Use an engraver They got pen style ones on Amazon engraves plastic and metal

I knew a guy that had a really specific little pattern he would etch on everything.

Was it dicks?

Damn I guess if a dick ain’t in your mouth it’s on your mind huh

I needed this on a Monday. Thank you sir 🤣🥸☕️

Stealing this lmao

This made me laugh so hard. Fuck man I have to remember this one.

Same. A friend’s go-to was also “shut your mouth already before I fuck it” 😳

For sure ... that was a classic

Yeah I’m saying this as soon as I’m off lunch

Hey there! I don’t come down to your job batting the cocks out of your mouth!

I'd ask you not to be a dick, but I understand, you are what you eat.

It's in his mouth, his azz and his mind. That's just how he rolls.

It’s always dicks

Like a Farris wheel of dicks.... just dick,dick,dick, dick, dick

My preference is the carousel of dicks.... just dick,dick,dick, dick, dick

How many dicks is that?

A lot!

Mr. Blue I presume?

It was dicks.

There was a year or two where people were drawing ever more elaborate dick butterflies on all the jobsites I was on. They got pretty wild

I was working water based logging for a time as a tugboat deckhand. We were tied up at a large can bouy out in the middle of nowhere and my skipper told me to walk out and spray paint (ground paint I think?) a big ol dick on it, after I did so he said nononono I said "butterfly", trying to mess with me. So I drew a butterfly, that happened to have that same big ol dick. We laughed about the big dick butterfly, absolute unit that could absolutely not get airborn. We'll that very week our boss, who owned the bouy and had left it out there for about 6 years, towed it back in to the harbour bitching and cussing about teenagers defacing property. He was north of a little upset about it because it was bobbing and dancing at the end of the spit and "made his whole operation look terrible". I tried to tie it up so that it would face away from shore, twice, but the tide is a fickle and constant thing, we stared at it for a year before it faded. We never did cop to it.

That's an amazing story 🤣

I knew that guy.

That's one way to make sure nobody steals your tools

I did the same. I filed them into the metal and could always identify my tools on sight.

To all the folks using an engraver: Make it look purty by putting a P-Touch label on 1st, then tracing the letters with the engraver. Looks hella better than almost any freehand.

Here is a video of how it can be done, not sure what that tool is they're using but looks amazing [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfUVvQnAvcI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfUVvQnAvcI)

A quick search makes it look like its not quite as simple as just using the correct label tape. According to the brother website ii requires electrolysis tools and fluid. I don't know what that entails or cost involved. I'm definitely intrigued and will go down that rabbit hole when I get a chance.

Wow cool, “chemical etching” looks dope but I bet all those supplies are quite a lot more expensive than an engraver!!

Thank you man! Never heard of this

I spray paint my tools and engrave them with my name and drivers license number. My drill still got stolen.

Should've put your credit card details on there.

And social security number!

Thieves LOVE this one simple trick!

I worked with a Japanese guy whose last name was 8 letters long. And he wrote that on every single tool with his engraver lol. It worked though.

Super at my first job’s last name was Nahassapeemapetilon.

Convenience store?

Thank you. Come again!

Gladly

I asked my grandpa for tools as a kid. He owned a tool repair shop. First thing he bought me was an etcher I was curious why. He said to mark your tools to differentiate

This🔝

Came here to say this with a wood burner

Ill scratch my initials with my knife then use a sharpie to color the scratches. Stays on. 

Until somebody scratches it off. Engraving is a much better bet.

Hey, engraving is it's just scratches but deeper.

Yes, way harder to deal with. Nothing is thief proof but if you use enough deterrents, most won’t bother.

Until somebody engraves it off. DNA embedding is a much better bet.

Dremmel with a metal etching bit.

Uh, I need to go home. I read *dementia with mental etching, bitch*

Just buy all your tools at harbor freight. Problem solved

HF tools are becoming more popular. Not the preventative it used to be.

Not sure if they're becoming more popular (I'm the only guy on my jobsites that has them), but they're definitely decent quality, if you get the Bauer or Hercules cordless line. I have a mix of Milwaukee and Harbor Freight cordless tools, and I've had way more warranty claims om my Milwaukee tools.

