Foam on stamps vs. no form
 

This might sound silly, but I was just wondering if anyone had an opinion regarding form (cushion) as part of the stamp. I buy a lot of unmounted stamps, but hated mounting them, so just to be lazy, I did it bare (with no form) and in my opinion, it actually stamped better - so now I wondering, why use foam at all? I'm sure there are reasons.....maybe just perference.

So - anyone else think no cushion = better stamping or am I just odd?

well, not sure if we have enough information to determine if you're odd or not [hee, hee!]. seriously, tho. i think there's been plenty written about foam vs. bare rubber in the threads about unmounting. i prefer a little foam - not sure why but i tend to get a better impression. many have written that they put a sheet of fun foam under their stamping paper to add a little 'give' when using bare rubber. i think it's whatever works for you that's important :)

Thanks for the response - I just knew there were going to be other threads :rolleyes: I did look quickly, cause I hate to re-post, guess I should have read more. It was just bugging me that I wasted all that time and money mounting, and I was sitting there thinking I must be missing something, otherwise WHY would people bother - so I had to ask.

I am odd though - trust me ;) Just maybe not so much about the rubber....as I guess it is just preference.

Michelle ~ I have all unmounted stamps. Some have foam and many more don't. There's nothing lazy about wanting to stamp and use your stamps rather than taking thee time to put cushion or EZ Mount on them. I always use a thin piece of foam under the cs when I stamp. It's free with every CTMH stamp set. It's a no-brainer!

Bug

I forgot to mention that I have been stamping over 15 years and have WAY too many stamps to start adding cushion. Besides that, they don't need it.

Bug

That is what I'm definately discovering! So happy I won't have to buy that ez-mount foam anymore - annoys me to know I just bought some and now its going to sit there. Oh well - live and learn!

The main purpose of cushioning was because wood blocks have tiny imperfections that can cause uneven stamping. When you use rubber on its own, nekkid as a jaybird, there's no imperfection to correct. Acrylic blocks don't have imperfections, either. If you do find it difficult to get a good impression, putting dense foam under your paper helps "push back" against the stamp to get the good coverage you're wanting.

Some people like and some don't -- I find using the acrylic blocks for stamps with no foam hurts my hand after a while. I don't know if it is the acrylic or the lack of no foam but I have avoided both for a while - some people think the foam is cushioning and I am assuming it is to avoid hurt hands, but if you aren't having an issue then go for it.

How do you get the "bare, nekkid" rubber stamp to adhere to the acrylic mount so you can stamp with it? I'm LOVING the idea of no foam cushion if someone can tell me how to stamp without a cling backing to adhere to the acrylic. Thanks

You can use Tack it Over and Over. Michael's sells it and you just put it on the backside of the rubber with a foam brush.

I have just been using double sided scotch tape (removable, not permanent - so I don't have to peel it off the blocks for hours....) and it seems to be working well.

I use no cushion on any of my stamps! I have Aileens Tack it over or spray Tacky on them and have had no problem with any of them.

I can not imagine going back to cushion or worse yet, wood mounts.

I've used all the adhesives mentioned above, lol! I recently bought some Tack 'n Peel, which is an adhesive sheet that is applied (permanently) to an acrylic block. Then any stamp you put on it, whether clear, rubber, bare or foam mounted, will stick to it temporarily. When you're done you just remove the stamp and put the protective liner back on the block. (The liner prevents dust and hair from collecting on the adhesive.)

It's great stuff! The biggest gripe I used to have with going unmounted was that after buying foam and/or adhesives for each stamp, I spent the same amount of money as if I'd just bought the stamp mounted! The Tack 'n Peel is a one-time expense to get the block sticky. Nifty!

I agree! I have Tack 'n Peel on my acrylic blocks, and use that side of the block with my unmounted rubber, and the 'nekkid' side of the block with my acrylic (it's next to impossible to remove the acrylic from the Tack 'n Peel). The Tack 'n Peel is clear, so you can still see what you're doing - love it!

Can you let me know where I can I get this online? It sounds so convenient! TIA :)

Oooh, I like the sounds of this Tack 'n Peel. Sounds like it's a lot less hassle.

For stamps that I use only occasionaly, I just use double stick tape. Stamps that I use frequently, I do mount with EZ cushion. I have been getting lazy and just doing the double stick on my acrylic block. Works just fine!

I have found that with larger stamps, I don't get a clean image without foam. For those that are bare rubber, I put a mouse pad under the paper, and this seems to solve the problem.
Otherwise I think it is just personal preference. I use both, and other than the above issue, don't really notice a difference between the two.

I have seen the Tack & Peel at Joanne's. I got mine originally from Innovative Stamp Creations on-line. I think they still carry it. The website address is: www.innovativestampcreations.com. The Tack it Over & Over works well also (for the back of stamps)

I hit the mother load of information. I've been wondering about the benefits of buying unmounted stamps, and then cost of buying blocks and "gription" for the stamps - and have just stuck with the same old same old. But now you ladies and your infinate wisdom have opened up a new era for me!! I can now buy unmounted stamps, and use tack and peel!! I'm so excited. Thanks!

