooth but the front is very correct. The repros have no stamped numbers so you can stamp them to match the car if you know the number. I have used both originals & repros & once installed you can not tell the difference. The carrier plates could be cast in aluminum. You might have to live with an incorrect ser. no. or leave the number blank & stamp the correct number if it is important in your area.

The picture with no background is an original reverse stamped plate, the other is a new casting.

George McKenzie · #13 12-12-12, 05:30

What I found was that it is hard to find someone with the male and female stamps .If I could get the stamps I would make them my self ..Somone is making the" FORD" plate behind the driver .I know some that got them .
The two plates I was trying to get are 104x38 mm ,the letters or numbers are 6mm and 4 mm high The plate is .015 or 1/2 mm thick made of zinc .The stamps are backward as it is stamped from the back so as to get razed letters .This requires two stamps .A male and a female to make one letter .The stamps that you can buy are for front stamping .Could a CNC milling machine make a set ? If anone wants to see if they can find these stamps give it a try .

Jordan Baker · #14 12-12-12, 16:23

This guy did something similar to what we want.

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showt...to-Sheet-Metal

George McKenzie · #15 12-12-12, 18:18

http://rdrnl.homexs4all/4UPicTin2jpg

This is what deep etching looks like .and is easier to make plates that have different information on them Robert in holland sent me this

George McKenzie · #16 12-12-12, 18:22

Can't get it to open ? Its a picture of deep etching that look good .

Hanno Spoelstra · #17 12-12-12, 21:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by George McKenzie

Can't get it to open ? Its a picture of deep etching that look good .

You mean these?

http://rdrnl.home.xs4all.nl/4UPicTinTag.jpg

http://rdrnl.home.xs4all.nl/4UPicTinTag2.jpg

chris vickery · #18 12-12-12, 21:57

I used to work for an industrial supply company. I cannot remember which vendor it was but metal stamps of any kind can be made, including reverse.
Expect to pay a few hundred dollars for a set.

ozm29c · #19 12-12-12, 22:17

Hi George,
Robert would be the man most capable to reproduce your plates. He tooled up and made the hull tags for my weasel using the same method that is being discussed in this post. Please see photo
Cheers
John W.

George McKenzie · #20 13-12-12, 19:30

Thanks Hanno This is what Robert suggested as he cannot do the reverse stamping like the original plates was done If we can get a set of stampes we would have to make a die to punch out the plates and also put the hi border around the plate and two holes at the same time .Then build a gig to do the stamping . I estimate there would be about 100 plates made with these tools .

chris vickery · #21 13-12-12, 21:36

If you require a gang set of numbers/alpha most custom shops can make them as well. This of course would only be for plates with a duplicate number, serials would require change overs obviously.

rob love · #22 13-12-12, 23:28

The term for raised lettering is embossing, whereas stamped into the metal is impressing. Here is a link to a company that sells hand operated machines to do either: http://shortorderproducts.com/Emboss...Mtl_Emboss.htm

I have linked to their embossing machines, which appear to be strictly for the tape style like Hanno has shown. They have an interesting press for doing impressed lettering but unfortunately that is not the style we are after.

Perhaps contacting this company might lead to something, but the end results, looking att the price of the machinery, will not likely be cheap.

I also found a link to a company in the UK that embosses serials etc for vehicle data and line production plates. http://www.classic-plates.com/
The carrier plates almost look like something they might be able to replicate.

George McKenzie · #23 14-12-12, 06:13

I tride a addressograft" like what Rob showed" that the hospital used .It only did the small letters and was hard to line up what you wanted to copy Most of the ones I talked to Said ya OK .till it came to doing what we wanted then it was a different storey .If we could get the stamps for letters and numbers in two sizes 1/4" and 1/8 " We could machine the rest needed for making these plates .

Jack Innes · #24 14-12-12, 20:42

Here is what the actual machine used by GM to make vin plates for years looks like. The close up shows the male & female dies & the method of holding them. The picture in better focus is a second, older machine showing the mechanism more clearly.

George McKenzie · #25 14-12-12, 21:44

That's what we need I wonder if it has the two sizes of numbers ? Where could we get the use of this machine ? Would there be one in a museum?

rob love · #26 14-12-12, 23:48

I see the name addressograph on the machine. A google search of that name opens a whole plethora of leads. However, I suspect that the main plate may have been stamped and just the unique data would have been added with a machine like this. I don't think this machine would do the raised borders.

An Ebay search will also net a variety of these machines at reasonable prices, but some research will be needed to figure out which one is best for the job.

Jack Innes · #27 15-12-12, 01:03

Rob,

You need to find the right machine. Most Addressograph machines emboss the letters backwards to create plates to go in an address printing machine - like most hospital ID cards. The letters are often also coined into the metal to be very fine like a typewriter key. The vin printer forms the metal without changing its thickness & the result is as you see it on a carrier vin plate. I am sure you are correct that in production the plates would be pre stamped with the standard information including the border.

To change the font size it appears that you would have to change all of the dies & likely reset the spacing somehow. It may be a case of changing the die holder as well.

The machine in my pictures does not work whether by accident or intentionally. It is something that should not fall into the hands of credit card fraud miscreants!

There are a number of companies offering to make plates but they require an old plate or a proof of ownership of the vehicle. Would it not be worth collectively contacting these people, perhaps through a lawyer, explaining the situation of most plates being missing & that there never was any form of MOT title document on a carrier. A notarised statement of ownership should then suffice to clear the plate maker of responsibility. Such a person may be more interested if he sees a sale for many sets of plates. A die to stamp the border would not be too difficult to make.

Jordan Baker · #28 15-12-12, 04:21

http://www.infinitystamps.com/embossing_dies.html

Found this company. Does a good job of explaining it all. Just sounds expensive for what our numbers would be.

rob love · #29 15-12-12, 06:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

http://www.infinitystamps.com/embossing_dies.html

Found this company. Does a good job of explaining it all. Just sounds expensive for what our numbers would be.

If the stamps were $1000 a set, you would only need to make 20 plates at $50 ea to break even. After that the profit would set in. But I think that you would need to make the basic data plate with one of these stamps, then add the variables with an addressograph type machine for serial or engine numbers. There will even be different manual numbers depending on the age of the vehicle, so it may be neccessary to have a few different stamp sets made up if you are going to try and make everyone happy.

Tony Smith · #30 15-12-12, 14:35

So how about a seller like THIS ONE, who "if you do not have the metal Merchant plates, can refer you to someone who can do them very reasonably"?