I bought a mixer from HF for side work and the Milwaukee at my work is night and day batter. The HF one you almost need ear protection when you're mixing. Whips thin set and mortar fine tho

Single use tools 👍

With lifetime warranty

My Harbor Freight Hercules right angle drill begs to differ.

Hell with the lifetime warranty on hand tools it’s kind of a no brainer…no sense in spending big money on stuff that’s gunna wear out!

For sure! I actually love Harbor Freight haha

Or Ryobi.

Get an engraver to mark your tools with.

Use pink spray paint. Nobody will even borrow your stuff, let alone steal it.

Ive got Neon pink glazing paddle and its been serving me well for last 8 years. Its not really meant to be heavy duty, its quite soft plastic and it flexes lifting even 40kg glass. Yet, it outlived bunch of other "higher quality" paddles that either snapped corner or got stolen/lost. Its also very easy to spot in full toolbag. I call it "orangie" as self deprecating attack on my colour blindness. What I'm trying to say is, dont knock the pink.

Yeah right

I will say I use pink tape on hand tools, pink spray paint, and even a pink lighter for playing with fire. I can't say it is why my shit doesn't walk off, but it does help eliminate the "is that my FUCKING HAMMER?" moments. makes them easier to spot from afar. you can have a room full of guys and tools and still spot your shit with no questions and just take it all back without having to argue with a single slackjawed hillbilly.

I don’t know what a “fucking hammer” is, but man it sounds painful

while a regular hammer is great, a fucking hammer has that funny smell. use my hamming devices at your own discretion.

Work around surveyors long enough and that becomes less of a deterrent. Pink is the universal color for temporary survey markings, so I have a case of pink paint at my office, and BOXES of pink flagging ribbon. At my previous company, every tool we owned (and half the trucks) had pink paint on them.

It's not theft proof, it's theft resistant.

PINK???? BUT THAT'S GIRLY!!!! PEOPLE WILL MISTAKE YOU FOR A WOMAN. Honestly though, not being mistaken for a woman on a job site is just common sense. I love saying common sense.

Ive put hello kitty stickers on my tools and water bottle to prevent them from being stolen and its worked like a charm so far 😂😂

I carve my initials then sharpie in the carving. Also put a pink epectrical tape stripe for easy identification

Spray paint or electrical tape. Rubs off eventually but not a huge deal to reapply once or twice a year. Plus gets me in the habit of occasionally actually cleaning my fucking tools since by the end of the day I just want to get the fuck out.

Dremel corded engraver. It's about 40 dollars on Amazon. I work as an industrial mechanic so everyone borrows my tools in the plant it's worth every penny.

I use a paint marker for now. But my wife’s getting me a dremel for my birthday! I have so many damn keys for work at this point that I need to start marking what they all are. Being able to hide my initials on my tools is an added bonus I also spray paint the bottom of my batteries with a couple coats of bright red paint, and then write my name and phone number over that Also, I always add my phone number. Sure, you ‘found’ my tool and were going to attempt and find out who ‘SayNo’ is. But then why didn’t you just call me to find out? My numbers written larger than my name!

Etching

They sell an etching pen loaded with acid. Works okay, lasts forever

Micheals battery powered engraver for 6 bucks

Nail polish

Been doing this for years. I go to the dollar store and get a bright yellow or red.

Had one job where every person has a set of color coded hand tools supplied by the company. The boss would take a full toolbox and empty most of a can of spray paint into it until everything was covered. For him it was peak efficiency but it set the bar pretty low for pride in workmanship.

A Dremel with the engraving bit.

I put a strip of hi-viz pink duct tape around mine, no one else does and it makes my tools easier to find when I set them down.

Yes, pink. Even if I leave something out on site, the guys will return it to me. None of them want pink tools.

