# Restoration Stamps & Inks



## Stillakid (Jan 12, 2010)

Found this link and thought that those that do restoration work or repaints would be interested. Pricey, but with the prewar stuff, worth it!

http://www.jlmtrains.com/rubber_stamps.htm


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

Nice find, Jim, and good pricing. I wish he did some AF stuff, too. I'd be more likely to refurbish if I felt I could get the numbers to look like the originals, too.


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## Stillakid (Jan 12, 2010)

*You Will!!*

Len, Wife is still playig with the Decal Kit we purchased. I'm thinking in a few weeks(she only works on it whwn I "Nag" her:laugh, she'll have the system down pat. The biggest problem is sizing and the fact that I'm to cheap to buy Photo Shop She works on it at her job after she gets off.

We'll have you in, "Restoration Mode", before you know it and you'll need to be betting the ponies more frequently to pay for all the pieces you want to buy and restore:laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

Sounds like you have a good wife there, Jim! My ponies are looking promising, but it's too soon to tell. I have a lot of lost bets between wins. I need to get a lot better at it. The system seems to work well at narrowing it down to about 3 horses, but getting the right one...there's the rub. Besides that, it's a lot of work doing the calculations, so it takes up several hours to work thru the next day's races. I think I need to keep my nest egg for the ponies separate from the rest of my money. *L*


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Guys,

Good find on the stamp guy. I've seen Lionel stamp kits being offered on ebay, but I've never fiddled with one myself.

I suspect the quality of the finished lettering is due not only to the quaility of the stamp, but the skill of the person using it ... steadiness of hand, exact right amount of paint to ink stamp with, etc. I'd bet this route would offer great results in talented hands, and iffy-crummy results in unskilled hands. An "art" to it, so to speak.

Along that thinking, I admitted to myself that I had no such skill. So when it came time to reletter (or renumber, really) my Lionel 221 loco, I opted to use Woodland Scenics dry-transfer decals. Easy to apply, very crisp edges, and absolutely no clear-film margins. I'm quite happy with the result ... perhaps the only criticism is that the numbers might look "too perfect" as compared to Lionel's true original-production stamped numbers. Crisp? Absolutely. Authentic? Nope.

TJ's 2-cents ...


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

I still need to stamp out my 610 and 612 passenger cars. hwell: I have another source somewhere, in NY. Other hard drive.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

T-Man said:


> I still need to stamp out my 610 and 612 passenger cars. hwell: I have another source somewhere, in NY. Other hard drive.


Did you ever do that? Any tips on using the stamps?

I'm starting work on my (other style) 610 / 612, and am debating about whether I should leave the stamped lettering (on the inset panels), or repaint and reletter that area. Venturing into the land of the unknown for me ...

TJ


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## jzrouterman (Nov 27, 2010)

tjcruiser said:


> Guys,
> 
> Good find on the stamp guy. I've seen Lionel stamp kits being offered on ebay, but I've never fiddled with one myself.
> 
> ...


Exactly what I was thinking. :laugh: Still, I think it's a terrific idea and I bet with a little practice it would work really great. Nice find. Something to think about. Hmmmmmm..... The possibilities with something like this.........:sold:


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

The cars are still unstamped. They slipped in priority. I know about Mania Trains I am not sure on the sizing I need for letters. The wife is the stamper so I know a special ink helps. Michaels Craft store is selling a stamp lettering set. Get three of them for three bucks and spell out "Lionel Lines" or get a Western style to match "New York City Central". The handles are long and can be glued together to make one stamp. Seven bucks cheeper. Also you can peel and reglue then to a new single base.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks, T-Man.

TJ

===

Thread Search hits ...

rubber stamp
rubber stamps
stamp lettering


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

*stamps*

These two are easily found. The right would work with NY Central. The have a set with small letters that would match the left. The font is suspect or maybe the quality. The letters don't look straight, so it may be just the quality, the way the block was stamped. I haven't seen numbers.

As you can see they can be glued to each other for straight lettering.









If you do stamp use an ink for a metal surface not paper. They are out there and the wife doesn't have a particular brand to name.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

You could also probably stick your stamps together with something like double-sided carpet tape so you could take them apart after use and have a different set of letters.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

That's true but for a buck or two I can get another set(s) L,N, and E plus more letters. The tape would cost more. Wouldn't it? 

It depend on the pressure needed to stamp. You want it to be even. These are long enough to clamp togther. They are over 3/4ths of an inch. They probably made to join that way for words.

A Lionel Lines stamp at Mania Trains was 10 bucks.
To stamp out my two cars it would cost about thirty at 3/4th the purchase price of the cars I am no hurry to do it. I would like to do it in the future. Perhaps if I get some more cars.


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