Standard service production is currently about 3 days.
We have found laser etching to be superior to engraving because of its size, readability, beauty, and close match to the acid etch design.
In order to reduce the risk of errors we are not able to accept etch orders via phone; use this page to submit your etch order. In addition, please read the payments notes at the bottom of the page.
Information about Etch Placements
Historic placement of etches differs among the various service pieces. The maximum character count includes spaces, periods, and commas. The front side of the blade has the six-pointed "Proved" star on most pieces; the back side has the WKC symbol. Please read the information below carefully concerning the placement of the etch on each piece.
Historically, most swords were personalized in a manner that the wearer could read the etch on the blade as the sword was drawn (we have no idea why). Because the Marine Officer, the Marine NCO, and the Public Health Service have personalization blocks within the specification etch, they are exceptions to this general rule. Furthermore, we have heard that many warriors in the past displayed their single-edged swords so that the sword rested on its spine vs. the sharpened edge. In the modern era, however, many warriors prefer to display and personalize their swords in a "rotated" manner.
Again - Please Read: Except for the Marine swords, there is no regulation or "official" personalization placement for the sword. The only "right" way to etch the sword is the way you want to display the sword or have it done. Therefore, before making your choice, please:
Carefully study the photos where you have a choice of placements.
Visualize how you want to see the sword displayed.
Decide whether you desire to be more "historic" or whether you want to etch the sword so that it can be read "right-side-up" when the sword is displayed.
The Army Saber etch is historically placed on the front side of the blade in the "etch box". The text reads from "tip-to-grip", resulting in the text being read when the blade is "frowning." We are not sure why --- we heard that officers of the 1800s never rested their saber on the sharpened edge. The text can be read as the saber is drawn. One may consider a 180-degree rotated etch. Font size is about 24.
: (19 characters max.)
The Navy Sword etch is placed on the front side of the blade in the "etch box". The text historically reads from "tip-to-grip". The text can be read as the sword is drawn. One may consider a 180-degree rotated etch. Font size is about 22 because of the "etch box" height.
: (30 characters max.)
Please note that the Navy Cutlass has a plain blade with a bevel. The etch is placed on the front side of the blade, centered, a little past the beginning of the bevel. The text historically reads from "tip-to-grip". The text can be read as the cutlass is drawn. One may consider a 180-degree rotated etch. Font size is about 24.
: (19 characters max.)
The Coast Guard Sword etch is placed on the front side of the blade in the "etch box". The text historically reads from "tip-to-grip". The text can be read as the sword is drawn. One may consider a 180-degree rotated etch. Font size is about 22 because of the "etch box" height.
: (30 characters max.)
Please note that the Coast Guard Cutlass has a plain blade with a bevel. The etch is placed on the front side of the blade, centered, a little past the beginning of the bevel. The text historically reads from "tip-to-grip". The text can be read as the cutlass is drawn. One may consider a 180-degree rotated etch. Font size is about 24.
: (30 characters max.)
Please note that the Air Force Sword has a plain blade (the Air Force Academy sword has an etch design). The text is historically placed on the front side of the blade, with the lightning bolts visible on the grip. The etch reads from "tip-to-grip" and ends about 4 inches from the guard. The text is more easily read as the sword is drawn. An etch rotated 180 degrees is possible. Font size is about 24.
: (30 characters max.)
The Army NCO Sword has a plain blade. The text is historically placed on the front side of the blade, with the guard facing up. The etch reads from "tip-to-grip" and ends about 4 inches from the guard. The text is more easily read as the sword is drawn. An etch rotated 180 degrees is possible. Font size is about 24.
: (19 characters max.)
The Marine NCO Sword etch is placed on the back side of the blade in the "etch box". The text historically reads from "tip-to-grip" so that it matches the "United States Marines" in the etch design. A 180-degree rotated etch is not appropriate. Font size is about 24.
: (19 characters max.)
The Marine Officer Sword etch is placed on the back side of the blade in the "etch box". The text historically reads from "tip-to-grip" so that it matches the "United States Marines" in the etch design. A 180-degree rotated etch is not appropriate. Font size is about 24.
: (21 characters max.)
The USPHS Sword etch is placed on the back side of the blade in the blank area in the etch design. The text historically reads from "grip-to-tip" so that the caduceus in the etch design is upright and is to the right of the etched name. A 180-degree rotated etch is not appropriate. Font size is about 24.
: (30 characters max.)
Please note that our stock Academy Sword has a plain blade. Many schools use this sword with their own unique etch design. For a plain blade, the text is historically placed on the front side of the blade and ends about 4 inches from the guard. The text is more easily read as the sword is drawn. An etch rotated 180 degrees is possible. Font size is about 24.
Etching Fonts
We offer Old English, Edwardian, and Arial fonts for laser etching. Click the letters at left for a larger view of the entire alphabet (includes numbers and basic punctuation).
When creating your etch in Old English (below) or Edwardian script, you might want to keep in mind that ALL CAPS does not look good in these fonts.
We have noticed that the Roman numeral suffixes (III, IV, etc.) are extremely difficult to read in the Old English font, so we use Times New Roman for the suffix portion of the name, as follows:
Standard service production is currently about 3 days.
We have found laser etching to be superior to engraving because of its size, readability, beauty, and close match to the acid etch design.
