cleaning permanent ink from stamps
 

What is the best/cheapest most readily available product to clean permanent
ink from my rubberstamps.

I tried just soap & water, that didn't work and neither did baby wipes. I
am new to using permanent ink and don't want to damage my stamps trying a
cleaning fluid that may work now but deteriorate the rubber later on.

Thanks for your time.

eliquint

What is the best/cheapest most readily available product to clean
permanent
ink from my rubberstamps.

This probably won't help you for now, but in the future. BEFORE I use
permanent ink, I ink my stamp with VersaMark THEN ink it with the permanent
ink. It comes right off after use. I've used VersaMark to "pre-ink" when
stamping in candles and other things where I didn't want it to stick or
stain.

Cecelia

eliquint wrote:
What is the best/cheapest most readily available product to clean permanent
ink from my rubberstamps.

I tried just soap & water, that didn't work and neither did baby wipes. I
am new to using permanent ink and don't want to damage my stamps trying a
cleaning fluid that may work now but deteriorate the rubber later on.

The thing about permanent ink is that it's, well, permanent, It's not
water-soluble; it's solvent-based. There are special stamp cleaners that
will do a reasonably good job of dissolving the stuff once it's dried;
they're marketed as not being damaging to stamps.

Better to get the ink off the stamps while it's still wet. Keep a few
folded paper towels on your stamping workspace; as you work, immediately
blot your stamps on the dry paper until you don't see an image. If
necessary, follow with stamp cleaner when you're all done.

--
Pat Kight

Cecelia Medbery wrote:
What is the best/cheapest most readily available product to clean
permanent
ink from my rubberstamps.

This probably won't help you for now, but in the future. BEFORE I use
permanent ink, I ink my stamp with VersaMark THEN ink it with the permanent
ink. It comes right off after use. I've used VersaMark to "pre-ink" when
stamping in candles and other things where I didn't want it to stick or
stain.

What a clever idea! (And finally a use for the Versamark pad I bought a
while back - I can't seem to get interested in using it as intended...)

--
Pat Kight

I use my Versa-mark pad instead of my embossing pad. I get better results with
it. It seems to hold the ep better.
Peggy

MargaretEckbold wrote:

I use my Versa-mark pad instead of my embossing pad. I get better results with
it. It seems to hold the ep better.

I mostly use Colorbox Crafters' Ink, which is sticky enough to hold the EP
but sets when you heat it. Kills two birds with one stone (and I often like
a bit of color under the metallic or clear EP I favor.)
--
Pat Kight

I mostly use Colorbox Crafters' Ink, which is sticky enough to hold the
EP
but sets when you heat it. Kills two birds with one stone (and I often like
a bit of color under the metallic or clear EP I favor.)

Have you experimented with using different colors of ink and embossing
powders? I can't remember who told me about this, but I started using black
under gold powder...gives it a "richer" look. Also, using blue under green
can be quite striking. It doesn't really change the color, but really adds
something to the look.

Cecelia

Cecelia Medbery wrote:

Have you experimented with using different colors of ink and embossing
powders? I can't remember who told me about this, but I started using black
under gold powder...gives it a "richer" look.

Yes - and red or green under gold are interesting, too; the former gives it
a warm undertone that works beautifully with Asian images, and the latter
adds a kind of antique patina.

I mostly don't use colored EP, mainly for economic reasons - I'm afraid
that once I get started there will be no end to it! I have economy-sized
jars of clear and gold ultra-thick EP, and use an old coffee grinder to
whir them into smaller granules if I want something like detail powder.

--
Pat Kight

Hi Pat,

How do you control the powder size of the EP when you use the coffee
grinder? I tried this to make my own detail powder and ended up with a real
mess. Really, really fine powder that just went everywhere. When I tried
to emboss with it, it just flew everywhere around the paper and was a
nightmare to clean up. And I didn't grind it very long either.

Karen
"Pat Kight" wrote in message
...
Cecelia Medbery wrote:

Have you experimented with using different colors of ink and embossing
powders? I can't remember who told me about this, but I started using
black
under gold powder...gives it a "richer" look.

Yes - and red or green under gold are interesting, too; the former gives
it
a warm undertone that works beautifully with Asian images, and the latter
adds a kind of antique patina.

I mostly don't use colored EP, mainly for economic reasons - I'm afraid
that once I get started there will be no end to it! I have economy-sized
jars of clear and gold ultra-thick EP, and use an old coffee grinder to
whir them into smaller granules if I want something like detail powder.

--
Pat Kight

WKT wrote:

Hi Pat,

How do you control the powder size of the EP when you use the coffee
grinder? I tried this to make my own detail powder and ended up with a real
mess. Really, really fine powder that just went everywhere. When I tried
to emboss with it, it just flew everywhere around the paper and was a
nightmare to clean up. And I didn't grind it very long either.

Trial and error, and starting with very small quantities - maybe a
teaspoon. For my grinder, hitting the button for a count of "onethousand
one, onethousand two" seems to work.

I do my embossing inside the lid of a large shoebox, which usually catches
most of the stray stuff.

--
Pat Kight