Cracks in Rubber

[lovetodreamdesigns]

Hi,

I have several Stampin' Up stamps that I purchased new (a year ago) that have cracks in the rubber. They were like this when I bough them. I purchased another set from eBay and just noticed that one of those stamps actually has a slice in the rubber. I have had it for a year so returning it is not an option. Is there a way to repair the rubber?

Stampin' Up says the cracks in their stamps happen occasionally from the creation process. Some of the cracks go right up to the stamped image, but luckily don't quite make it. Should I expect them to crack completely at some point?

Thanks!

[InkeePhingers]

Your stamps shouldn't crack if you clean them or at least treat them once in a while with a stamp cleaner that will "condition" the rubber. Stampin' Mist does this but almost every commercial stamp cleaner also has a conditioner in it. I have never had an SU stamp that has cracked, while several that I bought at my local craft stores have.

[lovetodreamdesigns]

How odd. These actually arrived that way brand new...

Thanks so much for your reply!

[horseygal]

I have gotten some with cracks in them before, but it didn't affect the stamped image and I always clean my stamps with stamp cleaner so I haven't had any problems.

[pjw2855]

No rubber stamp should be cracked when purchased new. You should return those immediately.

Rubber stamps may crack with age if they are not treated properly. Using a stamp cleaner made for rubber stamps is best. These products are made to keep the stamps in proper condition. Cleaning directly after using the stamp is also important. Using products other than specific stamp cleaners you will take the chance of damage to your stamps over time.

You can also use plain baby wipes (no alcohol, scent, aloe or anything) can work for cleaning the clear stamps most times. Again, clean directly after stamping.

Patti

[cbet]

I've gotten a couple of stamps like that - bare rubber, and the "cracks" were only on the back - no evidence of them on the front of the stamps.

I don't think they were actually cracks in the rubber, though. It looked more to me like the rubber sheet maybe creased when it was pressed into the mold. Maybe that's what SU meant when they told the OP that the cracks happen as part of the creation process.

For mine, they stamped fine after being mounted on EZ Mount, so I didn't worry about it. Actually, I had a couple of wood-mount stamps that I unmounted down to bare rubber, and those had the same "cracks" on them - if I hadn't unmounted them, I never would have known.