Marking metals

I am trying to find a supplier, or plans to make, an etching pen.

When I worked we had a device which ran from a transformer. In use it sparked a mark on metal. It was pen shaped and probably had something like a bell vibrator inside which made or broke the supply to the tip. the tip was originally a gramaphone needle, when that died I used a bit of tig electrode which lasted for years. I suppose it could be described as a hand held spark eroder and was jolly easy to use. I have a Burgess vibrating tool which is not as easy to use.

I hope someone with a better memory can help

Mike

Mike you are nearly correct. My Dad had one. It was called an electric pencil. Inside there was an electro-magnet which acted on a spring. This has a clamp for the electrode at one end and the other was connected to the coil of the electro-magnet and thence to a 12 Volt transformer. The other side of the 12 volt transformer was connected to the work piece.

When the point of the electrode touched the work the circuit was completed and the electrode point was withdrawn with a little spark. The circuit was then broken so the point fell onto the work piece and so on.

The device was like a large pen acting not back into the machine like the Burgess unit but at a right angle to the pen handle. It vibrated yeas but not with any force.

The old man uses to use a scrap of 1/16” gas welding rod ground to a point as the electrode.

I think it had a single coil wound parallel to the spring and the whole thing was about ¾” to 1” at its maximum diameter and some where about 9” long. That is all I can remember about it. I think it sort of vanished about 1950.

Why not make your self one.

Regards

Dick

Is this what you are looking for

from Donkey

Edited By Katy Purvis on 01/06/2015 12:28:17

This tool was described in ME around the early 90's ( could have been earlier or later) I think you could do a search

Paul

Hello Mike.

Queries made on the ME_Index application:

Searching the words “electric pen” (which also includes pencil) I found three articles:
First – issue: 440, volume: 21, year: 1909, page: 316, title: “An Electric Pen for Writing Without Ink”, note: “An interesting invention which will be on view at 'The Model Engineer' exhibition. Diagram of connections, Dr. Ghadiali”
Second – issue: 880, volume: 38, year: 1918, page: 144, title: “An etchograph or electric pencil for writing or drawing on steelone date”
Third – issue: 2407, volume: 97, year: 1947, page: 52, title: “The 'Makonus' Electric Pencil (E.H.Jones)”

Searching the words “etching pen” I found one article:
issue 3952, volume 171, page 292, title “Electromagnetic Etching Pen”;
In the notes it's writen: “Describes a useful tool. Outer sleeve, core assembly, armature assembly, electrode assembly, using the pen, picture on page 255”

Best regards
Dias Costa

Thanks for the quick replies, Richard confirms what I rememberand and Paul and Dias have pointed my towards further information. Unfortunately I do not have a subscription to ME so can't access the back issues. Does anyone have the relavent issues -3952 and 2407- that I could borrow to look at. Of course I will cover postage costs both ways.

Mike

Mike

Have a look at:

http://www.vintageprojects.com/general-workshop/etching-pen-plans.pdf

I am sure I have seen another one on line in something like 'Popular Mechanics' but cant find it at the moment.

Regards

I seem to remember an artical in ME maybe some time in the 1990s, must have a look.

I'v used the method of attaching one wire from a transformer to the artical to be marked, and the other wire to do the marking. Ian S C

To be neat you could use a Taylor Hobson pantograph and their Javelin etcher which worked the same way off a huge circular power supply. I recall it used special spring tips that probably aren't available anymore.

I have a commercially made one. The manufacturer was 'Markem' or maybe that was a trade name.

I could lend it you to copy if you like?

Brian