I glue my erasers to a piece of wood so that they can be pressed down uniformly. I've never worked in PZKut, though. Anyone else?

Dave
the von der Insels
----- Original Message -----
From: quarksmom
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 9:48 PM
Subject: [LbNA] carving/stamping help please


Okay I'm pretty new at this so maybe there's something really basic
I'm missing but this evening I carved my first stamp from my new
PZKut material and when I went to stamp it - UGH! Didn't seem like
it took the ink evenly nor did it stamp evenly. I tried it several
different times as I was working on it & then in desperation tried a
different ink but still I'm not getting a nice clean even inked
image.

Suggestions?

Thanks.

mt walker



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I discovered that PZKut doesn't accept certain ink onto it's medium
very well. I colored a stamp with watercolor markers so I could have
different colors on the stamp image and it was a total failure. If I
discover PZKut stamps in a box, I use an inkpad. I bring just one
along with me for that very reason. Otherwise I use markers. Consider
carving in the Speedy Stamp (pink stuff) or experiment with inkpads to
see which work best with PZKut.
Wish I had some better advice,
Mark


> I'm missing but this evening I carved my first stamp from my new
> PZKut material and when I went to stamp it - UGH! Didn't seem like
> it took the ink evenly nor did it stamp evenly. I tried it several
> different times as I was working on it & then in desperation tried a
> different ink but still I'm not getting a nice clean even inked
> image.
>
> Suggestions?
>
> Thanks.
>
> mt walker
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ADVERTISEMENT
>
>
>
>
>
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Yahoo! Groups Links
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> letterbox-usa-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
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> c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
Service.
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>
>
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> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I usually use the lid to the stamp pad for even pressure during the
testing/carving phase (and sometimes in the feild, as well). I don't
invest the time or effort of affixing a stamp to anything until I'm
sure the stamp's a goodun... When it's done, I use a lightweight,
barely flexible plastic material about 1/8 inch thick that can be cut
to size with a regular utility knife or a bandsaw.

Red of Red's Bunch

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "dave & diane"
wrote:
> I glue my erasers to a piece of wood so that they can be pressed
down uniformly. I've never worked in PZKut, though. Anyone else?
>
> Dave
> the von der Insels

Hi Mark!

I wish I could remember if it's on Der Mad Stamper's site or not, but
somewhere I read that there's a permanent ink that will adhere to the
rubber, making inkpad ink work better.

Red of Red's Bunch

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "ndnboxing"
wrote:
> I discovered that PZKut doesn't accept certain ink onto it's medium
> very well.

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "quarksmom"
wrote:
> Okay I'm pretty new at this so maybe there's something really
basic
> I'm missing but this evening I carved my first stamp from my new
> PZKut material and when I went to stamp it - UGH! Didn't seem
like
> it took the ink evenly nor did it stamp evenly. I tried it
several
> different times as I was working on it & then in desperation tried
a
> different ink but still I'm not getting a nice clean even inked
> image.
>
> Suggestions?
>
> Thanks.
>
> mt walker



PZKut seems to have a good side and a bad side, but I have used both
and it accepts ink pretty well. You might try sanding with 400 wet
or dry sand paper and a different type of ink. Some folks really
like PZ Kut and others prefer a different type of medium. If there
is ant one out there that wants to rid themselves of their PZKut let
me know.
Don

Here's a couple of more ideas that you might wanna try.

Sometimes in there is a film of mold release left on the material
that can prevent the ink from sticking to the stamp. Try washing it
off. I like to use a product called Simple Green.

If that still don't help then you can try roughing up the surface a
tiny bit. Take some fine grit sandpaper at least 800 grit and gently
sand the surface of the stamp you carved. That bit of roughness will
give the ink something to grab on to. When I do this I use 1200 or
1500 grit wet to dry sandpaper.

