Unmounted Rubber StampsWhat Are They?&How Do You Get Them Ready to Use?Unmounted Rubber Stamps are available in sheet rubber about the size of 1/2 sheet of notebook paper or 5 & 1/2 by 8 inches. Normally all of the images on the sheet are in the same family of images. Trimming of an unmounted rubber stamp sheet should be done with very sharp scissors about 1/8 of an inch from the image, being careful not to cut into the image and not to angle the scissors. Hold the scissors so cutting the edge makes a straight up and down cut - you don’t want to under cut or over cut the edge - it can alter the image at the edge of the stamp or the way the images stamps when you ink it up. There are several advantages to Unmounted Rubber Stamps. One great advantage is the obvious space that is not taken up by the wooden blocks. Another is that when mounted on clear acrylic, the rubber stamper achieves more accurate placement of the stamped image on the final product. A third advantage is reducing the need for the wood blocks - going "Green" Unmounted Rubber Stamps can be coated on the back with a thin coat of a repositionable adhesive such as Aleen’s Tack it Over and Over or Liquid Wacky Tac. When “dried” after about 30 minutes (depending on the thickness) the stamps will adhere to the acrylic block and can be inked, used, removed, and even cleaned with a mild soap or stamp cleaner without the “sticky” coming off. Most clear acrylic blocks are plain, but some have grid lines to aid in stamp alignment. These come in various sizes and shapes, to accommodate large stamps, or multiple stamps on the same block and long slender blocks to accommodate lettering stamps that need to be placed in a straight line. Tip: If you spill some of the adhesive or get it on you,it can be removed with rubbing alcohol and then washed off. Please be very careful with it. I dropped a bottle of it on my tile floor and I walked right out of my shoes it was so sticky. The images can be stored on plastic sheet protectors in 3-ring binders with a copy of the image on the facing page. Even more convenient is a 3-ring binder with a zipper close so in case any of the stamps come lose from the sheet protector, they will not get lost.
The Aleen's or Wacky Tac can be purchased at any number of craft stores or through our on-line adhesive store (starting on Page 17) at Scrapbook-Advice.com Adhesives Store. Go back to Rubber Stamps
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