Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Unmounted stamps--Adhesive

ACK!!! Where has the summer gone? The kids are finally back in school and I'm trying to catch up on everything I've had to push back during the summer.

I have had several emails about how I use my unmounted rubber stamps with my clear blocks, so I wanted to share this tutorial with you. The big *secret* is that I use Aleene's Tack it Over & Over to make my unmounted stamps sticky.


Here's a little more info and details...
The supplies you'll need are:
Aleene's Tack it Over & Over
Wax Paper
Masking Tape
Disposable foam paintbrush
Disposable gloves
Toothpicks
Unmounted rubber stamps (already trimmed)


First, I start off by taping down some wax paper to my surface using masking tape. This prevents any accidental glue from getting on your surface and also allows your stamps to be easily removed once the adhesive has dried. Then lay your stamps face down onto the wax paper surface. **If you have unmounted the stamps from wooden blocks, be sure all the foam has been removed first (you can usually easily rub it off with your finger, or use goo-be-gone or an adhesive remover to get any remaining foam off the rubber). I also make sure my stamps have been trimmed closely to the images and I cut apart any sayings before I add the glue. I can always line the words up just as they were originally intended, or stamp them in a different variation on my project when they are cut separately.


The next step is to be sure to wear the disposable gloves. I have found I like to only wear one...on my left hand so that I can use that hand with a toothpick to hold down the stamps while I paint on the glue. I am right-handed. Trust me, you don't want to get this glue on your hands...it's hard to get off!! :)

Then I squirt some glue on the backside of each stamp and spread it out with the foam brush. On smaller stamps, I have found you can use the paintbrush to "pounce" the glue on. If your fingers get in the way when you are holding the stamp still, you can use your toothpicks to hold it down. I usually paint on a medium heavy coat of glue. Don't want to drown your stamp in glue, but as long as it's fully covered, it will work.

As the glue dries, you will see white spots where it is still wet and they will turn clear when the glue is completely dry. I usually leave the stamps out for a few hours just to make sure the glue is completely set and had time to get fully tacky.

Here is a picture of my stamps after they have dried (and had time to get tacky) Again, I usually wait several hours to let the glue fully set. You can see how it's dried clear and kind of "shiny" where the adhesive was painted on. Before I put the stamps on my storage sheets, I usually stick them to the back of my hand to tone down the stickiness a bit...they are quite sticky when they have fresh adhesive on them. **If the stamps ever lose their stickiness down the road, I simply repeat the same process and add another thin layer of painted on glue. So far, I haven't had to do this to many of my stamps. The dried adhesive will last for a good while. Also note that sometimes you will get excess glue on the front or sides of your stamp by accident...I know I'm a messy painter at times. :) Don't worry about it...just rub it off with your fingers once it is dry. Remember to try not to touch the wet glue with your hands...it's a pain to get off. For some reason, the dried glue is easier to remove. It's kind of like rubber cement.

Hope this helps answer some of your questions about my adhesive solution. The Tack it over & Over is relatively inexpensive (around $5 or under a bottle) and that lasts a LONG LONG time. I have found mine at Michael's craft store in with the other adhesive/glue bottles.

If you have any questions, just let me know. :)

8 comments:

Erika said...

Brilliant idea! I have been contemplating selling my old wood block stamps because I love the acrylic blocks so much more. And the stamp sets take up much less room. This will be a great way to make some extra space in my scrapbook closet.

Brandy said...

LOL! Once I did this and forgot I had cats in the house!!! When the glue was set up my cat got nosey...he had stamps stuck all over his fur! What a mess that was!

S Glup said...

I know this is an old post, but am so happy I found it....took me forever to find the glue, but it finally arrived today from joanns.com, also customcrops.com sells it;0) I can't wait to attempt thismuch needed project this weekend....Thankyou so much for sharing.
}}}HUGS{{{, Sheri G

Unknown said...

TomBow Multi glue (the 1 with green lids on both ends) works the same as this, when allowing it to dry completely first. So if your having a hard time finding the Aleene's Tacky, TomBow works great and has save some 2nd hand stamps I was given with no stickiness left to them!

mcscramper said...

In Australia, Helmar make a glue called on/off glue. I have been doing this for the past year or so. I have about 3000 mounted stamps to change over. PHEW!! Thanks for sharing the tip. Cheers from down under. :)

Stamps4fun said...

Hi, I have done this for years, but I don't put that much glue on them, just a few spots. I didn't like the results, but I will say that I have had a bottle of this glue for probably 8 or 9 years, it lasts forever. and the part about it sticking to your hands is so true.

Korkie said...

Glad I found this post. I have wood mounted stamps that I too was about to sell.
Once the glue is tried, what do you store the stamp on?
Thanks

Megan B said...

Hi Korkie- So Glad you found this post! I store my stamps on transparencies....here is a blog post that shows how I store them. Let me know if you have any other questions.
http://www.made-by-design.blogspot.com/2008/07/stamp-storage-tutorial.html