The other thing that was mentioned by some others was about mounting
the stamp so theres a solid and firm surface for the stamp. Chekc
the links area from the homepage of this yahoogroup. I think Bindle
Babe put a link in there for a mounting tutorial she has on
picturetrail.

Enders Angel

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "quarksmom"
wrote:
> Okay I'm pretty new at this so maybe there's something really
basic I'm missing but this evening I carved my first stamp from my
new PZKut material and when I went to stamp it - UGH! Didn't seem
like it took the ink evenly nor did it stamp evenly. I tried it
several different times as I was working on it & then in desperation
tried a different ink but still I'm not getting a nice clean even
inked image. Suggestions?

I've had a similar experience with certain types of inks I've used
with PZKut--it may have something to do with how you transfer your
images to the carving medium. If you use the acetone (nail polish
remover) method then it may leave some residue on the surface that
doesn't mix well with water or whatever other substances are found
in some inks. You could try to clean it off with different types of
cleansers and it may work better? I prefer to use dye based ink
stamp pads or cat eye pigment inks with the PZKut and they seem to
work well. I also use the higher quality professional drafting
markers (with the paintbrush tips) without any problems, too. Simply
color the stamp with the various markers and then BREATHE on it to
remoisten it before you stamp the image on the paper. I've noticed
that if I use a cheaper kind of marker such as Crayola or colored
markers from IKEA that the ink doesn't cover the image--it just
seems to bead up on the surface and it stamps terribly. I recommend
just experimenting with different types of ink & markers until you
find what works. I personally love the PZKut and really don't use
any other carving medium anymore--except maybe some stray pieces of
the speedball 'pink stuff' that might be laying around.

If you use the tracing paper/lead pencil transfer method, you may
have a similar problem unless you clean off the lead before you try
to stamp it. If you use the ball point pen drawing the image on the
surface, you may get stray marks of ball point ink when you stamp
with it using light colored inks for a while unless you clean those
off, too. One thing I've done on a few stamps that 'beg for
multiple colors' is actually color the stamp with various colored
Sharpie marking permanent pens (like the laundry marker pens) that
you can get in all sorts of colors these days. Sometimes coloring
the image with these pens may make it easier for future inks to
adhere, othertimes it may make it more difficult depending on what
kind of ink/markers you use. I've learned through the school of
hard knocks is that the 'better quality' inks/markers seem to work
abundantly better with PZKut.

Hope some of this thesis helps you resolve your problem,

dvn2r ckr

I just got my first order of PZ Cut and haven't noticed the ink issue.
Hopefully it doesn't become and issue because carving on it is great. I
actually like it better than EZ Cut.




Debbi

-----Original Message-----
From: ndnboxing [mailto:ndnboxing@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 7:22 AM
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [LbNA] Re: carving/stamping help please


I discovered that PZKut doesn't accept certain ink onto it's medium
very well. I colored a stamp with watercolor markers so I could have
different colors on the stamp image and it was a total failure. If I
discover PZKut stamps in a box, I use an inkpad. I bring just one
along with me for that very reason. Otherwise I use markers. Consider
carving in the Speedy Stamp (pink stuff) or experiment with inkpads to
see which work best with PZKut.
Wish I had some better advice,
Mark


> I'm missing but this evening I carved my first stamp from my new
> PZKut material and when I went to stamp it - UGH! Didn't seem like
> it took the ink evenly nor did it stamp evenly. I tried it several
> different times as I was working on it & then in desperation tried a

> different ink but still I'm not getting a nice clean even inked
> image.
>
> Suggestions?
>
> Thanks.
>
> mt walker
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ADVERTISEMENT
>
>
>
>
>
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
> a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/letterbox-usa/
>
> b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> letterbox-usa-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
Service.
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

What is this plastic material you refer to? And where would one find
it?

