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It's no secret that I love clear stamps. Specifically, polymer stamps.
And, as a stamper, I love ink. Every time a new ink came out, I bought it. Every new color. Lots of ink. Dye, Pigment, Hybrid, Permanent, India, Distressed. Ink that smelled. Ink you could eat. You name it, I bought it.
And when I get together with other stampers, the topic almost always comes around to ink. And then, of course, what's the best type of ink to use with my beloved polymer stamps.
With rubber stamps, you could use any ink, but polymer stamps, which aren't as porous as rubber, need a special ink.
My favorites are Versafine and Marvy Ink.
Versafine, because it's a detail ink that is water resistant. This means that when it fully dries I can use it with my watercolors if I'm careful not to soak the paper with water. It gives a nice clear edge, and the black is nice and black. And if I'm quick, I can use embossing powder with it.
Marvy Ink is Dye Ink that is good all around ink. Since it's a dye ink, I can use it with Copics and Odorless Mineral Spirits. And because there is not a high water content, the ink doesn't bead up on the stamp, like I've seen other ink do. It's not a sharp as Versafine, but it's pretty gosh darn sharp.
What inks do you like to use with your polymer stamps?
Wow!! Thanks for the info on the inks!! It's great to know...especially since you have really done your homework!! I'm gonna try the Versafine!! thank you!
I do love Versafine, but when I handle my image (to do fussy cutting & such) it smears sometimes. Brilliance is fabulous, as it is a quick-drying pigment ink. That term is relative, though, as it does take a blast from the heat gun to set. You also need to re-ink the pad more often.
The two inks I keep ON MY DESK to use with my clear (photopolymer) stamps are Memento (for Copics) and VersaMagic Chalk ink. VersaMagic is my absolute FAVORITE...rich, deep coverage, but won't stain your stamps. It also dries out quickly so needs to be re-inked more often. But of alllllll the inks I've owned and tried, it's my favorite.
Yup! Versafine, because it's a pigment type ink, it does take longer to dry. Or you can hit it with a heatgun.
I've tried Brilliance, and I love it, too. It gives really good coverage.
One of the reasons I turn to Versafine is that I teach. Since it takes longer to dry, that means that it takes longer to dry out. So I don't have to worry about lids not being put back for hours.
I have been using Momento for over a year and it seems to be my "go to" ink everytime. (I mainly use Copics for my colour medium). I have used versafine in the past as well and had no complaints....(I think I need to pick up another pad for when I want to watercolour).
Shannon, I think that is why I stopped using brilliance ink. I found I was replacing my pads waaaay too often (I didn't realize you could simply re-ink the pad...lol)
I've only been at this wonderful and addictive hobby for a little over a year. I started off with CTMH stamps because of the storage issue. I find them to be top quality and I love their ink too. I also find the CTMH inks work well with the few rubber stamps I have as well. Hope this helps!
Edit: I didn't realize I was posting under a competitor's forum. I hope that's okay. I did go take a look at The Cat's Pajamas site and there are some really cute sets there! So many stamps yet so little money LOL!
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Leslie Harnish
Sambro, Nova Scotia
Canada
Hoping all my inks that have been in storage will NOT be dried out or ruint.. I will be devistated if so.. (I have ALOT of inkpads.. some SU and some others) But most of all I have ALOT of money tied up in it~ my hubby will just die! lol
Most of the time, I use Palette ink. But, as you mentioned, most polymer stamps (TCP in particular) need pigment ink. So, for my TCP (and most of my polymer) stamps, I use Versafine.
Hoping all my inks that have been in storage will NOT be dried out or ruint.. I will be devistated if so.. (I have ALOT of inkpads.. some SU and some others) But most of all I have ALOT of money tied up in it~ my hubby will just die! lol
Yikes. Can't you get reinkers for the ones you love best? Then you can revitalize them without spending an arm and a leg.
The two inks I keep ON MY DESK to use with my clear (photopolymer) stamps are Memento (for Copics) and VersaMagic Chalk ink. VersaMagic is my absolute FAVORITE...rich, deep coverage, but won't stain your stamps. It also dries out quickly so needs to be re-inked more often. But of alllllll the inks I've owned and tried, it's my favorite.
I like Chalk ink! I'm embarrassed to say, I stopped using them because I hated the clean up. I could never get the ink out of the crevices, no matter how hard I tried. Do you use any special cleaner to get all the residue off?
Splitcoast Dirty Dozen Alumni ...knows good stamps
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Northeast Ohio
Posts: 26,458
If I'm not using Copics, Versafine is my go-to ink! It's absolutely fabulous!
If I'm using Copics, I turn to Memento. And if I stamp an adorable TCP image like a penguin and don't get the best coverage in the black areas of the stamp from the Memento, I just color in those areas with a dark gray Copic to make it all nice and even!
