Problem with embossing...
 

I just bought a new Marvy heat tool from Michael's yesterday and came home very excited to use it... And it appeared to work just fine! THEN today when I went to use it again... it just blew the powder off my paper... At first I thought it was that the card stock I was using was too thin... or something like that... So I tried it again in a much thicker card stock... And basically the same thing happened. I tried yet one more time and this time I let it run for a minute or so... I guess I figured it would get hotter? and it still blew powder off first... but then it did work at the very end (lot of help that does me, huh? When most of the image is gone already... ) Has anyone else ever had this problem? I'm using Versamark to transfer the stamped image to paper... Is it just a problem with the heat tool? HELP!

Please forgive my ignorance... I'm just learning. So you're saying that the embossing powder will stick to regular stamp ink? I had no idea of that! (doh!) I do think you have a point with the Versamark drying to quickly too. Thanks! I'm going to try that again... to just go much faster. But I also DO think the Marvy seems to be blowing a LOT of air. :(

Have you tried blowing from the bottom side of the paper? That's a little more awkward to do at first, but it gets good results.

I will try that. But honestly... shouldn't it be easier than this? There didn't seem to be any of these problems the time I used my Demo's heat tool... she had an SU one... and then when I first used it last night... no problem there either. If I'm going to have to resort to heating from underneath and other tactics maybe I should just take this one back and invest in a good one. Is the SU kind the best out there?

It's got to be PIGMENT ink though, and not dye ink!! I'm not sure for SU which is which!! Good luck. It can give you such a nice, elegant effect!!

Ah! Ok... gotcha'... I wondered how that could work. I do have some white pigment ink... It's the SU 'craft' ink... that's nice and thick :) I'll give that a try. Now I'm excited about the effect it will have! :lol: I think I need to spend a LOT more time on this site getting ideas and learning techniques :-)

It's dangerous and wonderful all at the same time!! Your stamping will improve dramatically...but warning!! You'll have to drag yourself away from this site and all the great examples to get stamping!! tee hee...

By the way, there are some gorgeous white embossed samples on here! I just cased one myself this afternoon! (although mine was much more simpler and not as pretty! sniff sniff)

Here's the link for the original card (not mine!!)...http:////www.splitcoaststampers.com/...255529&cat=fav

I just checked my heat gun, it's a Mavy and does not blow as much air as my hair dryer? Maybe you might need to take yours back and exchange it. Mine also gets hot quick too.

HTH

Karen

Thanks Karen... I really do think it's a problem with the embosser. It didn't blow like that last night. How can it get 'blown out' (no pun intended :lol: ) after just one use??? Ugh. :(

Chris... SO pretty! Now I have to go out and buy some white powder. :lol: All I have now is black and gold... I wonder how black powder would look in white ink??? Hmmm....

If your powder doesnt' stick to the Versamark, maybe you need to reink your pad. The embossing powder should definitely not just fly off like that.

One more thing -- make sure you don't hold the heat tool too close to the paper, and let it heat up for several seconds before trying to melt the embossing powder. If you just hold it over the paper and flip the switch, then that first burst of still-cool air will knock the powder right off!

Thanks ladies..
Beate... I just opened the pad yesterday...
Rachel... I tried letting it 'warm up' a minute before using it... but it didn't work unless I DID get it closer to the paper... like it wasn't hot enough from far away? So it was blowing away some of the powder before it started to work... THEN I end up with a partial image and some of the powder now not where I want it gets embossed... Blech.

I think I'll exchange it and if I continue to have problems with the next one... then I'll figure it MUST be me?

Wouldn't be the first time I heard about an ink pad being dry straight out of the wrapper!

here's what I need to do, as I got mine from Micheals, I use my versamark, and make sure it is good and sticky first, then after I put on the powder, I tap it off to make sure I don't have excess, then I get my heat gun, start up higher after it has had a few seconds to heat up, then move it down closer on the image, I have less blowing around as the hot air is slowly hitting the emboss, not just blasting the emboss. BTW, just because you opened a new pad does not mean that it might not be dried out. I bought two brand new blender pens, and both were completely dried out, depends on how long the product has been sitting on the shelf.

WOW!!! Thanks for the info. ladies :) The Versamark seems so sticky to me, though.... And then after trying it with the definitely very wet white pigment ink I tried... I really think it's the Marvy :( I'm going to return it. I just ordered a SU heat tool... hopefully that will work for me. You all have no idea how much I appreciate your input!

I've used both (had the Marvy for a few years before becoming a demo last summer) and the SU! one is better by far! You shouldn't be disappointed with this one! :mrgreen:

I have tried heating the underside first, and that does help a lot, but another thing you can try is "huffing" on the image to keep it moist right before you heat it.

I have always heard that embossing was a cool weather technique, because the Versamark dries too fast in warm weather.