Taboo or Totally You! Engraving your equipment!?

[B-9]

As a carpenter and a avid tinkerer, I and many of my fellow laborer's love to engrave, sharpie, and sticker our tools and equipment with initials and sometimes profanity.

Of course, this makes it easy to sort out who's is who's at the end of a job.

You also tend to see a lot of older cameras with social security or drivers license numbers engraved into their baseplates.

Most of the examples I've seen are sloppy and crude, as if carved in the trenches of the dmv with their key fob.

I've also seen handful of really nicely done engravings on cameras meant a for gifts or commemorating an event or date.

So what I'm asking,

Does anyone really do this to their equipment anymore? I can see why you wouldn't (resale value being obvious)

But at the same time, if it's yours, and you plan to keep it around, it might be fun to scribble some stuff and fill it with paint.

Has anyone customized their gear with an engraving?

Let's hear your thoughts, taboo or totally you!

 

[x-ray]

My MP is an ALaCarte black chrome that I had Leica engrave my signature on the back of the top. I have absolutely no intentions of ever selling it. As to engraving a SS# or other myself, why would you want to. There's already a serial number to identify it. I've never understood why people do that.

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

The number of times I've found really nice cameras with a licence or other detail clumsily scratched into the top or back of it. Don't have a problem with people scribing some details into their camera to assist Eg. In the event of theft. Was it too much to ask these geniuses to do this on the inside of the body, where it wouldn't deface the camera? Apparently, yes.

Happily, it's rarely an ongoing issue, because when such cameras appear on the market nowadays, it usually seems to have occurred subsequent to the owners death...

 

[santino]

I wanted to personalize my Zorki 1D but haven't found a reasonable engraver yet (only rings for wedding etc.) 😀
It's cool AS long AS it doesn't look like a self made tattoo in jail D:

 

[Range-rover]

No Way! I just don't it, here you spend so much money on a camera (maybe) and to
deface it with a SS number or other that could get scratch off to make it look like hell
is beyond me. Plus if your are going to resell it good luck!

 

[Mike Fish]

back in the day

back in the day

I remember reading articles and seeing ads in photo magazines in the 70's talking about services that did camera engraving. So if you wanted your Spotmatic, Nikon F, Miranda or whatever engraved they could do it - and if I recall correctly they claimed they could closely match the original engraving.

My Rolleiflex is engraved (incredibly crudely) with what I assume is a previous owner's drivers license number. I don't mind too much, because that is partly why it was affordable. =)

 

[bmattock]

When I was in the Marine Corps, we were forced to engrave our social security numbers on all of our personal property of any value (stereo gear, cameras, etc). So you see a lot of serial numbers on cameras and stereo gear on places like eBay.

I keep track of my serial numbers in case my gear were to be stolen. I do not engrave it. Not a big deal either way, I just don't do it.

 

[Roger Hicks]

When I was in the Marine Corps, we were forced to engrave our social security numbers on all of our personal property of any value (stereo gear, cameras, etc). So you see a lot of serial numbers on cameras and stereo gear on places like eBay. . .

Intriguing: Thanks!

Cheers,

R.

 

[B-9]

For resale, you might as well bash each of your Leicas on the upper left corner with a hammer to personalize them.

My Nikon SP has 3 good dings and counting, so you could say it's already been moof'd 😉

I like the idea above, with the signature! I bet that's really unique!

 

[PrestonR]

If the engraving has special meaning, I don't see anything wrong with it. Honestly, if I were buying a camera that was previously engraved, I wouldn't care. I'm a user, not a collector.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I'm in the broadcast industry. Still lot of specialized equipment instead of regular computers.
The sticker is used to identify to which organization the unit belongs. Once this equipment no longer in use, stickers getting removed and equipment goes on recycling bin.
I'm thinking of getting one like this with my email and placing it on the inner side of camera baseplate.

Engraving on tools doesn't preventing from be taken by others. Keeping with you or in the locked tool box does.

 

[bmattock]

Engraving on tools doesn't preventing from be taken by others. Keeping with you or in the locked tool box does.

It might depend on the item in question. If my handcuffs hadn't been engraved with my name, I would not have gotten them back. Just sayin'...

 

[Ko.Fe.]

It might depend on the item in question. If my handcuffs hadn't been engraved with my name, I would not have gotten them back. Just sayin'...

At my work we are using HDDs to keep something important.
And we just run into it two days ago. I was told to take back HDD from customer site, HDD which I never seen. It was left on the desk for me. I came to take HDD. Where was the only one on the desk. I took picture of it, send to the office, they told me it is the one because it is black. But it was wrong HDD, our was not on the desk and it was also black. If it would be labeled, I'll have no problem which one to look for.

 

[Huss]

Putting your SS # or DL # on your junk is crazy in this age of identity theft.

 

[Beemermark]

Maybe if I could get my black M4 engraved in the Nimschke style. Or maybe D coverage with Cattle Brands. That would be cool.

 

[nikon_sam]

If, I were to engrave anything it would be done by a professional engraver...I've had cameras where a previous owner engraved (if you could call it that) their SS# on the bottom or the top backside...don't think I have any of those still...when looking to buy and I see a sloppy engraving on the item normally I would shy away unless it's a great price or rare gear at a decent price...I often wonder why anyone would use their SS#, a Driver's license number would be better and maybe place it inside the bottom plate...

 

[bmattock]

I often wonder why anyone would use their SS#, maybe a Driver's license number would be better and maybe place it inside the bottom plate...

Well, as I mentioned earlier, in the military in the 1980s, it was required. We were not given an option to not do it. I agree that it's a bad idea and I hope they don't still do that.

 

[j.scooter]

If/when I get an Ala carte MP I would also get my signature engraved on it, that's a great idea.

I haven't had another camera that I wanted keep forever.

 

[oftheherd]

Well, as I mentioned earlier, in the military in the 1980s, it was required. We were not given an option to not do it. I agree that it's a bad idea and I hope they don't still do that.

When I joined the Army (in the 60s), nearly everything had to be marked. Our boots had to have a white strip painted in and our name and serial number (Social Security Numbers weren't being used yet) painted over that. Turns out that boots (and feet) survive more intact more often than other body parts in large explosions.

 

[Jamie Pillers]

I had my X-Pro1 engraved with the Japanese kanji symbols for Wabi Sabi, a philosophical idea regarding beauty in simplicity.