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Hi there, Figure with all of the chat about clear stamps the last few days, I might try the ones I have and see if I can start to like using them The one problem that seems to happen too often for me is that the stamp sticks to the paper. STICKS. Like, I can't remove the stamp, I have to pick up the whole thing and peel the paper off. I end up messing up the image. How can I get that to not happen?
Also, is each kind of clear stamp different in how hard you have to press down? I have never had this problem with my rubber stamps but I seem to either get half an image or a squished up image that is blurry
Any tips would be great!! I am using CTMH and Studio G ($1 ones from Joanns) and also some other ones that I don't know the name, picked up from here and there
__________________ "For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack" ~Rudyard Kipling my gallery
I've become a clear stamp convert, and now like them much more than the rubber stamps I own. I like how easy they are to store and take up no space. I like being able to see exactly where I am stamping for placement, too.
Also, a whole set of clear stamps can be found for just a little more than some individual stamps sell for.
I mostly only use pigment or chalk inks with clear stamps. I haven't had good luck with the dye inks.
I think they do require a different stamping technique, if you are used to using rubber stamps.
The amount of pressure you use when stamping with clear is less than with rubber, and it's just a "feel" thing that comes with practice, I think.
The name brand clear stamps like Hero Arts, My Favorite Things, Papertrey, etc. work very well and you will get clear crisp images with them. But I have plenty of cheaper, off brand clear stamps like Studio G that I use and like, too.
I always stamp several trial images on the same cardstock I will be using for my card before I stamp the actual image I plan to use to see how much pressure is needed, and if the ink covers well. The extra stamped images are handy to use to try out the marker colors and see how they look on the images, too.
And, about your question of the stamp sticking to the paper, I've found that if I hold the paper down with my other hand when stamping that helps with that tendency.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Last edited by buggainok; 03-08-2013 at 08:10 AM..
Agreed, I find that stamps like Studio G, which are fine but are a made from a cheaper material tend to stick a bit more than good quality stamps like those made from photopolymer (sp).
And, about your question of the stamp sticking to the paper, I've found that if I hold the paper down with my other hand when stamping that helps with that tendency.
I had to laugh at that because, I think I DO hold the paper down when I am stamping anyway I mean, don't you kind of have to? Thats where the smodging <sp> comes in because it lifts the paper up and if I am holding it, well, yeah Thanks for the help on the other question
__________________ "For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack" ~Rudyard Kipling my gallery
I had to laugh at that because, I think I DO hold the paper down when I am stamping anyway I mean, don't you kind of have to? Thats where the smodging <sp> comes in because it lifts the paper up and if I am holding it, well, yeah Thanks for the help on the other question
I guess I wasn't clear about what I meant by hold the paper down... sorry. I know most people have their other hand on the paper, lol.
More detail here. When I get ready to stamp, I always stamp on a scrap cardstock piece first. If I see that the stamp has a tendency to "stick" to the paper and lift it up, then I make my left hand in sort of a "C" shape with my thumb down and other fingers up. Sort of holding both the top and bottom of the paper down and stamping inside the C. I promise the paper doesn't lift up that way.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I only have the sticking problem when I stamp with Versamark ink. It is a clear sticky ink on purpose so embossing powder will stick to it. For those images I always just peel the paper off but it doesn't seem to mess up my image that I've noticed.
With your clear stamps, if it is happening all the time with other inks perhaps you are pushing down too hard, or you might try to rub lightly over the clean, dry stamps with a white eraser to remove any manufacturing residue that might be causing the stickiness.
Lots of companies ( such as PaperTrey Ink ) recommend you do this eraser thing with all their stamps before using them anyway. Sometimes this can help dye ink cover better and not bead up, and it can help get a crisper image regardless of the ink you use.
Just lightly rub over the stamp with the eraser, then clean with a stamp cleaner and a stamp scrubber if you have one to remove any eraser "boogers"....and you are good to go!
I don't think I've experienced the sticking, but I'm chiming in because I definitely know you don't need to press as hard! As Bugga has already said, it's just a learning curve to find the right balance between pressing enough to get a clean image but no so much as to blur/smudge it. And some brands are just better than others . I know we are not "meant" to rock our stamps, but with small sentiment ones on a small narrow block I do find this helps me get a clean, full impression.
funny you should ask. I have been happily using clear photopolymer stamps for years with no sticking issues.
Until last week. A new set from a well known high quality company and it sticks to the cardstock! Weird. I have used many sets from this company but this is different. I'm practicing to relearn the right amount of pressure to use.
Wonder if the manufacturer tried something new. The stamps also seem a bit thicker. Hmmm
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
Thanks for the answers everyone!! I will have to try the eraser trick and see if that works. Any special type? Regular pink one? I have one of those square things that looks like the souls of the shoes I wore when I was little...it's for removing adhesive from cardstock...can't think of what it's called, maybe that will work. Thanks again!!!
__________________ "For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack" ~Rudyard Kipling my gallery
I've never had to use an eraser - if the stamps are good quality - just use them right out of the package! The type of ink pad matters, but I've never had to condition a stamp - clear or rubber.
What you are describing is sometimes called a rubber cement pick-up or a crepe eraser (like a crepe sole on a shoe). And YES, that is exactly what I use on ALL my clear stamps when I first get them. It removes the oil or finish that is sometimes left from the manufacturing process, without leaving behind any "boogers" or flakes that other erasers leave behind. So far the only clear stamps that I have had sticking problems with are some older ones that a very generous friend passed on to me when she no longer wanted them. It could have been the formula they used to make those older stamps, or something like Staz-on cleaner that was used to clean them (before we all knew that you shouldn't use Staz-on cleaner on clear stamps), or whatever.