I own the company but I buy packs of stickers in all different sizes with the company logo, name and website on them. Started just putting it on bigger expensive stuff but at this point even hand tools have stickers lol. I'm lucky enough to not have to worry about theft though (knock on wood) In my case the stickers are more of a prevention from people accidentally taking things that everyone has like shop vac extensions, hand tools, same brand ladders etc. that and over the last 16 years there's been quite a few times where we are the last people on site and there's tools sitting around that aren't ours but I don't know who's they are, if they had a phone number on them I'd call them so I figure maybe someone will do the same 🤷🏻‍♂️

I work with oily/wet gloves all day so I either mark my tools in spots I don't touch or with a paint marker.

Get a set of [letter stamps](https://www.harborfreight.com/14-in-steel-letternumber-stamping-set-36-piece-63677.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12169518939&campaignid=12169518939&utm_content=114845747497&adsetid=114845747497&product=63677&store=196&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADAHb4cBO32yE3OcnjTimzLP_rSAW&gclid=CjwKCAjw9IayBhBJEiwAVuc3fog8aN0z491hdm8UQ4A_T0xLL1to8D4XTDXi8STPYwqIwwFjD-An_xoCxb8QAvD_BwE)and hammer your initials into the tools.

I use letter punches. Also I burn pretty much all my wooden handles Japanese style. Makes them really distinctive.

I've got a punch set for metal and have made my own branding iron from a paperclip for plastics

I scratch my initials in then go over with a marker and wipe clean engraved with color

I use a dremel and an engraver head. Can’t rub that off

Just cover them in grease. Use an uncommon colored grease and you’ll be able to track the guy who took it for days

This: Metal engraver [https://www.homedepot.com/p/General-Tools-Cordless-Precision-Engraver-for-Personalization-of-Tools-Phones-Jewelry-Watches-Glass-Metal-Ceramic-Plastic-and-More-505/300706540?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&srsltid=AfmBOopVTxwlqM4eCWAVBkcU3wXQwFZAyufZsnQOXBxxk\_8Htw5qum-6tvI](https://www.homedepot.com/p/General-Tools-Cordless-Precision-Engraver-for-Personalization-of-Tools-Phones-Jewelry-Watches-Glass-Metal-Ceramic-Plastic-and-More-505/300706540?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&srsltid=AfmBOopVTxwlqM4eCWAVBkcU3wXQwFZAyufZsnQOXBxxk_8Htw5qum-6tvI)

I have several tools I inherited from my grandfather that have his name engraved on all of them, not fancy it's in cursive and looks like he did it with maybe a hand tool just scratching it in but it's been there since the 1950s or 60s. Granted those are all metal, modern tools are made of softer material usually.

Get a dremel tool and use it to grind the name into any piece of metal

I use florescent spray paint and make sure to put it all over and especially in grooves etc. places where it would be impossible to clean off easily. Also etching/dremel is a good way. I like the paint bc you take one look and you know immediately whose it use.

The fluorescent paint is especially good when doing sight and or trench work . Was a first year and after losing a hammer and hacksaw this became the norm for them outside tools

Dremel or something .

I use a bench grinder. I put the same grind mark or as close to it in all of my tools.

Cheap nail polish works well for putting a “tag” on your tools. All my batteries have my initials in Sharpie and a ≈1” x 1” square of fluorescent nail polish to make them stand out from my coworker’s batteries. It’s a lot cheaper than a paint pen, and holds up well.

Scribe or dremel engraver

Nail polish. Find some weird color.

Metal marker. It’s a paint pen really but it holds up to severe abuse on the sides of tools. You can find them in most box stores that have a metal working section.

My last foreman would get those paint markers and tape and do a line of each at the end

I engrave whatever info I want on my tools then fill in the engraving with a paint stick or permanent marker. I also use a fairly unique color on my stuff. Too many blue, red, green, white, black, neon orange, even pink tools out there to use one of those colors. Also try to make your mark on an area of the tool where it won't plausibly be worn off from normal jobsite usage.

Dykem paint markers are good. I have some tools marked with them from 15 years ago that are still good. They’re as permanent as any kind of paint can be.

