All About Rubber Stamping Ink – Things You Need to Know

There are a large number of inks available for rubber and Hand Stamp which comes in a variety of colors and pad size. Apart from single colored ink pads, you can also get your hands on multi-colored pads.

Generally, the ink available for rubber stamping falls into three category – dye, permanent solvent-based and pigment. Apart from these, special inks have been developed that are technique specific. For example, the ink used for stamping into fabric or used with embossing powders is different from the ink used to stamp on paper.

The type of ink you choose for your hand stamp will have an effect on the finished project, therefore it is essential to pick up the right kind of ink to do the job. If you are opting for heat embossing techniques, it is essential to use a slow drying ink with embossing powder. There are hundreds of creative ways to use inks. All you need to do is to start stamping.

General ink

A large variety of inks that are readily available in the market are present in a variety of colors ranging from deepest blacks to pale pastels. This means that there's bound to be the perfect color ink available for your project or to match the theme or a special occasion. The main features of the main different types of inks for rubber stamping are as follows:

Dye-based Ink

·       These are colorfast inks that are quick drying. If you are a beginner, these are inks you should begin with as they dry fast and are less likely to smudge

·         They work particularly well with light colored papers or whiteboards

·         However, they are more likely to fade in bright lights

·         They are usually sold with a felt pen

These dyes must be stored upside down so that the dye flows to the top of the felt pen and they are easy to use

Pigment-based ink

·         Pigment-based ink is thick, rich and are slow drying

·         They are light and colorfast

·         They are typically used with embossing powders

·         They are often sold with a sponge pad

Companies are coming up with fast drying versions of pigment based ink. Your supplier will be able to advise better.

Stamping on a Curved Surface Made Easy

If you are in love with stamping, you must have thought about stamping on different surfaces. Have you ever thought about stamping on curved surfaces? Don’t be afraid to experiment. Moreover, it is extremely easy to stamp on curved surfaces with these simple tips.

Use small stamps

To begin with, you need to get your hands on small Self Inking Stamps as they are much easier to use on curved surfaces than large stamps. Pick up stamps that use a pattern built on several stamps rather than using one large stamp.

Don’t not over ink

Using a stamp filled with extra ink may slip on the curved surface. Therefore, it is important to achieve a balance between having enough ink and having too much ink. This is when having a self inking stamp help you strike the right balance.

Fill in the gaps

You can choose to fill in the gaps in your stamped image using a thin marker pen. However be careful as a slight mistake can ruin your complete design.

Use unmounted stamps

You can even choose to use unmounted stamps instead of using rigidly mounted stamps. Further, use your fingers to press the stamps to the surface to get a complete design.

Create a random design

If your stamped images are less than perfect, one way to disguise this is by building up an all over design using lots of stamped images. You can overlap the images if you like and this will soon hide any imperfections.

However, if you are still unable to achieve a perfect design, here are few other techniques that can help you with the stamping.

Stamp on a thin paper

Instead of stamping on a curved surface directly, you can choose to stamp on a thin paper and adhere this to the surface to achieve the desired result. You can use this technique to stamp on candles.

Decoupage

This is a variation on the above-said technique. Start by sticking small pieces of tissue paper and then use the decoupage technique to adhere the pattern to the surface. This is a great way to add decorations to surfaces which are uneven or very curved which would otherwise be difficult to stamp on.

How To Clean My Signature Stamp?

Do you know a number of household products can help keep your stamps sparkling clean?

It is essential to keep your Signature Stamp clean if you want to avail clean and crisp stamped image every time. If the stamps are not cleaned after every stamping session, the ink may get transferred to the next project and you may not get clear details. In certain cases, the dried ink can clog the design making it difficult to get clear impressions.

So the question is how can you keep your stamps clean?

Whether you are a seasoned stamper or are new to stamping, it is important to have knowledge about how to keep your stamps clean. If you can make it a habit to clean the stamps regularly, it would be the best thing to do. You have invested your money in getting a hands-on customized signature stamp, so it only makes sense if you keep it clean. Having clean rubber stamps come with a number of benefits.
 Some of them are:

• Clean stamps does not contaminate ink pads with other colored ink

• Unclean stamp gather dust and dirt with ease

• Dried ink makes it difficult to get clear impressions

There are different ways to keep your stamps clean. Some of them are:

Stamp cleaner

You can easily get your hands on stamp cleaners which are special cleaners available in the market. These can easily be purchased from runner stamp suppliers or craft stores. Stamp cleaners generally come in a bottle that needs to be poured into a vessel to clean the stamp or can be used as in an integral cleaning pad which is built into the bottle.

Baby wipes

If you can get your hands on alcohol-free baby wipes, you can easily clean the stamps with it. They offer a handy to keep the stamps clean during a stamping session. While the baby wipes may not be able to get into the crevices of the stamps, it can quickly clean away any excess ink before applying the next color.

Soap and water

Another great way of cleaning the stamps is to wash them with soapy water. A majority of standard inks can easily be washed off with the help of soapy water. Take a toothbrush dipped in the soapy water and whisk off any ink that may be clinging the stamps.

Different Stamps For Craft Enthusiasts

Are you into rubber stamping? Do you love making art with rubber or self-inking stamps? If so, you must be aware of the fact the rubber stamps can instantly add a touch of decoration or provide the right sentiments to any project. Here are few different types of rubber stamps that you must use to convert your art piece into a masterpiece.

The different types of stamps

To begin with, you need to understand that all rubber stamps differ from each other irrespective of the fact that they are unanimously called as rubber stamps. This is a generic name for any kind of stamp you may have used for crafting. So there may be acrylic, wood, digital or foam stamps but they will be called as rubber stamps.

Wood mount stamps are the original rubber stamps. These are generally made from rubber and mounted on a wooden block to make holding them easier. There is a layer of foam present between the wood and the rubber to help you achieve a nice crisp image.

Polymer stamps easily stick to an acrylic block without the help of an adhesive. These stamps are extremely popular because it makes it easy to see where and what you are stamping. These are great for a situation where precise placement of the impression is required.

Foam stamps can be divided into two categories. You can get your hands on inexpensive foam stamps generally used for crafting projects or you can shop for smaller foam stamps generally used for card making. The former foam stamps are thick and the images resent is large and simple. They are best used with craft paints. Their large chunkier shape makes it easy to be used by the kids.  foam stamps can be used to stamp shaped on t-shirts, flower pots, tote bags, wood and various other surfaces. The latter stamps are generally used for detailed stamping. They can either be shapes or text.

The last category of stamps is the digital stamps which are popular among tech-savvy crafters. You can easily get hold of them online or shop them offline. With the advent of technology, websites are offering huge varieties of these stamps. All you need to do is to send payment by credit card and download the image you want to purchase. They are inexpensive, can be resized and take no storage space.