Basic 101 question
 

I need to re-ink my versamark pad - I bought the SU refill but I've never re-inked a pad before.

Any tips?

Just squeeze the refill all over the pad until it stops soaking up. I usually let mine sit for a few minutes and then come back to it. I have a tendency to get a little carried away! Especially with my empty wheel cartridges that I make into Versamark. If you stamp and it isn't wet enough, just add more!

Yep!! That's all there is to it!! Good luck!
Hugs, Joanne

One more thing - the reinker has enough ink for several reinkings. DON"T put it all on at once ! Someone else did that and posted here awhile ago

I also recommend using a bone folder to spread the ink onto the pad (like peanut butter). It will help it soak in faster. Then clean off the bone folder.

if your pad is really dirty first, try using a papertowel to pick some of the really dirty stuff first, then reink. I tend to go real slow and use the tip to kinda push the ink into the pad.

Glad someone else was in the same boat as me. I didn't know how to do it either and almost bought a new pad just to avoid making a mess!
Thanks- THAT is why I LOVE this place! :)

Thanks from me too.
 

I am re-inking for the first time too and glkad this was here!

Thanks!!

Here's the way I was taught to reink a pad. You start at one end and drizzle the ink in narrow rows back and forth all the way down the pad. Then you start on the long side and do the same thing in that direction. That way, it will ink evenly and you won't have any dry spots.

Also, you can use an old "credit card" type of tool to work the liquid into the pad....

Inking the Jumbo Cartidge
 

I bought an empty jumbo cartridge and inked it with Versa Mark ink. I gave it a good soaking, left it overnight and used it the next day and it worked great. I made sure I closed it well but the next time I went to use it (a couple of weeks later) it was dry. I reinked with Versa Mark and all was well but again the next time I went to use it it was almost dry and the roller wheel just didn't stamp well. What could be the problem? I made sure that I closed the cartridge well. I really like the effect of using the wheels with Versa Mark ink for creating background pages for scrapping, but having to reink every time is too expensive, my refill bottle is more than half gone already. Any ideas/tips?

I had wanted to do this, but have read several other post that versa ink doesn't work well with the wheels, that is dries up to quickly.

Versa mark and jumbo cartridges
 

Well, I wonder why it would dry so quickly. I have a versamark pad and that stays "wet" forever. Surely there must be a trick? I wonder if one wraps the cartridge in tinfoil between uses if that would help???

I was thinking maybe putting it in a ziplock with all the air squeezed out.

I do this too... then I let the pad sit upside down for awhile. Maybe it's just me, but the ink always seems to soak in really quickly and go right to the bottom of the pad. If I flip the pad for awhile and bring the ink back to the top, I seem to need to add less ink each time.`

Re-inking cartridges with Versamark
 

Thanks for the input. I will try wrapping the re-inked cartridge in foil AND put it in a ziplock little bag and see if the ink stays wet enough to get a 2nd use after a week or so. If not, I guess I will just have to give up trying to use Versamark ink with my wheels. BUT I really like the effect it does have - great background pages.

I keep all of my cartridges in a ziplock- haven't tried the versamark tho. I did reink my pad and it was too juicy to use right away, I suggest letting it sit overnight. Diane

It sounds like air is getting into the pad. I dont think the lids for the cartridges are airtight like the stamp pads.

I think the cartridges don't seal as well as they should. Try keeping htem in a sealed tin, bag or plastic constainer. this works well for glue sticks too if you don't use them that often and they get dry.

This is a great idea to try...gonna try it myself next time.
My husband wraps paintbrushes in saran wrap/plastic bag when painting and has to take an unexpected break...works like a charm for him.

If anyone tries it...please post. Would love to hear how it works.

I LOVE using VersaMark with my jumbo wheels!
I bought an uninked jumbo cartridge a year ago and inked it up with VersaMark and have only reinked once since then. I think the key is to get enough ink in the first time (I do keep mine in the "stamp cases" you can order to hold supplies). When I inked it up, I used the tip of the reinker to push the ink into the roller as I squeezed one skinny line at a time, rotate the wheel twice doing this - they hold a ton of ink! For the people who are experiencing dry cartridges after one time: I think what is happening (in addition to air drying) is the ink is settling to the center of the cartridge so it is not wet where it rolls against the wheel. If you start with lots of ink, it should solve the problem.

I re-ink by putting a 3-4 rows of ink on the inkpad, then using my brayer (it has a rubber attachment) to help it blend. I brayer from each end of the pad, 2-3 times.

I usually keep some cardstock scraps nearby and use the inked brayer on them (waste no ink!) for future backgrounds.

If the pad was really dry, I may repeat, but have the rows go in the other direction (horizontal then vertical).

I try to re-ink at night (if needed) so that I don't get interupted during my play time.

HTH,

This is how I re-ink, works great!

Instead of using a bone folder to spread the ink into the pad, I use a brayer (I only have the rubber attachment, but I don't think it would matter too much).

This way, I can then use my inked brayer over cardstock (for backgrounds) or on a stamp. It's a time (and ink) saver!!

Hope to have helped.