Done.

Thanks,
Der Mad Stamper

In a message dated 3/14/99 10:43:24 AM Pacific Standard Time,
Matineegrl@aol.com writes:

> please change my emailing address to undiscsoul@aol.com
>
> thank you.

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Thank you Tom, Bonnie, John, and Susan for the warm welcome to the list.
After looking through your archives two things strike me about your
community: the graciousness and supportiveness of the group, and the sense
of breathless exciting urgency of being involved in something brand new.
There really is a sense of intriguing, beguiling, and entrancing fascination
with letterboxing: it's a quirky healthy nonsensical captivating classically
British past time of absolutely no merit, yet it is deeply satisfying and
creative and....FUN!

So the kids and I have mapped out a clue sheet for a box in the wonderful
resort town of Newport RI, and are working on our first handmade stamp to go
with it. First we tried some rubber plumbing gasket, but that just shredded
under the blade. Now we're working on an old piece of linoleum we found
under a box in the cellar, which isn't much better. So I think we'll have to
surf around to find a better way: Mark's note about high-tech graphic design
was intruiging. Maybe we could bring our sketch to a local stamp maker? Hope
to have this one in this week.

Looking forward, Jay

Jay:
Glad to see that you've responded so positively to the supportive
quirkiness that makes this group so much fun - welcome aboard!

As for stamp making, Susan and I have tried lots of things - linoleum
color samples, stiff foam sheets, probably rubber gasket material as
well. If you still wish to carve a stamp, see whats available at your
local art store - not the stuff they do sell for carving (likely called
"Speedy-Cut" by Speedball Company). Instead, see whats available in the
way of white vinyl erasers. Get a smooth-surfaced one, and an X-acto
knife with a fine blade, and a set of cutters from Speedball. We here
in Vt have been using "Factis" brand - made in Spain I think. Works
pretty well, but the best ever is purported to be "Uncle Walter's" - see
the Carving Consortium web page for address (Amesbury MA, near
Newburyport,).

But, having said all that, I'm close to throwing in the towel, so to
speak, and getting my personal stamp made by a commercial outfit. I
tried carving fine detail with a Dremel tool, with decidely mixed
results!

BTW, the Factis, and others, transfer from a good photocopy very well -
just trim to size and tape the copy face down, rub the back with acetone
(nail polish remover) soaked into a paper towel or small rag, pull off
the original before it dries on - voila! a reverse image ready to carve.

Initially, I chose to carve to get around paying $10 -12 for each stamp
- now, its become a personal challange to carve, altlho its
frustrating....

Hey, can you hide a stamp near the "puddingstone" rock outcrops - is
that North Beach? - its been a while for me.
Good Luck
Erik
aka Vermont Viking

My new email address is:

bjdrew@us.med.navy.mil

My new email address is:

bjdrew@us.med.navy.mil

My new email address is:

bjdrew@us.med.navy.mil