Fine Guns Are Often Deemed Finer Based on their Markings

Written By Greg Derr

2022

Using the Marking Methods system and a stencil to brand a custom 1911.

Are all masterpieces signed? I would hope so. Many gunsmiths have passed away never signing or branding their work, and that makes it difficult for a collector or shooter to have a full appreciation for the workmanship that went into the masterpieces. Seventy-five years ago, there were very few custom pistolsmiths who did sign their work. Many were known by the features they created or the style of their product. Take a “Fitz” revolver with its cut down Colt barrel and half-removed trigger guard. He didn’t sign his work. The problem now is with limited originals on the collector market, there are hosts of “reproductions” being sold as originals.

Clark Custom signature on a 1911 slide made with an electric marking pencil.

An Armand Swenson brand stamped onto a finished custom pistol.

Makers' Marks

Branding or signing work started in the ’40s with gunsmiths like Jesse Harpe in Florida who engraved his name on the 1911-barrel bushing. Arnold Capone of Kings Gunworks, Calif., with his “crown” logo. Then came pistolsmith Jim Clark who inscribed and numbered his work in the order of completion. It also helps he dated the work on the inside of the slide. The first thing most serious custom gun lovers look for is the telltale signature or hallmark on the gun.

Today, most custom smiths mark their work not as a sign of pride but as a marketing tool to help their business. I remember my dad buying an NRA match Colt 1911 from gunsmith Alton Dinan of Connecticut. It had two holes drilled through the side of the large front sight. I asked him about it and he said, “Dinan made it so shooters could look down the firing line and instantly know it was one of his guns.” A very good early marketing strategy. There are a number of ways to mark or brand your work. From a simple steel stamp to CNC engraving.

Custom stamping dies by Infinity Stamps can be hammered onto many flat surfaces.

Marking Methods

The simplest method might just be to use an electric pen. This is the method Clark used. It is very hard to control and not very neat. Metal stamps which make impressions when hammer struck are simple and effective. They are also inexpensive. Gunsmiths like R.L. Shockey and Armand Swenson used this method to mark hundreds of guns in their careers. I have a small stamp to mark parts and tools in my shop, as well as the interior of a pistol slide. They are available from vendors like Infinity Stamps in California. They can make a punch with your artwork or logo.

A better method is “electro chemical.” This method uses electric current and chemicals to etch metals conducting electricity. Reusable stencils are custom made for the end user and can be made in a number of sizes and patterns. I use this method for signing my work, as well as labeling barrels and slides with caliber sizes. Some stencils are recreations of long-gone Colt scripts. This process has lots of up-front costs for the Marking Methods kit and stencil production, but will last a lifetime. I bought my kit used from a good friend, the late Jerry Keefer. I then had my stencils made by International Marking Group in New York. Ted Yost has used this method for years, leaving his mark indiscreetly under the grip panel of his custom 1911 builds. This process can be used on parts that might be damaged with a hammer blow when using a punch.

With the advent of small shop CNC machines, there is now a way for smiths to program their own designs and engrave them onto any material they want — metal, wood, plastics and leather. Using a small laptop and a bench top CNC mill, the gunsmith can create all sorts of complicated branding and logos. Once the program is written, you can use it as many times as needed and modified as needed.

Branding or signing work is very important to the craft. It shows the client you are proud enough of your work to put your name on it. It also leaves a lasting legacy on a handgun. The value of custom handguns is continuing to climb, with much of the value being established by the provenance of the maker’s mark.

For more info:
IMG-Electromark.com
InfinityStamps.com
MarkingMethods.com

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