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 -

Franklin Signet Embosser

I decided to revisit the hot foil stamping machine that I bought it in 2003 at an estate sale. The little machine, eight-or-so boxes of type and loads of hot foil cost me $15. It's small and easy to carry from workspace to shelf. Nice and portable.

This is my second hot foil machine. My first was a massive Kwik Print model 86. It was rescued from my old employer's trash pile back in 2000. It was far too big and unwieldy to fiddle with. After seven years of lugging it through several office moves and one house move, I finally decided to donate it to an architectural salvage shop.

But, I still have my Franklin Signet portable model, and today I found a manual online for a similar machine made by Kingsley.

These cards are pre-manual.

One of the boxes of type.