Another go with the Franklin Signet

After more trial and error, poking around online for information and some repair work, I think learned how to wrestle the Franklin Signet Embosser into submission.

Here's what I learned -- mostly from the very helpful ebay seller Malcom's Machines:

1. Matchbook stamper. My little hot foil machine is actually made specifically for stamping matchbooks.

2. Old foils are probably fine. Foils should last for decades, if cared for (kept away from damp, heat, etc.). Also, thanks to Malcom's Machines, one should tear off about a foot of the old foil before using again.

3. A new cord helps. Besides causing me great fear of electrical shock or fire every time I plugged it in, the old cord was not conducting heat very well. My local vacuum repair shop fixed me up with a new cord after only two hours and 15 bucks. The impressions are much more consistent now.


I wish I had saved more of the ends of used foil that came with the machine, like this one. None of the foils showed any dates after 1959, so I'm guessing that was the time of its last use.

Tinkering with the heat settings and the different colored foils was also very helpful. Some worked better than others -- the basic black is great, the red was a disaster and the metallic green is lovely when it works, but most often it doesn't (blurry).

Now I can get a pretty clear and consistent stamp on items like these, destined for the Etsy shop -