=]


Debbi

-----Original Message-----
From: red_bing [mailto:redbng@aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 7:55 AM
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [LbNA] carving/stamping help please


I usually use the lid to the stamp pad for even pressure during the
testing/carving phase (and sometimes in the feild, as well). I don't
invest the time or effort of affixing a stamp to anything until I'm
sure the stamp's a goodun... When it's done, I use a lightweight,
barely flexible plastic material about 1/8 inch thick that can be cut
to size with a regular utility knife or a bandsaw.

Red of Red's Bunch

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "dave & diane"
wrote:
> I glue my erasers to a piece of wood so that they can be pressed
down uniformly. I've never worked in PZKut, though. Anyone else?
>
> Dave
> the von der Insels




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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The stuff I'm using now began life as a flimsy plastic food
prep/cutting board that came with the pasta pro we got for Christmas.
I am also using old, no-longer-seals-in-freshness tupperware (the
clear flat part from the bottom, not the lids). I haven't tried plexi
yet, but I've seen one or two like that from England.

My latest idea (which I chose for our personal family stamp) is the
dried-up stamp pad from my office in the flip-top container and the
ink pad taken out. I've glued the stamp into the lid, and the empty
place where the pad used to be is deep enough for the stamp to fit
into. This way our stamp is also protected from bumps and dings.

Silly 'Ol Bear has been combing the dollar stores for compacts or
other makeup containers that we can take the product out of, then
glue the stamp on the inside. We haven't found any yet that fit these
criteria: flat on the bottom, big enough around, short enough to
allow the ink to hit the rubber and tall enough to close the lid
without hitting the rubber.

Anyways, that's my 2 cents and then some!


-Red of Red's Bunch

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Debbi Scott"
wrote:
> What is this plastic material you refer to? And where would one
find
> it?
>
> =]
>
>
> Debbi
>

What great ideas! thank you for sharing! =]


Debbi

-----Original Message-----
From: red_bing [mailto:redbng@aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 11:10 AM
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [LbNA] carving/stamping help please


The stuff I'm using now began life as a flimsy plastic food
prep/cutting board that came with the pasta pro we got for Christmas.
I am also using old, no-longer-seals-in-freshness tupperware (the
clear flat part from the bottom, not the lids). I haven't tried plexi
yet, but I've seen one or two like that from England.

My latest idea (which I chose for our personal family stamp) is the
dried-up stamp pad from my office in the flip-top container and the
ink pad taken out. I've glued the stamp into the lid, and the empty
place where the pad used to be is deep enough for the stamp to fit
into. This way our stamp is also protected from bumps and dings.

Silly 'Ol Bear has been combing the dollar stores for compacts or
other makeup containers that we can take the product out of, then
glue the stamp on the inside. We haven't found any yet that fit these
criteria: flat on the bottom, big enough around, short enough to
allow the ink to hit the rubber and tall enough to close the lid
without hitting the rubber.

Anyways, that's my 2 cents and then some!


-Red of Red's Bunch

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Debbi Scott"
wrote:
> What is this plastic material you refer to? And where would one
find
> it?
>
> =]
>
>
> Debbi
>




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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

STAMP BACKING MATERIALS???

I'm not a particular fan of backing stamps as I prefer a flexible
medium when stamping into my logbook most of the time but
occasionally some stamps just need a little more support. {I also
haven't quite mastered that professional look after adhering the
stamp to the backing (of course, I haven't tried using a vice yet
either so that may be part of the problem).}

As we're nearing the end of a 3+ year home renovation, I had several
dozen 'formica' countertop sample chips laying around the house. I
learned that they make great stamp backings for stamps you'd like to
reinforce. I simply glued the 'wood' side of the 'chip' to the
stamp and used the formica side as the side that was exposed--partly
because it was too smooth to make a nice solid bond with the
stamping material. (Used Household Goop Adhesives--they now have an
outdoor waterproof Goop available!) Of course, I don't condone
knicking such samples from the hardware stores just for this hobby--
if you have them laying around heading to the landfill, however,
that may be another story. Prior to finding these, I'd been looking
for veneers to use in a similar fashion. I've also found that paint
stirring sticks or wood shims for installing cabinetry/countertops
make great stamp backing materials if you cut them down to the
desired size and sand them to get rid of the splinters--the taper
doesn't seem to be a problem when stamping with it. I've also
experimented with using other left over renovation materials as
stamp backings--crown moulding, picture railing, whatever little
bits of wood we have lying around. They all seem to do the job--
especially if you have tiny stamps with which you are working.

