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Powwow Bum, I'd go ahead and make your own punches and stamps, they give you a lot more personalized work, I think.
Use a good quality steel (file haft, screwdriver,drill bit, etc....), and bring to red heat. Let it cool slowly (annealing) and then grind-file pattern into the tool.
Then bring it back up to a red hot heat and quench in oil. This will make a very hard and brittle tool. Slowly heat to a peacock blue and quench it again. This will give you a hard yet strong tool to do the stamping with. If you screw up the tempering process start over again.
The same techniques are used to make rocker engraving tools which are simply shaped like small chisel shaped screwdrivers.
While we are on the subject of soldering, let me ask this question. I've asked several places, and get less than a satisfactory response.
What did the old timers use for a flux when they were out on the Plains and traveling around from camp to camp? I know that they made a few soldered pieces such as finger rings, bridles, crosses etc....
I've been trying to find out a suitable flux for the last couple of years. I want to be able to solder on a campfire. I can but I have to use a modern flux.
I've also been told by several different people that the old German Silver work was soldered with just plain old lead for bullets, I assume. I've done this too, but once again I've had to use modern fluxes.
This flux deal has really gotten me very curious.
Sincerely
Ken Weidner
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