Hayley

I'm another Tack N Peel convert - I find it easier and cheaper. Anything in this hobby that helps me save a buck - I'm there !

Hey guys,
Actually... (don't you love it when something starts like that;))...I hate to disagree, but the wood blocks do not have enough imperfections to make that difference.

The foam is there to even out the pressure you put on the image so you don't end up with more/less pressure on any one area of the images. The rubber its self has some "give" but the foam distributes the pressure even more evenly. Think about trying to stamp with something hard, like try a hard pen cap then try a soft eraser, the circle just doesn't come out evenly without the "give". Now, many people can use a flat surface and stamp with only the 'nakey' rubber and push nice and evenly and they get a great image. Some of us, however, need a little 'give' in our lives so the foam creates a better result. The clear photopolymer stamps are already "cushy-er" than rubber so they don't need the foam. Clear as mud?

Bottom line, if you can get an even image without the foam then unmount away! If you like the foam to help distribute the pressure, keep it and cover it with the coordinating sticker. Either way, TIOAO works great to make it repositionable.

I do the same thing with mine and they are all unmounted.
Cheryl

another vote for Tack N Peel. eeeeeze

For all you Tack N Peel fans, I'm curious how you store, and more importantly organize, all that bare naked rubber.

I like some cushion for my pushin'! I just remounted all of my rubber on cling...got a great deal....less than $1.00 per sheet for EZ Mount so I bought a lot! I have used the TIO&O and found that it peeled and left a nasty residue....I once thought that way was great but in the long run decided EZ Mount was better for me.

I mostly store mine in CD cases. I use Microsoft Publisher to to keep a "catalog" by going to the websites of the stamping companies and using copy and paste to import the images I own into my "catalog". If I can't find the image, or can't copy from the website, I will then stamp it out and scan it. In either case, I do have to crop and resize the images to get them to fit, so they are usually not "to size". Once in the "catalog", I note the stamp company, name/number of stamp and other details, such as category (Asian, Cats, etc.). I can then use Search & Find to help me look up a particular type of stamp. I also crop and resize to make a label for each CD case so that I can see what is in each case. That way I can just flip through the CD's if I just need an image and don't care about who made the stamp or what it's name is. I group the same kind of images together (Cats, Asian etc.) in one CD until is is full, and then store them together with other CD's that hold the same type of images. I store sets that are too big for CD cases the same way, only in Video cases to keep them all together. It sounds kind of complicated, but if you keep up on it and don't let new stamps pile up, it's not so bad. Having said that though, I am constantly on the lookout for an easier (quicker) way to do it!

I tried the cd cases and found that I would have to buy way too many of them to store my stamps as most of them didn't fit into a case. I really wanted to use this system but it just didn't end up working for me.

I store mine in ziplock bags by category...so I have all the Birthday stamps in a bag (or 2), the Snowflake in a bag, etc. I split my sets up and sort the individual stamps by theme...I know...probably makes some of you cringe, but it works for me.

I stamp each of my stamps onto an index card and write the bag it is in on the top corner of the card. I have them in a recipe box divded by category (my drawers are also divided into these categories to make it easy to find what I'm wanting).

So far I'm really liking this method. I am wondering if anyone has tried the Little Monkeys storage system and if you like it. I am considering this right now.

I started storing my clear stamps in CD cases (divided in the same way as the rubber). I really like this because I can put stamps on both sides of the case for double storage!

I like them both ways and they all seem to stamp the same to me.

For my bare rubber stamps with no cushion I put a dot of mono on the back of them and put them on an acrylic block and stamp that way and they work perfectly.

foam or no foam
 

I have been unmounting all my wood mounted stamps and ...I got tired of paying for all the e-z mount soooo I thought CTMH stamps work fine and have no cush sooo I started painting aileen's tack it over on the bare rubber I use a 3mm fun foam pad and it works great. and I can fit more stamps in 1 cd case w/o the foam!
Betti G
http://stampinbetti.ismyangel.net

Just remember, while SU! And most clear stamps do not have imperfections, other stamp companies may not have such good quality control. The stamps may not stamp evenly. Of course, it is easy enough to try a stamp out and add ez mount if it helps.

Tack it Over and Over
 

I thought this would be great when I saw a gal that had tons of alphabets done with in and in CD cases. But when I painted the back of an 8.5x11" sheet, and let it dry, then covered the back with a 8.5x11 page sleeve until I had time to cut it out, MUCH of it pulled off! Big mess.

It was quite dry. Not sure what I did wrong. It's also a MAJOR pain to try and paint alphabets that have already been cut out. I've got a couple of sets - one quite small, that were put on faulty EZ Mount that slides around, and I would really like to switch it to TIOAO. Even though I cut the EZ Mount at an angle to make the cushion a bit bigger than the letters, it's really not quite big enough to stay stuck to the acrylic block.

Any Suggestions?

Thanks,

Amy C