unmounting stamps

[lori92760]

ok, i have unmounted all my rubber stamps and put a coating of aleenes tack it over and over on them. it was too tacky, so i put them on my hands, jeans, felt, everything, they seemed fine. but some of them refuse to come off the acetate sheet i was storing them on. i solved that by microwaving a bit and then getting them off.

i can buy this Static Cling Film plan static cling material and put it over the sticky and trim. does that seem like a good idea? has anyone used it or something similar?

i did read today that you shouldnt store the unmounted stamps on acetate/transparency sheets because of this very reason. i see they sell hard plastic sheets.

i am frustrated, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

[cat_woman]

I've been storing mine on transparency and acetate sheets for about 2 years now and haven't had that problem. Hopefully, I won't. How thick did you put the glue on. I know that it works best with a really thin layer. I had a few stamps that I didn't let dry long enough and put them on the sheets and the glue stayed stuck to the sheet and just pulled off the stamp when I removed it. In those cases I used an emery board and roughed up the back of my stamp and re-applied a very thin layer of glue and left them to cure over night. Haven't had any issues with them since.

[lori92760]

i know i the first ones i did i put it on too thick. i've been using thin and its still too much stick. i am thinking about just putting a stroke here and there with the paint brush. i may order a couple of those static cling sheets and try it. its so much work though and theres not enough crafting time as it is.

[RosieLP]

I unmounted all my stamps many years ago and I also have mine stored on transparencies also using Aleene's Tack It Over And Over...you do have to put a very, VERY thin coating of the glue on the backs of stamps or it will cause the problem you mentioned.

You can use acetone (not nail polish remover, but pure acetone that you can buy at any home improvement store, and probably Walmart) to remove the glue so you can re-glue your stamps using very little glue the next go around.

Personally, I never went the Cling route because of the expense involved (I've got a LOT of stamps) and then the time involved in using that product.

[lori92760]

well my motto has always been "if it's worth doing, it's worth over doing" you would think i would learn.

wont the acetone do bad things to the rubber/foam stuff on the back of the stamps?

the cling without the foam attached is not so expensive, but the work involved is yucky to me. i spend too much time working my job, tending my house, taking care of my family (my husband is like a giant, remedial, toddler) so i get precious time in my craft room as it is, but i need to remedy this situation.

do you see a problem with putting just a couple of swipes on the stamps as opposed to doing the whole back?

[RosieLP]

I had quite a few stamps that I initially put too much glue on, used the acetone to remove it, and I haven't seen any deterioration for any of those stamps. By the way, I wash my stamps under cool water, I don't use a stamp cleaner, unless I've used Staz-On. All of my stamps still stamp perfectly...and I've had some stamps for over 20 years.

There's no problem putting some swipes of glue on your stamps, Lori, just so long as you get a clear impression when you stamp.

When I glue the backs of my stamps I use a disposable foam brush, and that seems to help me be able to apply that glue with a thin coat. When I used a regular brush to apply the glue, every one of those stamps are the ones I needed to use acetone on. Course you don't know things like this until you've already glued about 100 stamps! LOL

[cat_woman]

It very messy to do, but I found the best way to get a super thin layer of glue is to use your fingers. I smear it on the back. I used rubbing alcohol, acetone nailpolish remover, and goo gone to get the glue off my fingers (whichever was sitting on my desk). You can get pure acetone in the beauty supplies at Walmart (where the nailpolish removers are) and it works great at cleaning the gunk off your scissors too (just don't use it when you've had a nice new manicure :( )