How to mark your tools so cops can return them.

A marked tool is worth less to a thief and worth more to the police. That is the entire logic — every step below flows from those two facts. Marking does not stop the theft happening; it shortens the resale window and increases the chance of recovery.

Most tradies do half the job — they engrave a postcode on the big stuff and call it done. The version that consistently works has two layers: visible deterrence, covert evidence.

Why marking actually works

Three reasons marking changes thief behaviour:

• A marked tool is recognisable. Marketplace buyers scroll past a $400 grinder with someone else's suburb engraved on the side.
• Scrap yards in most states ask for ID for non-trade scrap. A copper offcut with a stamped trade-business name on it raises a flag.
• Police can search for marked items in their property databases. An unmarked tool has nothing to match against — the report sits in the drawer.

Engraving — the workhorse

A handheld engraving pen is $25 to $80 at Bunnings. It writes on metal, hard plastic and most case materials. The text to engrave: your business name plus suburb and postcode. Not your phone number — phone numbers change, suburbs do not.

• Two spots per tool. One obvious (top of the case, side of the body) for deterrence. One hidden (inside the battery cavity, under a rubber boot, behind a removable cover) for evidence.
• Engrave through the paint or coating, not just into it. A thief with sandpaper can rub a surface scratch out in 30 seconds.
• For battery kits, engrave the battery housing as well as the tool. Batteries get split off and sold separately.
• Keep the engraving pen on the truck. Engrave new purchases the day you unbox them, not eventually.

UV / invisible marking

UV-reactive markers (sometimes sold as 'security markers') write a fluorescent ink that is invisible in normal light and glows under a UV torch. Several Australian forensic-marking products exist — the better ones bond to the substrate and last for years.

• UV marks are evidence. A thief cannot easily see them, so cannot easily remove them.
• Most police forces have UV torches in standard kit. If a tool gets stopped or seized, the UV mark is what proves it is yours.
• Refresh the UV mark every two to three years — exposure to sunlight and abrasion does eventually fade it.
• Combine with engraving. The engraving is the deterrent; the UV is the evidence. Different purposes — both add value.

Etching, stamping and chemical marks

For higher-value plant — generators, light towers, mini excavators — engraving alone is not enough. Three additions worth considering:

• Steel stamping. A set of letter and number punches is $40. Stamping the business name into the chassis or shroud is much harder to grind off than surface engraving.
• Acid etching. For chrome or polished surfaces where engraving looks bad, etching paste gives you a permanent mark without disfiguring the tool.
• Forensic micro-marks. Commercial products that mix microscopic identifiers into a clear adhesive — used heavily by some insurers in the UK; available in Australia but more expensive. Worth it for fleets above a certain size.

What to put on the mark

The convention used by Australian police forces and most published advice:

• Postcode first (police can match a postcode to a state immediately).
• Then a short business identifier — initials or a short business name.
• Example: '3030 ACME ELEC' or '2000 J SMITH'. Short, clear, unambiguous.
• Do not engrave your phone number, your driver licence number, or your tax file number. None of those are durable identifiers and one of them is illegal to publish.

Recording the marks

A mark without a record is half a system. Build the photo log as you go:

1. Photograph each tool with the visible engraving in shot.
2. Photograph each tool with the hidden engraving in shot (lift the boot, open the battery cavity).
3. Photograph the UV mark under a UV torch — yes, you can do this with a phone in a dark shed.
4. Photograph the serial number plate.
5. File in a dated cloud folder alongside receipts.

What to mark, in priority order

• High-value power tools (Milwaukee, DeWalt, Festool, Hilti, Makita combo kits, press tools, large rotary hammers).
• Meters and instruments (Fluke, Klein, Megger, Ridgid).
• Tool cases and Packout stacks (the case is half the value).
• Trailers (chassis number area, drawbar, side panel).
• Plant (generators, light towers, compactors, mini excavators) — stamp, not just engrave.
• Ladders, levels, large hand tools that get left on site.
• Coolers and toolbags — yes really. They get nicked too.