Enjoy!

dvn2r ckr

My two cents worth on stamp backers:

I found someone selling professional hardwood stamp backers on eBay. I was able to purchase a lot of 15 different sizes. They even have fingertip grooves and are exactly like the wooden blocks to which "bought" stamps are mounted.

They make a great looking stamp - just wish my carving was better!!

;-)

Have fun and just get out there & box!!!


Mark Pepe

http://pepeanddavidow.blogspot.com/

The inkpad is 'Ancient Page' black, it's acid-free, archival and
waterproof. Once on it won't come off, and some use it to condition
all their stamps before using.

catbead


--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "red_bing" wrote:
> Hi Mark!
>
> I wish I could remember if it's on Der Mad Stamper's site or not, but
> somewhere I read that there's a permanent ink that will adhere to the
> rubber, making inkpad ink work better.
>
> Red of Red's Bunch
>
> --- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "ndnboxing"
> wrote:
> > I discovered that PZKut doesn't accept certain ink onto it's medium
> > very well.

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "dvn2rckr"
wrote:
> STAMP BACKING MATERIALS???

Scoutdogs told me about a great backer to use with PZKut that is
flexible but still firm, it's the 1/4" foam material used for door
knob hangers (think do not disturb signs) avaible in crafts stores
like Michaels. The glue she uses has no solvents and isn't harmful,
so no special ventilation precautions need to be taken: 'Elmer's Craft
Bond'. Elmer's makes a lot of glues, some with similar names but this
is the one to use. Works even in boxes kept outside over the winter.


I've used this and it's very easy. The foam can be cut with scissors,
and I've sat in my living room and glued it up. Easy, not stinky,
quick clean up.

catbead

I have noticed that about PZKut also -- some pieces more than
others. It seems to be less porous and ink from water-based markers
and even some types of ink pads seems to just bead up on it.

One reason may be leftover ink or penci lfrom your image transfer.
If you get your image onto the PZKut with pencil or do heat or
acetone transfer of a toner-based image, the ink or pencil remnants
on the carving material will deter the ink. Try wiping away all
traces of pencil and ink with acetone before stamping with it.

Another thing you can do if you are using PZKut to get the images to
stamp better is to use a permanent ink to stamp a couple of times --
I use Memories Black Ink (dye-based), but you should be able to use
any permanent dye or pigment ink. After there is a coating of ink
permanently adhered to the PZKut, it seems to take other ink much
better.

SpringChick


--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "ndnboxing"
wrote:
> I discovered that PZKut doesn't accept certain ink onto it's medium
> very well. I colored a stamp with watercolor markers so I could have
> different colors on the stamp image and it was a total failure. If I
> discover PZKut stamps in a box, I use an inkpad. I bring just one
> along with me for that very reason. Otherwise I use markers.
Consider
> carving in the Speedy Stamp (pink stuff) or experiment with inkpads
to
> see which work best with PZKut.
> Wish I had some better advice,
> Mark
>
>
> > I'm missing but this evening I carved my first stamp from my
new
> > PZKut material and when I went to stamp it - UGH! Didn't seem
like
> > it took the ink evenly nor did it stamp evenly. I tried it
several
> > different times as I was working on it & then in desperation
tried a
> > different ink but still I'm not getting a nice clean even inked
> > image.
> >
> > Suggestions?
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > mt walker
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> > ADVERTISEMENT
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> > a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/letterbox-usa/
> >
> > b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > letterbox-usa-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >
> > c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms
of
> Service.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]