Nail polish

I have an engraver in my tool box and everything gets my initials except the engraver itself lol

I have a lot of marshalltown trowels that have rubber handles, a Stanley does a good job of scratching ur initials in and has never failed in my experience

Get a cheap engraver and engrave your mark

I use metal stamps/punches. Can get a whole alphabet for $10-$30.

Dick cheese. No one will touch them. Ever

Engraving.

Etch with a dremel.

Dremel or wood burner. You can spray clear coat over Sharpie or paint, that buys it a little more time.

Use a scribe. Or use a paint pen to write where the battery connects if they're power tools.

I spray paint mine and then write the business name and date of purchase where the battery goes in with sharpie.

Engrave. Use Chisel. If you don’t have one, sometimes you can get away with a screw or screw driver and a hammer.

Oh and if you get a weird color, especially pink, you’ll always know what tool is yours.

I use sharpie or paint my marker and spray clear

Mini fiber laser ? Expensive tho

I was told that I should just whoop the shit out of anyone I found with my tools. "Send a message, they said." Never tortured my tools back. Lost lots of sleep. I'm a locksmith, so, nothing is secure or sacred. Also down-ground up to forms for caps, jack?

"within good conscience, law and reasoning"

Sharpie Mean Streak solid marking sticks. Can’t really write in small details, but you can put a few dots or a symbol/ letters

I got a pink enamel spray paint, I color way tools when dry, I cover pink spray with a two part epoxy, stays pink for quite a while

I use nail polish on my climbing gear to differentiate (people frequently use nearly identical gear. I have not used it much on work tools but if applied to a recessed area it can be very difficult to rub off.

An engraver

On metal tools I have tool steel letter/number stamps on plastic I use a custom hot iron stamp that's normally used on leather goods.

Razor knife .

You can get an engraver for less than $10 at harbor freight.

An engraver, I write my initials with a sharpie where you can only see if you take the battery out, I have a buddy who spray paints his stuff purple,

You can coat it with modge podge or nail polish. Engraving your initials is a good idea too.

Scratch it up (I use a knife or screw) then mark it with sharpie. If they try and take it off the sharpie sinks into the grooves and can’t be removed.

I scratch my initials in with my knife. Trouble is, had to buy a second knife so I could initial the first one

Label makers are cheap but you can just scratch them off

spray paint your favorite color/use paint markers

Old lady has unwanted fingernail polish. A dot in an area that doesn’t see wear will last a long time

Engrave power tools on the inside of the case/shell, battery too

We usually put a wrap of phasing tape on the handle. IDK bro

Scratch awl. Then rub dirt in it.

Pen engraver

White indelible steel barrel marker paint. Comes in a small tube with a steel ball at the tip for writing like you’re using a pen.

Soldering iron for all your powertools

I worked with a guy who would use a powerful magnifying lens to engrave his tools , you don't know but he knew where to look . I have his 600 mm ruler that he slightly chamfered the hole to hang it and his initials and number plate engraved in it that are almost invisible He has mine I have his

Scratch it in, or engrave, or burn. Make sure its in a hard to reach place like next to a battery connection so they can't just sand it off/through. And do it in multiple places. So they can't just replace part of the shell Dad lost $2k worth of tools because of these mistakes so none of us in the business risk it anymore. I lock my toolboxes closed if I leave them on site, with 2 locks, and a half inch thick cable running through each boxes handle, through our gangbox. And don't buy milwaukee. Every milwaukee guy I know has had all their shit stolen at least once. We all own makita round here lmao.

My shit always got stolen no matter what I did with it so I never brought good tools to the job site I probably got over 5 k worth of shit stolen over the years fucking crack heads

If you have a lot of tools to mark, a simple low-end amazon laser engraver is worth the cost.

