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Hey everyone.
I have been seeing some great stuff with heat embossing. I want to get into it but I am not sure what brands are good for the heating tool or the embossing powders. I would love a little advise and to know what works for you.
Somebody on the board recently said that Ranger have changed the Heat It tool and it's more of a drying tool now. I'll see if I can find the thread... try post #4 and #10 here.
Sorry, I'm the wrong side of the Pond to be any help on good brands.
Oh and if anyone has ever used the Martha Stewart one? That is the only one I can get in the local stores here. Only reason I am considering it is to use my 40% off coupon. My other option is to use amazon because I have a gift card I need to use up and cant think of a better then then crafting supplies.
I think you are going to have to learn to use whatever one you get. Every brand of heat tool is different. I think EK Success makes the Martha Stewart one, so probably it will work fine.
I have a Marvy. It's not fancy and it wasn't expensive. Since I've never used anything else, I have nothing to compare it to and no real complaints. I've learned how fast it gets hot, and how hot it gets, and how close to hold it to the EP for it to do its job.
As for the powders themselves - there are so many and most major brands are pretty good. SU makes a good EP, as does Stampendous. People will tell you their favs. You have to just try a few out and see what you like. You can always post with any questions or snags you hit, if you hit any, and you'll get lots of good advice on technique. I didn't personally find it very hard to learn how to do embossing, but every one is different. I've struggled with other things that other people that seem to do very easily! ;-)!
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I think you are going to have to learn to use whatever one you get. Every brand of heat tool is different. I think EK Success makes the Martha Stewart one, so probably it will work fine.
I have a Marvy. It's not fancy and it wasn't expensive. Since I've never used anything else, I have nothing to compare it to and no real complaints. I've learned how fast it gets hot, and how hot it gets, and how close to hold it to the EP for it to do its job.
As for the powders themselves - there are so many and most major brands are pretty good. SU makes a good EP, as does Stampendous. People will tell you their favs. You have to just try a few out and see what you like. You can always post with any questions or snags you hit, if you hit any, and you'll get lots of good advice on technique. I didn't personally find it very hard to learn how to do embossing, but every one is different. I've struggled with other things that other people that seem to do very easily! ;-)!
Im a poll type person. Try out what the majority likes first. But yes I will have to learn my heat tool because even in the same brand they can be a little different. Ive read reviews on Amazon and some people seemed to have lots of problems and the tool burning up right away.
One thing to maybe consider- how loud is it? IF you don't have your own room to shut yourself away in, that can be a factor. My old heat gun was very loud, and as my son worked nights, and slept in the room next to my craft room, I was avoiding using it when he was asleep, which became a nuisance. I went with a Tim Heat it tool, as I saw it demoed, and it was really quiet. Never regretted buying it.
Everyone above has the heat tool covered. I will say, with coupons, embossing powders are not expensive. Buy some and experiment. They always hit the clearance rack at some time or another. I got all types of brands and there are some really cool and fun ones out there. Play with mixing them with each other (in small quantities) or mixing glitter and stuff with it. You'll find loads of tutorials on youtube for experimenting with it.
I have both the SU heat gun and Ranger. Both work fine. As for embossing powder, consider starting with clear. You can use this with any color pigment ink to get the color you want. And it is much less visible if you get a few stray specks on the cardstock.
I have a Darice heat tool and a year or two ago I bought a Ranger Heat-It.
I have never once gotten embossing powder to melt with the Ranger tool. It is however excellent (and very quiet) for drying things without scorching. It is my go-to for speeding up drying when doing watercolor or mixed media. So now they both hang in my craft room, and I use the Darice exclusively for embossing.
Heating Tool Advice
