So me and my dad share a garage, and while we both have our own tool chests, sometimes we each leave tools out in places, and he likes to claim they are his. Last year he bought a 6 piece craftsman screw driver set, and about a month later they had a sale and I picked up a 15 piece set. Lets just say his set now has about 12 screw drivers, the rest of which HE lost. He saw them in my tool chest one day and tried yelling at me that i took his tools. I ended up buying the largest set craftsman makes and marked them all with electrical tape. I like a clean looking tool, I do not like when people mark up tools and make them look heavily used, even if they are heavily used.

Well I had a bunch of tools in my car, including 1 of his ratchets that I borrowed, because he never uses it, and I had it for a day. Well he asks me where his ratchet went, and I told him I borrowed it to help someone who broke down at 1AM last night. I told him where it was. Well I just went to my car to get a tool I left in it, and it now contains 2 pipes I use as breaker bars and my hydraulic jack, nothing else. So he is asleep, and I open up his tool chest, which should contain 3 various sized ratchets and 2 extensions.

Here is the list of tools he managed to acquire while retrieving his ratchet:

2 torque wrenchs w/ Cases (mind you he doesn't own a torque wrench himself)
5 Extensions
3 adapters for sockets
2 Universal sockets
a couple of ratchets(besides his)
A socket set

Now I don't think he took these because he knew I had his ratchet, I had permission to use it, so it wouldnt be a "you took my tool, so i am taking yours" type deal. I don't know if he genuinely thought my tools were his, but I find it obnoxious he went through the car and emptied it out. Supposed I broke down on the side if the road...

So without painting or engraving my tools, what are some ways to mark that they are mine? I guess I could put electrical tape on them, but that would sure be a lot of electrical tape.

 

Get a marker or paint that can only be seen under black light. That way your tools will still look clean, but identifiable.
Of course you'll have to get a hand held black light lol.

 

Use a paint marker to color in the recessed letters, just wipe off the excess on the tool. Either that, or use an engraver to mark them "mine" or something.

 

Use a metal stamp with either a number or letter! it's small enough and obscure enough that doesnt "mar" your tools. Put your mark in the sameplace on every tool and when the "old man" rips you off you can get him "red" handed

 

The metal stamp is actually a good idea because I could make it look like its part of the identification number on the tool. Thanks for that idea.