I'm pretty lazy most of the time and use my Memento ink for most everything! I think it works great as an "all around" black ink - although I can't remember, can you watercolor with it? I do think Versafine gives such a sharp clear image though!!
I had to use Stazon the other day for stamping on shrink plastic and I had to reink my pad about 3 times! And I admit I haven't used my Brilliance pad in sometime because I'm too lazy to keep reinking it (plus its a little thick for my taste).
GREAT Topic!! I'm always looking for new colors of ink too - I'm hoping the rumors I heard about new Memento colors is true but I need to find some new colors!
I'm a big Momento fan because it dries so fast and rarely bleeds with my Copics. Since I finally got a re-inker recently, I'm loving my tuxedo black even more. Definitely need to find a re-inker for my Rich Cocoa.
BUT, I will say, Alma's totally made me a convert to the Marvy Matchables black -- it is so much darker and deeper a black than Momento! Perfect for Sprinkle and the Penguins! I'm trying to save it, though, because I don't have a re-inker. Alma, do you have a ready source for these? I'm ready to try more!
I've been a long time fan of Versafine. Love how black it is, though I don't seem to be reaching for it as much anymore because it's so juicy and tends to splatter a bit when I lift my stamp off the paper. Plus, I'm impatient and almost always end up rubbing my hand over it and smearing things before it's dry. Heat setting works, but I rarely want to pause my Audible book long enough to turn the heat tool on!
If I'm coloring with Copics, I usually use Amuse Black Dye ink. I've tried brilliance, memento and a host of others, but the blacks seem more gray than black and they all still seem to bleed a little if I use Copics, where the Amuse ink doesn't.
I've used mostly SU! dye inks in the past because of the color matching, but am quickly becoming a fan of the Ranger Distress inks. They're probably the most loved ink pads in my stash. They stamp well with clear stamps, emboss easily and I especially love their blending qualities for sponging.
Going to have to give the Marvy matchables a go - they might be the last ink on the planet I hanen't tried! LOL
I'm a die hard Versafine fan too. I find that it does get the details much better than any other ink. I also emboss with clear embossing powder because I'm not patient enough to let it dry. *wink* But it does look great when the image is raised and shiny.
I'm a die hard Versafine fan too. I find that it does get the details much better than any other ink. I also emboss with clear embossing powder because I'm not patient enough to let it dry. *wink* But it does look great when the image is raised and shiny.
I like the look of Versafine with the clear embossing powder, too. Especially the black. Do you use clear detail embossing powder, or does it matter?
For my clear stamps, I use Versafine Black Onyx, Distress Inks in various colours, Versamagic and Brilliance inks. I have recently bought two Colorbox chalk inks and love them. They give phenomenal coverage and colour. However, they do stain the clear stamps ... I've heard that inking in Versamark and then the chalk ink helps this. I will DEFINITELY be trying this tip out. I also love Colorbox's Frost White. It is fabulous!!
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I've heard that inking in Versamark and then the chalk ink helps this. I will DEFINITELY be trying this tip out. I also love Colorbox's Frost White. It is fabulous!!
I'd love to hear if this works. I love Stazon Opaque White, but I hate cleaning off my stamps since I can't use the cleaner. I use the Ultra Clean stamp cleaner, but it takes awhile. And if using Versamark before would help in this case, I would definitely want to invest in a pad.
I like the look of Versafine with the clear embossing powder, too. Especially the black. Do you use clear detail embossing powder, or does it matter?
My favorite is Filigree clear powder for the fine detail. I used to be a die hard for SU! clear powder, but I find the clear detail with Filigree much better.
My favorite is Filigree clear powder for the fine detail. I used to be a die hard for SU! clear powder, but I find the clear detail with Filigree much better.
I'm going to have to go on a hunt for some! I've also found myself recently wishing I had off white embossing powder - they must make that as well?!
Hoping all my inks that have been in storage will NOT be dried out or ruint.. I will be devistated if so.. (I have ALOT of inkpads.. some SU and some others) But most of all I have ALOT of money tied up in it~ my hubby will just die! lol
Jenni, all of my ink pads were in storage for close to a year, and they were fine!
GREAT thread. Alma, I have been on the look out for the Marvy ink since you told me about it last summer. Of course, I've needed a Rich Cocoa Memento reinker (like Carole) for months, too. I gots to get my act pulled together.
Julee, thanks for the reminder about the AMuse black. I actually have some of those that I use in Copic Certifications, always with success. I'll pull one out and try that again this week. I love Memento, but do find it a little bit trickier with your beautiful Verve and my sweet Cat's Pajamas clear stamps.
Let's talk ink.
Brilliance is fabulous, as it is a quick-drying pigment ink. That term is relative, though, as it does take a blast from the heat gun to set. You also need to re-ink the pad more often. 
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