It seems handy to have a flat metal plate next to the bank pin but the problem with this product is that the metal is too soft for stamping or polishing. After several stamps on copper or silver with letter stamps, I found that they left marks on the metal. Now the remaining marks will texture my work when I use them as a flat surface to smooth or smooth the metal with a rawhide hammer. My advice: take a polished steel stamp block and use one side to stamp and keep the other side clean to level/smooth out parts you want to keep clean.