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I usually clean my stamps right away. Last night I let the black staz on ink on for 25 min and now my stamps are ruined. :(. I tried a homemade cleaner of dawn/glycerin and distilled water. I let this sit on stamps for 20 min, but still stained-help!!!!! :mad:
I'm assuming these are rubber rather than clear? These tips are based on that assumption.
It sounds weird but it's worth trying Versamark. Ink up your stamp well with Versamark and let it sit for half an hour or so then rub gently with an old toothbrush and some regular stamp cleaner. It usually works a treat.
The other weird thing that often works is Avon Skin So Soft. Not something everyone has lying around but if you do have it and the Versamark trick doesn't work it's worth a go.
If all else fails, just learn to love your stained stamps - they will most likely still be stamping a good image so don't worry too much.
I am also assuming you are cleaning a rubber stamp and not a clear/acrylic/photopolymer stamp? Stazon do make their own stamp cleaner which is what I use when I use their solvent ink on my rubber stamps. It comes in a little bottle and costs a couple of dollars. Hope this helps
DD1 bought or was given some old stamps that were in terrible shape with old dried ink of an unknown type. You may laugh but we did use Avon's Skin So Soft and a battery operated toothbrush. The small circular kind that you can get really cheap. We let the Skin So Soft sit on the stamp for a few minutes, maybe 15 or 20, and then used the toothbrush. It worked REALLY well. The stamps looked almost new by the time we finished.
__________________ Donna T My moto for 2017...Do what you need to do. Count what you want to count. Enjoy the process.
Ultra-Clean by Stewart Superiors is even better than the StazOn own brand cleaner, I think. I hate the smell and the oily feel, but it works miracles and it's safe to use as a cleaner on clear stamps too.
Consider them as showing that they are loved, not that they are ruined ;-). They'll still stamp perfectly - it's only when there's a lot of build-up of residue that the quality of stamping starts getting compromised.
Like the others say, your stamps will still work fine- have you ever watched Tim Holtz? He never cleans the ink staining off his stamps. It really is only if the ink residue has built up over a long time that it obscures the detail you'd have a problem.
Like the others say, your stamps will still work fine- have you ever watched Tim Holtz? He never cleans the ink staining off his stamps. It really is only if the ink residue has built up over a long time that it obscures the detail you'd have a problem.
I use StazOn but I'm more in line with Tim H. In fact, some of my solid stamps work better with a coating of ink.
I use Simple Green and glycerine to clean the StazOn off my stamps. I will probably get the evil eye for saying this but you can use rubbing alcohol to clean StazOn off your stamps. Wash your stamp thoroughly afterward with a gentle baby shampoo or wash. Then give your stamp a good coating of glycerin.
The evil eye reference is because rubbing alcohol and stamps should not go together. The alcohol breaks down the rubber. It's ok to use this method once or twice for heavily stained stamps.
I know a couple of stampers who clean StazOn messes with Suave shampoo.
Another option is "Easy Duz It" Stamp Cleaner made by the 'Joy of Stamping' company.
Some LSS carry this or you can buy it on line.
I use baby wipes (alcohol-free) for my day-to-day stamp cleaning, but Easy Duz It is great when heavy duty cleaning is needed regardless of the type of ink.
It did an amazing job cleaning used stamps that I got on eBay that were severely stained for who knows how long - I was really pleased !
Here's a blurb about Ez Duz It from Cistamps.com, "Easy Duz It Ink Cleaner
Removes dye based inks, permanent inks, acid free inks, metallic inks, and more . . . with ease. Will help to remove residual ink from dirty stamps as well. This product does not contain alcohol or solvent that can harden rubber, but cleans and protects stamps with each use. This environmentally friendly product will maintain the quality of your stamps for years to come."
__________________ "May your mind whirl joyful cartwheels of creativity." - Jonathan Lockwood Huie.
Last edited by QueenOfInkland; 03-05-2013 at 10:38 AM..
Ultra-clean all the way! I use it all the time. It works for every type of ink, including Stazon.
Ultra Clean is the way to go. It took off staZon in from a stamp that had been on for YEARS. I highly recommend it for this. (Just clean off the residue with SU stamp cleaner before using so the oily residue doesn't get on to your next project.)
How to get Staz-On ink off stamps
