Making type stamps?

[Tinkering_Guy]

Someone asked me today whether I could make him something with words stamped on it.  Specifically, a d6 (six-sided game die) with 'YES' on three faces and 'NO' on the other three.

That's definitely not something you do with meteoric metal -- which is good; he was thinking of plastic anyway. 

However, it got me to thinking.  I have a set of single-letter stamps from a surplus shop (read: I'm not sure of their quality), but arranging them to stamp a word at one go probably isn't on -- the shafts are much too wide, for one thing.

I remember using a stamping press (when I worked at a bearing factory) to stamp words on the edges of bearing races, but I never thought about the technology.

Has anyone here ever done noodling around with making word stamps that could be asserted with, say, an arbor press or something of the sort?  Or have some clews for the right words to use when searching?

It'd be nice to be able to stamp metal, but for plastic I could probably just wave a flame over the type to warm it enough to make an impression.

Thanks!

[AdeV]

I've wondered about it a few times; rather than make a word stamp, I think I'd make a frame which would allow letters to be positioned accurately, either 1/2 or whole spaced (so you get a semblance of proportionality); and then probably use a press to make sure the stamps went the same distance in to the material - using a hammer is, pardon the pun, a bit hit-and-miss in my case.

[GeorgeGreek]

Hi Tinkerer,

find an old Printing Shop and ask for the letters - size you need. The proper distance has already been fixed. Bind them together, heat them and press on the plastic (proper temp is  tricky but not impossible). Alternatively, if transfer letters are still around, you may transfer the letters of interest on a piece of brass - bronze thin sheet (have done it with 0.2 mm), cover the other side with an acid resistant felt pen and put te thing into a printed circuit oxidiser. You can then glue the lettes on the cube...

George