Oh--I take that back--I have had one recent problem with a new set sticking a bit, even after using the rubber cement pick-up. I just use chalk ink, a lighter touch when stamping, and hold the paper down as Bugga explained. Works fine.
With photopolymer stamps, they go through a curing process. They are generally washed after curing and if the uncured resin isn't completely washed off, this will make the stamp sticky. You could just wash the stamp in some warm soapy water to remove it. If that doesn't help, as the other ladies suggested, try an eraser over it to roughen up the surface a bit.
I usually use a white eraser. I have one that comes in a pen case and you just push more out the tip as you wear it away. I think I got it in the pens and pencils section at Walmart. I mostly use it when doing crossword puzzles or Suduko but it comes in handy for cleaning off the stamps too. But I think any clean eraser will work.
You know how some pencil erasers seem to hold onto the lead and start leaving more of a black streaky mess on your paper instead of removing what you wrote? Just don't use one like that!!
Agreed, I find that stamps like Studio G, which are fine but are a made from a cheaper material tend to stick a bit more than good quality stamps like those made from photopolymer (sp).
Actually, my experience is the exact opposite. I bought a few of the cheap Studio G stamps and ended up throwing them out. They never stuck to the acrylic block and never left a good impression. On the other hand, the high quality photo-polymer stamps I own from GinaK and Sweet N Sassy Stamps stick very well to the block and sometimes stick to the card stock when I stamp. I find that different inks cause them to have a different stickiness factor. But the more they stick the better impression I get.
Lots of companies ( such as PaperTrey Ink ) recommend you do this eraser thing with all their stamps before using them anyway. Sometimes this can help dye ink cover better and not bead up, and it can help get a crisper image regardless of the ink you use.
Just lightly rub over the stamp with the eraser, then clean with a stamp cleaner and a stamp scrubber if you have one to remove any eraser "boogers"....and you are good to go!
I had a decent collection of clear stamps before I started using many of them and found I hated them. HATED them. couldn't get them to work worth a squat.. until i read about the eraser thing. I have a big blue block eraser (for really big mistakes, it says on it) and i rub that gently over the stamp and voila, they finally work. Now i'm more open to buying them again!!!
I just recently had an my first unusual experience stamping with a Tim Holtz clear stamp. I was using versamark and then embossing with clear. I went through three sheets of card stock becuase after I would stamp the versamark when I pulled the stamp back off the paper ...the paper tore and came with it! I couldn't believe it! I was using a nice card stock with a very nice finish. I finally had to change to a little heavier cardstock with not as nice a finish. (This was after I scrubbed the stamp with Dawn and a scrub brush, sanded it abit and then finally used the eraser. I then changed cardstock). I even changed Versamark pads thinking maybe mine had gotten old and sticky! I have used that stamp many times and the only thing I could think of was that I might have used the Stazon remover on it after it's last use. Like the rest of us I have since learned that using Stazon remover on clear stamps is a no no. Can you still use it but then make sure you wash the remover off and it doesn't sit on the stamp?
I particularly notice my PTI stamps stick to the paper, especially when I'm stamping on little diecut pieces. And yes, I get the smudging problem, more so when I use pigment inks. One thing I've found that helps is to use dye ink (only on photopolymer stamps of course, not acrylic ones) and just let the stamp stick to the paper for a few moments till the ink has time to absorb into the paper. Then I peel it off really carefully, sometimes using my tweezers. Seems to work most of the time!
In have a couple very poor quality brands that have stuck badly enough to ruin an image upon removal especially with a dryish ink pad. I make sure to use a juicy ink pad and remove the stamp very quickly. These stamps tend to get stickier with time and end up needing to be trashed eventually. I just ditched a set recently. Sad.
Other good quality stamps do require different pressure depending in the type of image ie line art vs solid and type of ink. You will learn with time. Rubber varies too but not as much as clear which is a softer substance than rubber. If I am unsure, I always do a practice image before stamping on a project. I start on a piece of chipboard I use to cover my workspace and move on to a scrap similar to my project if I am still in doubt. I do this with all new stamps whose company I am not familiar. For companies I know like PTI, MFt and Flourishes, I know I can stamp their stamps right out of the package straight on to my project first time. Yeah!
Sometimes they do stick but never enough to even come close to ruining a project so for me, that doesn't even count. And as they get older, that lessens. I just gently nudge the paper off the stamp and allow it to fall to my desk top. Never ruined a project.
__________________ RebeccaEdnie Mixed Media Artist, Paper Crafter, Jewelry Designer SCSDirtyDozenAlumni Www.Boxofchocolatescrafts.Com YouNeverKnowWhatI’mGoingtoMake
The only time I've ever had clear photopolymer stamps stick to the paper (and I mean stick so that the cardstock ripped when I peeled it off the stamp) is when I've used Stazon ink. Needless to say I never use Stazon with clear stamps. I use SU, Memento ink and I'm a recent convert to Onyx Black Versafine because, to my eye, the image it produces is far superior to anything else.
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Good grief! After reading all this I think I am sticking to rubber stamps!! LOL
Oh no, don't do that! Give clear stamps a try.
I have some rubber stamps I got when I first started stamping, but the majority of stamps I use these days are the clear ones. I really don't have any problems with them.
I love the images the clear stamp companies have, you get more for your money, and I like being able to see where I'm stamping.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I realize this is an old-ish thread but thought I'd chime in with a trick I've found helpful with my clear stamps. Put a mousepad under your cardstock when stamping. That's helped me with the clarity of my images anyway.
Clear stamps sticking to the paper
