Question Bare Rubber??
 

I've read that many people have unmounted their stamps and took them down to bare rubber.

I just did two of them, came right off. One sticks to my acrylic block (it has clingy sheet of stuff on it already) and the other doesn't.

Am I supposed to put something on the back of the bare rubber so it sticks to the block? :oops:

You can do lots of things to make your stamps stick to your blocks, including coating them with Tack It Over and Over, mounting them on EZ Mount, or using double sided tape, or a similar product.

My suggestion would be that you buy a product called TackNPeel. It is available at JoAnn Fabrics and many other stamp stores. You put this product on your block and then any unmounted stamp can stick to the block. It is a slightly expensive product, but once you have it on your blocks you are good to go.... no matter how many stamps you have. It also has a slight cushion, so you get that advantage when you are stamping with totally bare rubber. I always leave my foam on my stamps and it works with those stamps, too. The side without your TackNPeel on it can still be used with acrylic stamps. TNP is clear so you can still see through your acrylic blocks just fine.

I've been using my blocks that have TNP on them for years and they are still working great. If they lose a little of their "cling" you simply wash them with a mild soap, let them dry, and they are as good as new. I have TNP on my acrylic blocks, a wheel, my rocker block, my background acrylics, and my stamp press. It works great on all of them. HTH

I've got clingy stuff on my clear acrylic blocks already.

So I need cling stuff on the rubber too - right? Cling sticks to cling?

Bare rubber stamps
 

I also use the same method as the above poster, it works GREAT! The Tack N Peel is made by Tsukineko. Use can purchase it at Joanns and also use a coupon for it!

There's also a cling mount product available, called EZ Mount Stamp N Store cling mounting foam. I've used it in both thicknesses with great success. It is applied to the back of your rubber, trimmed to match the rubber, and stays on that stamp. It turns your stamp into a cling mount. ;)

I unmounted all my stamps about 6 (?) months ago and there's no going back for me. I LOVE it. I used Aileen's Tack It Over and Over and it works great and is cheap. Sometimes, though, it is difficult to get the stamps off the CD case that I store them in (saved me TONS of space). I've seen threads where others have diluted the ATIO&O prior to using it, or just put a few spots on the back of their stamp so it isn't totally covered. I like it as a method for not much money. I use craft foam from Walmart under my paper when I stamp to provide the cushion. Again, cheap. I just recently read on another forum of a person who uses a glue stick to put a dab on the back of UM rubber to make it stick to the acrylic block, then just rinses it off with water when done. Haven't tried it, but it intrigues me.

I use poster tape on the acrylic clock when using bare rubber. Usually just a couple of pieces are sufficient.

I would think if the block has adhesive on it, you wouldn't need anything on the stamp.

:DThat's it Grammy! oh thank you thank you
That's just what I need. Something to put on the bare rubber.

After I read your post, I remembered having some stuff from when I mounted stamps on wood several years ago. I checked in the closet, found a box labeled "mounting supplies." There were 3 sheets of this clear cling stuff. It must be EZ Mount. I tried it and it works:)


doin' the happy dance:D

Oh good! It's available from several online stores ... just google to find the right place/price for you. ;)

I am another fan of Tack n Peel. Mostly because I'm both lazy and cheap, lol! I only had to purchase 2 sheets of the stuff to treat my blocks and now I'm good to go. I don't have to fuss with doing anything to my stamps, like wait for Aleene's to dry, for instance. I love this stuff more than peanut butter...and that's saying a LOT. I have one set of blocks that can be used for any form of stamp out there...clear, cling, or nekkid rubber.

One thing I hadn't thought of was putting some on a roller wheel...BRILLIANT!! Thanks for that suggestion!

I kind of feel the same way, MSBetsyZ. I like my stamps that came mounted with EZ Mount, but I figure I paid for that mount in the cost of the stamp. I would hate to have to buy enough EZ Mount to mount all of my stamps. Now that would be a bill!!

The other thing that makes me nervous about using EZ Mount is that Sunday International who manufactures EZ Mount has said in the past that some caution needs to be used if you store your stamps in CD cases, which I do. I am always a little worried that I won't get the plastic sheet in the CD case correctly and a chemical reaction will ruin my stamps/and or cases. All in all TackNPeel is just simpler and a lot cheaper for me. It is nice, however, that so many options are available for us stampers. We can all choose what works best for ourselves. Gotta love it!

I recently bought some rubber stamps and was waiting for my cushion to arrive. I was in a bit of a time crunch for valentines cards to mail away and I laid out the stamp on my paper pad, inked it up and than laid the paper on it and I got several perfect images. I don't think I would do this on a regular basis but it worked this time. I do like the thicker cushioned material to attach to my acrylic blocks and rubber.

Lorri

To ease concerns over rubber damage from EZ Mount products, I started applying it to bare rubber stamps in 2008. I use both acrylic CD boxes and video-type storage boxes for my cling stamps. So far, those stamps are still like the Energizer bunny ... they keep going & going. ;)

When buying new unmounted stamps.
Do you buy bare rubber?

Impression Obsession sells their unmounted stamps in two forms, plain rubber or with cling cushion. The price on a stamp is as follows:
plain rubber with no cushion 7.50
unmounted with repositionable cling cushion 8.75

The last order I made was with the cling cushion. I didn't know you could stamp with bare rubber until y'all told me. That would save some money:)

yes I buy bare rubber when I can, and have specifically from Impresssion Obsession - they are great!

Given a choice, I will go with bare rubber. Although, if there's almost no difference price-wise, I might go with cling. But mostly I'm all about maximizing my money...

I love unmounted stamps and have found EZ Mount foam to be super easy to work with allowing the stamp to give a great impression every time. Cutting the EZ Mount with scissors is a bit of a sticky situation and almost discouraged me from using it. I have since purchased a hot knife and it cuts that sticky foam like butter. I don't regret going unmounted. Here is a link to an idea for storage that is easily accessible and yet easily portable.

Unmounted Stamps | Retro Dolly

I realize this storage system wouldn't work for everyone but thoughts would share something that works for me.

Sunday International produces the EZ Mount products, as well as the storage panels for stamps & sets in 2 or 3 sizes. They offer the size that I use in my storage boxes, as well as larger ones for storing in regular 3-ring binders, etc. Being double-sided, basically all surface area is usable for stamps. ;)

I unmounted my stamps and love it! I went down to bare rubber and use just a bit of double sided tape to stick it to the block (sometimes a couple if it's a larger stamp). And I stamp on an old mouse pad - works every time!

I finally figured out how to deal with all this unmounted stamp business!!

My clear acrylic blocks already have some clingy stuff on them. My newer stamps from Impression Obsession and Flourishes stick to that just fine. I used all the EZ Mount Stamp N Store cling mounting foam that I had and that sticks to the clingy stuff I had as well.

The bare rubber would not stick to that though. Y'all were right, this Tack N' Peel is the best stuff! I just put it on the other side of my acrylic blocks, so I can use either type of cling. The Tack N' Peel is cushiony so maybe that's why you can use bare rubber.

I'm going to continue to store them in my Iris Carts by theme. I've been doing that for 20 years, and if I change now, I'll probably forget and get all discombobulated ya know?

Is there any reason why I wouldn't want to stack unmounted stamps in an Iris Cart drawer instead of putting them in CD cases and then put those in the drawers?