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My technique is sorely lacking :oops:I can't get my white embossing powder to fill in my whole image smoothly. It beads up as I'm heat setting it! Is it my Versamark ink pad? or is it the embossing powder? The black is doing the same thing! Both are Stampendous brand embossing powder from Michael's. Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks,
Kathy
I'm not sure what is wrong, but I usually get good results with versamark. I mostly use Stampin Up ep, but you should be able to use any brand. Can you try using a different brand ep? I used some off brand ep once and it just flaked off the paper and would not stick. Also make sure you are heating the ep long enough for it to "melt". Hope this helps.
I haven't tried the Stampendous brand. So far all my EP is SU brand and I have no problems with that. Do you have a friend who has some SU brand Embossing Powder that would let you use some so you could do a comparison? Might help figure out if it's your technique or the powder. If, after using the Versamark then applying the EP your image looks evenly covered; you know it isn't the Versamark. If the powder looks "splotchy" before you heat, it will look splotchy after.
You want to watch out for OVER heating it too. I don't know for sure that overheating will cause the problem you describe but thought I'd mention it. You need to direct the heat just until you see the powder melt and get shiny then move on to another area.
I use Stampendous all the time. A few tricks I've learned are:
- heat from the underside
- apply two layers (helps to fill in the pock-marks)
- try using VersaMark and a pigment ink (or a pigment ink alone)
If the EP is splotchy before you heat it, it's an ink issue. With larger images I use VersaMark and a pigment ink to match my EP. The extra layer of ink helps to hold the EP to the paper before heating. Hope this helps.
All I've ever used is Stampendous and I've never had this happen with this brand ep. It does sound like your ink pad might be dry or not getting full coverage with the stamp. If its a solid image, make sure its completely inked and the image is being completely transferred. If it is a solid image, you could use white craft ink to make sure your getting a full image.
Thank you for the suggestions, I really appreciate them! I tried embossing with SU white craft ink pad, Versamark as well as Colorbox inks and they all give the same blotchy embossed pattern. I haven't had much luck with this recent batch of Stampendous EPs but that's the only EP I have at the moment. Wish SU didn't have to be ordered I'd love to try it What about Zing ep? Anyone try it?
I have Stampendous! ep from a few years ago and it works beautifully. With heat embossing, it's so hard to diagnose the problem without actually seeing what is happening. Can you take a pic?
Thank you, thank you smaverick1! Heating from underneath produced a much better result.I've been stamping off and on since 2002 but not seriously til just recently; I've never heard of heating from underneath. So yay! It looks lots better. I did figure out that part of my problem is my white SU ink pad needed to be reinked, but I'd just reinked my Versamark so still haven't determined what that issue is.
Thanks again Y'all for all your input!
Kathy
Oh someone mentioned posting a photo to see what my issue was-hope I did this right-nope I didn't! How to post a pic on this mb? Okay so nothing I am doing is working to show a picture. I'm just lame, I tell ya
My technique is sorely lacking :oops:I can't get my white embossing powder to fill in my whole image smoothly. It beads up as I'm heat setting it! Is it my Versamark ink pad? or is it the embossing powder? The black is doing the same thing! Both are Stampendous brand embossing powder from Michael's. Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks,
Kathy
I had bad luck with the same brand of ep. I threw it away. My Versamark worked with all other brands of ep I tried. SU, Ranger, and Zing are great powders. I use all 3 brands.
I have a few Zing colors. These are the opaques, not metallic. I've found them to give me the smoothest, shiniest, and most opaque coverage. I like using the other brands, but truly noticed a difference with Zing.
I have a lot of Stampendous ep, its the most widely available brand really over here, and I find it works really well. The heating from below is a good tip- if you have a heat gun that blows strongly, it can blow some powder off. Its also a really good tip for embossing sparkly or glittery powders- less gets blown away.
I have been having the same issue lately. Not sure if it is my Versamark --or the Watermark SU ink pad ---or my powders. My gun gets very hot. My powders are old ---SU ones --probably have not been used in 4 to 5 years. Took a break from stamping. They are either now beading or turning out nice. Especially the SU copper one ---seems flat when embossed. Am getting frustrated as used to do alot of embossing.
I don't think this has been mentioned but you need shake up the EP before using. The particles can separate. Also, EP has a shelf life. I've found that after awhile some powders just won't work as well as they did so after I've tested with different inks and they still won't behave, I toss them. The only one that seems to last forever is clear.
Thanks for that! I was beginning to think it was me and I was losing my mind. I do shake mine, also. I threw one ---and think there will be more going. Have you tried the Zing brand or the Nuvo brand? Any recommendations from anyone on those brands? Thanks!
Thanks for that! I was beginning to think it was me and I was losing my mind. I do shake mine, also. I threw one ---and think there will be more going. Have you tried the Zing brand or the Nuvo brand? Any recommendations from anyone on those brands? Thanks!
Haven't tried Nuvo but Zing seems to be ok. My favorite brand is Judikins that I buy when they come to the stamp convention. I've had some of EP jars for years and they are still good. I looked online and the color selection is limited at Judikins but Amazon has a large selection. My all time fav of their line is Egyptian gold (it's sparkly).
When I have the issue you're having...it's always because the embossing powder is old. I won't pretend to be all-knowing about why or the ingredients...but I do know when I get spotty coverage even though my Versamark pad is nice and juicy, the fix for me is grabbing a fresh container of the stuff. Maybe that's why it's sold in such small containers?? I don't know. But I figured I'd toss my solution in for ya.
When I have the issue you're having...it's always because the embossing powder is old. I won't pretend to be all-knowing about why or the ingredients...but I do know when I get spotty coverage even though my Versamark pad is nice and juicy, the fix for me is grabbing a fresh container of the stuff. Maybe that's why it's sold in such small containers?? I don't know. But I figured I'd toss my solution in for ya.
Yep! That's the conclusion I finally came to as well. Bought new powder and no problems.
thanks for your help
I have a question related to embossing. I have the standard Darice heat gun that was the only heat gun available in my area when I bought it. I know many people recommend the Hero Arts gun and I'm wondering if my gun is my issue.
I move my gun constantly and always heat from the back. My paper starts to smoke sometimes and browns. Has anyone else had this problem and is it the gun or is it me?
If it's the gun, what gun do you all recommend? Thanks for any help you can give. Sandy Parker
I have a question related to embossing. I have the standard Darice heat gun that was the only heat gun available in my area when I bought it. I know many people recommend the Hero Arts gun and I'm wondering if my gun is my issue.
I move my gun constantly and always heat from the back. My paper starts to smoke sometimes and browns. Has anyone else had this problem and is it the gun or is it me?
If it's the gun, what gun do you all recommend? Thanks for any help you can give. Sandy Parker
Continue with moving the gun but hold it farther away from the paper. I burnt my paper by getting to close or not moving it faster.
Embossing powder...what am I doing wrong?
Embossing powder