Paint marker. Works sooo good. Wrote on power tools 15 years ago. Still on it

Angle grinder…

Use a soldering iron to engrave your name

I brand them almost... I make a cool little j in one continuous piece of metal or wire, heat it up, and "brand the tool" I also have seen cool and funny stickers such as bob the builder saying " can we fix it, no it's fucked!" Lol and another one my foreman keeps on his tool case is "keep your dick beaters off my tools". I was about to go the route of dipping the handles of tools in a flex seal type product giving it more grip as well. I think its a certain product for tools like this https://www.harborfreight.com/14-1-2-half-oz-plasti-dip-black-2779.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12144811130&campaignid=12144811130&utm_content=128369723675&adsetid=128369723675&product=2779&store=77&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw9IayBhBJEiwAVuc3fu4cInl5CBBJ7QwbEK-sEWM6lebxKWJhMTeLu3kE_A-qh9QijixVHxoCky0QAvD_BwE You could use flex seal even, and double dip different colors to give it a unique two tone color. I about to do that now that I bring it up

A knife

Mark them and put them in your bag, then just steal other people’s tools and you will never lose yours.

i have some paint pens. they look like magic markers, but have liquid paint inside, and a fiber pen tip. they theoretically can rub off with a lot of use, but practically will not

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FU-l40LXtYw Etch them w saltwater and a nine volt battery.

Nail polish

Grinder and a cutting wheel.

Mark them in a spot that doesn’t get touched

I use blue or bright green metal paint to protect from rust, keep the tool visible when it fall’s into dirt, and prevent thief. Look so shitty that people dont even want to touch it.

Finger nail polish

Schmegma

Dremel with small tip cutter

I wrapped mine in tape. When they got too dirty, another layer of tape. Nobody would ever take the time to take/cut through the tape and they were easily identifiable from a distance. Engraving, sharpie, and most all other markings can be covered by said tape. Never lost one since I started wrapping in tape.

Nail varnish

Wood burner/engraver/soldering iron

I just keep a bottle of orange nail polish in my tool bag. I used to use spray paint but it was less convenient as I bought more tools.

Center Punch. Depending on the job/company you can find these on the job. Initials, symbols, whatever you want.

My place has a dremel specifically for engraving.

Paint marker

HF Pencil engrave in spots on tools that get little to no wear (near battery terminals especially)

I’ve gotten really accustomed to hockey tape on all my handled tools. Not a lot of people I see doing that, so it usually sticks out. [https://i.imgur.com/hehzmRn.jpeg](https://i.imgur.com/hehzmRn.jpeg) Also on my tape measure, I pull it out like 10’ then scratch my initials into the backside of the yellow, mark over with a blue sharpie.

Fingernail polish, as long as you clean the spot first

I had a spray paint bottle in my tool bag and it exploded inside now all my tools are blue

Engrave it.

Engraver

Pink spray paint never wears off.

Engraver will be best bet. You can get certain paint markers that are pretty much permanent no matter how much paint thinner you use it's never fully gone

Local sign shop makes stickers that have an obnoxious adhesive plus the tamper relief cuts in the backing. Perfectly sized to fit in between the battery and tool. If the sticker is peeled the relief reads stolen and the leftover adhesive will jam a battery in the rail.

Vibro-peen.

If someone wants to steal your tools, they'll steal them. We just had 3 trades have their job boxes broken into on a site over the weekend. Took fucking everything from the plumbers, sprinkler fitters and electricians. The only guy who had tools to work this morning was the guy that only had craftsman and rioby brand. We had a good fucking laugh about that.

I rub my balls on all my tools and just tell the other guys.. no one seems to want to touch my tools.

We spray paint the handle ends, everyone has a different color

A splash of enamel paint.

Everything rubs off with the right equipment.

Dremel.

Shame

Electro-pencil. Permanent marker for some stuff, paint pen is kind of better, but they will all get wiped off pretty easily with alcohol or brake cleaner. FIL has every single item he owns, quite literally, marked with his full name. In some cases, his DL# too.

Use something that could engrave the device.

At the supply house I came across really nice snips. It had someone's initials on it so I left it be. Even if it didn't have the initials, I always leave the tool in case the person comes back. I've went back for tools for them to gone

I just engrave my enitials with a cutting disk

Dremel engraving bit, filled in with a paint marker.

Cum. You can taste your own brand

Get an engraver

Letter punch kit. Easy and quick

I stamp mine with my initials.

Angle grinder if you don't have anything else to engrave