Stamperhog@aol.com writes:
> If you want kids to use water-soluble ink, you don;t need to worry about the
> durability of the PAPER or the INK. YOu need to worry about the water-
> tightness of the CONTAINER!!!!!! If the container is adequate, the rest is
> cake!!!!
Hoggie Dearest makes a very valid point. It's the containers that matter most
of all.
Of course everyone is free to use whatever paper, inks, and containers they
prefer. Personally, I haven't given up on Deborah's idea of using recycled
coffee and peanut butter jars. Granted, the smell will probably be impossible
to wash completely away, but I doubt that anything short of a bear will be
able to do much damage to them. I at least intend to put the idea to the
test. Since Western Oregon is populated by bears, coons, cougars, and other
wild critters, and I have a tendency to like to hide my letterboxes in wooded
areas, I'm sure I will soon discover the worst that Ol' Mama Nature can dish
out. In particular, I thought this idea would make a good container
suggestion for the Kids Corner.
Besides the wild critter test, another container test that I have no trouble
conducting is the rain test. We don't get much in the way of freezing temps
up here in Portland, but, by God, we do get plenty of rain. It rains for a
hundred days at a time up here... in fact, it rains for about 2/3 of the
year!! This winter has been one of the wettest.
I've had several letterboxes out all through our monsoon season. All my boxes
are rectangular Rubbermade containers varying in size from about 4x6 to 6x10
inches. The contents are always sealed in ziplock bags, and then placed in
the boxes. Actually, I have 3 boxes that haven't been checked recently, and
another one that disappeared. But of the other three that I've checked, there
has been absolutely NO damage from water or humidity. Two of these, in
particular, have been directly exposed to the rain, in that they are lying on
the ground with minimal cover. One (which is in the vicinity of a large
waterfall) even had moss growing on the outside, but there wasn't a trace of
moisture on the book or the info sheets I had included. No mold, no smeared
ink, no condensation.
I plan to check the other three soon. One of these, in particular, has also
been exposed to direct rainfall, and likely has had several days where it was
under water. I'll let you all know what I find. Thus far, however, I'm very
pleased with the performance of the Rubbermaid/Ziplock combination. I believe
Erik once mentioned that he had a box of similar construction that survived a
flood.
MixtMedia@aol.com writes:
> Those [containers] that are a hard crystal
> clear plastic are probably made of polystyrene,
> and that is the bad kind of plastic that with time
> will react with [vinyl] erasers and cause them to
> desintegrate. The word is that shielding the stamp
> with paper is enough to protect it, though.
Or... say, maybe... a Ziplock bag?? (No, I don't work for the Ziplock
people!!... but maybe I should...)
Peace and Love,
Der Mad Stamper
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