Rubber Stamping Techniques


by Clive Oscar - Date: 2008-07-25 - Word Count: 880 Share This!

Stamping has been around for a long time, and has always referred to marking of some kind. It's not until recent in history has the rubber stamp come into play. No one is sure who invented the rubber stamp, since there have been multiple people to claim the invention of this incredible remarkable marking device. Since, the history is so dubbed in mystery, and is very boring, we shall not discuss it here. But, it is noteworthy to say that the rubber stamping industry has its roots in the dental area, because the dentists began using the vulcanized rubber for the making and molding of false teeth, as it was easier than the gold and brass teeth that were previously being used, and that we can thank the accidental discovery of Charles Goodyear for the vulcanized rubber for when he dropped it on the stove.

Rubber stamping itself, though, first shows up in the history books until the early 1900s, and it still has the same technique as it did 100 years ago. First, you ink your stamp completely, by tapping (not rubbing or smearing) it softly on rubber dye. Once the dye is evenly spread out, you turn over the stamp and press it firmly onto the surface you are stamping, whether it is a piece of paper or something else entirely. You must make sure of two things while doing this: you must be stamping onto an even surface, and you definitely should not rock the stamp as you apply it, because this will cause unevenness and deformities in your stamp that will look absolutely atrocious.

Rubber stamping looks fine by itself, but to really bring the best out in your creations there are other techniques to use along it, which really give it a nice touch. One such technique is embossing. Embossing is the process of creating three-dimensional images or designs ductile materials such as paper. Embossing a rubber stamping design can give your a 360 view and feel nothing like rubber stamping alone can produce. In order to emboss you creation, you must do it while it is still wet, other wise the embossing won't work. Depending on the absorbency of the paper you are using, you can use pigment ink, dye ink, and markers to emboss. The use of regular card stock produces the best results when using pigment inks. Before embossing, you want to put a scrap piece of paper under the cardstock. Then, stamp using the technique explained before, and quickly pour the powder onto your design. You want to completely cover the image with the powder, and the tap the excess off onto the scrap piece of paper, and return it to the bottle, so that you can reuse the extra powder. Now, you'll want to turn your embossing gun on and hold it directly above your design. Don't hold the gun in one place too long, as this will burn the paper. Make sure to heat the design evenly, and only do so until the powder has melted, because after the powder has melted, the next thing to heat is the paper, which will burn. Another tip is that you don't need to move the gun around rapidly, just move it slowly and surely around your design until you have melted all the powder.

Another really useful technique that you can use along with you rubber stamping is masking. Masking is a rather simple technique that has been growing in popularity as of late. First, you must stamp your chosen stamp onto a piece of paper. Next, you cut out the stamp, paying super close attention to the details of the stamp. You are going to want to cut right on the lines of the stamp for this technique to look the best. Next, you are going to want to tape the cut out stamp up with masking tape, and then place it on the piece of paper that you are going to be using for your project. We don't want our stamp to be on the paper permanently, though, so avoid glue at all costs. Now, using stamp pads or sponges, you can make a background. You can use any techniques for the background, as this doesn't affect the masking at all. When you are finished with the background, you can take the stamp of, and the paper behind the background will show through, which if you ask me, is a really neat effect.

Masking can also be combined with a technique known as Direct-To-Paper, which is mostly used to create backgrounds. Direct-To-Paper can be accomplished using the small Cat's Eye pigment pads, and by brushing or tapping ink lightly onto the surface of the card stock. You can also combine different colors, and try brushing using different stokes to produce beautiful background papers for any stamp or mask. When done correctly, the effect produced will normally look leafy or grainy, but you can make it look however your heart desires as well. Stamping on top of the background with metallic inks also produces a wondrous effect.

If you are new to rubber stamping, a great way to start is by buying an inexpensive rubber stamping kit, which will normally include all of the supplies and tools you will need to begin making stylish creations.

Related Tags: crafts, hobbies, scrapbooking, diy, hobby, ink, craft, scrapbooks, stamps, stamping, rubber, embossing, masking, stamp, emboss

Clive Oscar has been a Rubber Stamping enthusiast for over a decade and runs a rubber stamping site called Rubber Stampability

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