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Best way to get the tackiness/stickiness off unmounted wooden blocks?
I have managed to get some SU wood blocks here from some of you who unmounted your wooden stamp sets. Now question is how do i get the stickiness off the blocks? I just need to get it so that it is suitable for me to stick my clear mount Dinoroar stamp ontot he wooden blocks for my boys to use.
What I did to one block that I used for something else was to wipe as much adhesive off with a cotton pad and rubbing alcohol and then let it dry out. Then I sanded off the rest of the rest of the adhesive.
A product called UnDu takes adhesive off EVERYTHING. But I also had luck heating things in the microwave, then using the Stampin' Up glue eraser to take the adhesive right off. I've also removed glue with an Exacto knife.
The microwave trick Joanne Allison, "Angel North", taught me, to separate parts of cards that have been put together with double-sided tape. I start with 10 seconds of high heat and go up from there in 5 second intervals until the adhesive is hot enough to separate. I have also heated woodblock rubber stamps on which the manufacturer put the sentiment or image crooked. In fact I did that just yesterday and I think it took less heat than separating cardstock parts. I put the sentiment back on straight, using 600E glue, which is my strongest adhesive. What a relief it is to have that sentiment straight, finally!
Now if only I could find a way to remove ink smudges.....
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And ... if you don't want to "mess" with all that ... Michael's and JoAnn's sells small acrylic blocks (I've found two rectangle and two square sizes--I think the largest square was 2.5 or 3 inches square) for $1 each. I purchased some to serve as permanent blocks for a dozen stamps that I frequently use. Clear stamps are so easy to work with and easier to clean. Plus, your little boys can see where they're stamping whatever they're stamping, which is a good thing, ey? Just sayin ... . BTW, I have had some luck w/microwaving to loosen the rubber but if the gluey goo didn't come off, it did get mucked up when I used a cloth or hand sand block. Also, when you sand by hand or w/a belt or other electric sander, you have to make sure you get the wood back to being level. Good luck!
And ... if you don't want to "mess" with all that ... Michael's and JoAnn's sells small acrylic blocks (I've found two rectangle and two square sizes--I think the largest square was 2.5 or 3 inches square) for $1 each. I purchased some to serve as permanent blocks for a dozen stamps that I frequently use. Clear stamps are so easy to work with and easier to clean. Plus, your little boys can see where they're stamping whatever they're stamping, which is a good thing, ey? Just sayin ... . BTW, I have had some luck w/microwaving to loosen the rubber but if the gluey goo didn't come off, it did get mucked up when I used a cloth or hand sand block. Also, when you sand by hand or w/a belt or other electric sander, you have to make sure you get the wood back to being level. Good luck!
If you put the sandpaper on a table or other flat surface, grit side up, and slide the block on it to sand, it will stay nice and level...
I have always used Goo Gone, sandpaper etc. then I read somewhere to use fingernail polish remover. It worked so much better. Don't know if it does any damage to the wood, but I wouldn't think so.
If you want to remove the sticky without using chemicals, talcum powder or baby powder really helps to take out the tackiness while scraping or rubbing off the residue. This method does, however, require some elbow grease. I use an old knife and an eraser along with the baby powder for great results.
I usually use a old unsharp knife that I keep in my craft room for sooo many things to scrape off as much as possible. Then I use a small electric hand sander with at least 100 grit sandpaper to remove the rest. If the block is too rough at that point for what you want, then you can go to a finer grit. If you start with too fine a grit, or don't scrape off the majority of the goo, you will just muck up the sandpaper and cause yourself more work. "Unmounters" give me their used blocks all the time as I carve my own stamps and use these blocks for mounting them. How fun for your boys to get to stamp "with" you!!!
You might try cooking oil. It seems to help dissolve some adhesives. There's a commercial product called "Surface..." protector? Defender? that doesn't sound right. It comes in a metal tube with a felt tip applicator. It works really well. "Surface guardian"? I wish I could remember the name right.