These are the party favors I decided to make for the Memorial Day party that my sister hosts annually. I made coasters and tags again this year. It is always tricky getting the right inks/sealers for those coasters. They are the chiaro tumbled 4x4 coasters from Home Depot. The method I ended up using this year, and which seems to work pretty well is this process:
1) Wipe dust from tiles with a damp rag and let dry.
2) Stamp. The following inks do not bleed nor dissolve when you apply the Krylon spray: Black Stazon, Red Brilliance and the blue Memento Luxe. The best thing is to stamp them and let them cure overnite.
3) Spray lightly with Krylon to seal the ink. Let dry.
4) Use Minwax poly and brush it on to seal the ink. This does to some extent limit the absorbability of the coasters, but they still work pretty well. And most importantly, the ink will not come off because it is sealed in.
5) I diecut cork feet and glue them on with 527 adhesive.
UPDATED MAY 26, 2016
My method back in 2014 detailed above is "OK", but I have simplified things by not trying to use color on the tiles, and by not sealing, etc. Great results if you stick to Black Stazon!
My tile of choice is the tumbled tile from Home Depot (called chiaro). I have found that the only ink that does not bleed on those tiles is Black Stazon. I have posted results in the gallery in years past for other types of inks I have tried. I also have found that it is not necessary to seal the tile prior to stamping, and not a good idea to seal it afterwards either. The reason to not seal is to allow the tile to absorb moisture rather than bead up on top. (if there is a lot of water from an iced drink, it could possibly travel through the tile, so just something to keep in mind...)
Various tutorials and methods use baking in the oven, but with these tumbled tiles, the problem is getting the stamped image nice and crisp in the first place...hence always using black Stazon, which doesn't bleed and doesn't need any heat treatment. I am sure there are many methods that will work for making coasters, but I have given up on using colored inks....either they bleed upon stamping, or react with a top coated sealant, or if left unsealed...they bleed when coming in contact with moisture. I don't want to have to worry if my design is going to disintegrate upon use!
In summary, I use a wet rag to remove the stone dust and then let the tile dry thoroughly before stamping with the black Stazon. Attach felt or cork feet, tie up with a pretty ribbon for gifting, and that is pretty much it!
Date: Friday, May 23, 2014 GMT Views: 1161
Favorited:3
Registered: June 4, 2009 Location: Deatsville, Alabama Posts: 83926
Wed, Nov 19, 2014 @ 3:10 AM
This is creative and so fun! I want to make some party favors now! Hugz
------------------------------ Nancy Williams - Hope your day is Spirit-filled and ink-filled (in that order)!DRS Designs-DT, Punchkateerforever, Dirty Dozen Alumni