Modifying an embossing die?
I have a copper emboss die with a fiberglass counter.
My customer wants to know if I can eliminate a small word from the die and they will print it in ink rather than emboss it.
My question is, if I remove the word from the counter die, but still have it etched in the copper will I be able to emboss and not have it show.
Is there any way to fill a copper die to remove an image.
Any help appreciated.
Perhaps look up (Stateside) the process known as *Silver Soldering*. ….. Way back when Brass or Copper Dies got damaged they were repaired via the above process.
Occasionally, on the face, where the image had collapsed or was blemished, more often than not on the reverse where the constant battering, had warped the die upwards, the stress was relieved with fine *Hatching* horizontal and vertical, and filled in with silver solder.!!! … Needs more heat than normal soldering,!!! usually done (here U.K.) by the company that struck the *Dies*.
****We did achieve mediocre success, with this process, on a D.I.Y. basis, on *MODEL* Live Steam Engines, where it did not matter, what the end result was like.?
*****
Apologies if it does not translate down, to the above, *Fill In*, one word etc. …. Small *Dinks* albeit shallow, were repaired successfully, although the Dies then, were 1/4” thick.??
jfitz,
Remove the image from the counter completely and emboss as normally done. You don not need to fill in the image area of the die itself. If possible grind the area around the image on the counter so that there is not a hard edge that the die would pick up when embossing.
Patrick
if the undesired word “stands alone” simply grinding the counter will do most of the trick. if this change is permanent, i would grind around the edges of the image of the word in the die to soften the edges of that part of the image.
Embossing works by pressure, IE; moving the fibers of the stock. pressure exists around any embossed image, and if the image that is not desired is too close to the desired image, a trace of the die will be present. much of this depends on the stock itself. the undesired image could be filled with bondo, counter cast, or similar, then sanded to die face level.(along with grinding away counter)
single level copper dies are really not that expensive. by the time you add up your time into modifying this die, quite possibly a whole new die could be made.
Most die makers have a minimum fee. you can have a die, up to about 18 sq. in and be at the the min fee. usually about $45.00 (US). the new counter would run about the same. so, for under a hundred dollars, new die and counter. what is your time worth? you would then have both options if this is a good repeat customer, maybe spread the cost out over a few jobs.
I have, and will do, for certain customers, pay for the die then “lease” it to them. 1st lease is 33% of die cost, to cover “processing, shipping, and handling.” subsequent runs are at 20% of die cost. so, at second run half the die cost is covered. again, saving my time is worth something to me.
This is very brief, contact me directly, if more info is needed.
if