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Any CSI's out there?- Any Tips On Reading Illegible Tang Stamps??

Most of us own one- A vintage knife with a tang stamp partially or totally worn awway by time, abuse, or excessive polishing or sanding- I have had limited success with microfine sandpaper, products like OOPS, to remove surface gunk or rust, and a little success with photo editing programs- I am by no means an expert in any of these fields- My thought is, we have members from all walks of life and areas of expertise- Anybody have any tricks that have worked for them?? Police forensics labs can raise a filed serial number off a gun, but as it is an investigation of a crime, they aren't concerned about damage to the serial number area- I have heard that there are many camera tricks that sometimes work, depending on filters, reverse negatives, camera angles and such.We all see these all the time here in knife photos- If anyone has any suggestions or tricks, I for one would greatly appreciate it~~

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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on May 18, 2014 at 18:51

A couple of things I do. We have a jewelers magnifying glass with a light but it is table size and cannot travel to shows to see knives. I have also been known to do a charcoal rubbing, sometimes I can see it better that way. I use onion paper when i do it, the light weight helps get a clearer pic. I have struggled with this so much that I have ordered the give away items for iKC at shows the rest of the year

A credit card size magnifier. May not be the best but it is easy to carry in your wallet and will help. Make sure you come see us at the shows!

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on May 18, 2014 at 19:15

Real neat.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on May 18, 2014 at 21:05

That is going to help a lot of folks!

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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on May 18, 2014 at 21:08

We will make sure all the buyers of the 2014 knife get one also :)

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FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on July 4, 2014 at 2:04

Jan, can we buy one of those?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on July 4, 2014 at 12:44

John today I lightly remove surface rust with a rust remover and some gentle rubbing, if I can see a faint outline its time for the toothbrush to clean it out. It is particularly helpful when looking for the tang on some of the old Hammer Brands. I really like those knives but the tang is so light on the older models.