In order to reduce the risk of errors we are not able to accept etch orders via phone; use this page to submit your etch order. In addition, please read the payments notes at the bottom of the page.
Information about Etch Placements
Historic placement of etches differs among the various service pieces. The maximum character count includes spaces, periods, and commas. The front side of the blade has the six-pointed "Proved" star on most pieces; the back side has the WKC symbol. Please read the information below carefully concerning the placement of the etch on each piece.
Historically, most swords were personalized in a manner that the wearer could read the etch on the blade as the sword was drawn (we have no idea why). Because the Marine Officer, the Marine NCO, and the Public Health Service have personalization blocks within the specification etch, they are exceptions to this general rule. Furthermore, we have heard that many warriors in the past displayed their single-edged swords so that the sword rested on its spine vs. the sharpened edge. In the modern era, however, many warriors prefer to display and personalize their swords in a "rotated" manner.
Again - Please Read: Except for the Marine swords, there is no regulation or "official" personalization placement for the sword. The only "right" way to etch the sword is the way you want to display the sword or have it done. Therefore, before making your choice, please:
Carefully study the photos where you have a choice of placements.
Visualize how you want to see the sword displayed.
Decide whether you desire to be more "historic" or whether you want to etch the sword so that it can be read "right-side-up" when the sword is displayed.
The Army Saber etch is historically placed on the front side of the blade in the "etch box". The text reads from "tip-to-grip", resulting in the text being read when the blade is "frowning." We are not sure why --- we heard that officers of the 1800s never rested their saber on the sharpened edge. The text can be read as the saber is drawn. One may consider a 180-degree rotated etch. Font size is about 24.
: (19 characters max.)
The Navy Sword etch is placed on the front side of the blade in the "etch box". The text historically reads from "tip-to-grip". The text can be read as the sword is drawn. One may consider a 180-degree rotated etch. Font size is about 22 because of the "etch box" height.
: (30 characters max.)
Please note that the Navy Cutlass has a plain blade with a bevel. The etch is placed on the front side of the blade, centered, a little past the beginning of the bevel. The text historically reads from "tip-to-grip". The text can be read as the cutlass is drawn. One may consider a 180-degree rotated etch. Font size is about 24.
: (19 characters max.)
The Coast Guard Sword etch is placed on the front side of the blade in the "etch box". The text historically reads from "tip-to-grip". The text can be read as the sword is drawn. One may consider a 180-degree rotated etch. Font size is about 22 because of the "etch box" height.
: (30 characters max.)
Please note that the Coast Guard Cutlass has a plain blade with a bevel. The etch is placed on the front side of the blade, centered, a little past the beginning of the bevel. The text historically reads from "tip-to-grip". The text can be read as the cutlass is drawn. One may consider a 180-degree rotated etch. Font size is about 24.
: (30 characters max.)
Please note that the Air Force Sword has a plain blade (the Air Force Academy sword has an etch design). The text is historically placed on the front side of the blade, with the lightning bolts visible on the grip. The etch reads from "tip-to-grip" and ends about 4 inches from the guard. The text is more easily read as the sword is drawn. An etch rotated 180 degrees is possible. Font size is about 24.
: (30 characters max.)
The Army NCO Sword has a plain blade. The text is historically placed on the front side of the blade, with the guard facing up. The etch reads from "tip-to-grip" and ends about 4 inches from the guard. The text is more easily read as the sword is drawn. An etch rotated 180 degrees is possible. Font size is about 24.
: (19 characters max.)
The Marine NCO Sword etch is placed on the back side of the blade in the "etch box". The text historically reads from "tip-to-grip" so that it matches the "United States Marines" in the etch design. A 180-degree rotated etch is not appropriate. Font size is about 24.
: (19 characters max.)
The Marine Officer Sword etch is placed on the back side of the blade in the "etch box". The text historically reads from "tip-to-grip" so that it matches the "United States Marines" in the etch design. A 180-degree rotated etch is not appropriate. Font size is about 24.
: (21 characters max.)
The USPHS Sword etch is placed on the back side of the blade in the blank area in the etch design. The text historically reads from "grip-to-tip" so that the caduceus in the etch design is upright and is to the right of the etched name. A 180-degree rotated etch is not appropriate. Font size is about 24.
: (30 characters max.)
Please note that our stock Academy Sword has a plain blade. Many schools use this sword with their own unique etch design. For a plain blade, the text is historically placed on the front side of the blade and ends about 4 inches from the guard. The text is more easily read as the sword is drawn. An etch rotated 180 degrees is possible. Font size is about 24.
Etching Fonts
We offer Old English, Edwardian, and Arial fonts for laser etching. Click the letters at left for a larger view of the entire alphabet (includes numbers and basic punctuation).
When creating your etch in Old English (below) or Edwardian script, you might want to keep in mind that ALL CAPS does not look good in these fonts.
We have noticed that the Roman numeral suffixes (III, IV, etc.) are extremely difficult to read in the Old English font, so we use Times New Roman for the suffix portion of the name, as follows:
Marlow White's swords and sabers have ceremonial blades. As such, they are built to strict military regulations to be used in drills, ceremonies, and displays. These blades are of the highest quality but are not sharpened for use as a weapon.
We have found laser etching to be superior to engraving because of its size, readability, beauty, and close match to the acid etch design.