Erich Sawyer writes ("[LbNA] Is it considered cheating..."):
>A quick question if you please. Is it considered cheating if you take
>your artwork someplace to have a stamp commercially made instead of
>carving it yourself. The reason I ask, is that I have a design for my
>next box, but my attempts to carve it by hand have not worked out. I
>have tried several different mediums, but have as yet been
>unsuccessful. I made some calls and found that I could have it made
>for about $10.00! Then I started thinking that some might consider it
>to be cheating. Any and all responses are welcome.

I wouldn't consider it cheating. Some folks carve their own. Some
use store-bought stamps. A commercially made stamp falls in-between.
Not as special as one you made yourself, but better than a mere
off-the-shelf one.

Myself, I think that I'd rather prefer a poor hand-made one than a
spiffy commercially made one. But I certainly wouldn't consider it
cheating.

Indeed, my personal stamp is commercially made. Years ago, a dear
friend of mine made a caricature of me, and I decided to have it made
into a rubber stamp, it's perfect for letterboxing. But for the boxes
I've placed[1], I carve my own. And if my carving skills get much
better, I may re-do my personal stamp.



[1] None still existing, unfortunately, but wait 'til spring.


--
Richard W Kaszeta
rich@kaszeta.org
http://www.kaszeta.org/rich

Hi Erich:

I don't think there is any real cheating in the spirit of the game.

One could make several analogies:

The box: sure, it would be very cool to use a old fashioned
carpenter's techniques to hand-build a very artistic box using wood,
inlaid metal, ivory, pearl, etc, but I don't think anyone will care
if you use Tupperware.

The book: ditto. It would be nice to make your own paper, bind it
together using leather or wood for the covers. However, a
nice "gift" quality book from a stationary store, or even a simple
notepad works just as well.

The compass: A simple brass or plastic compass? A fancy $300
affair? An electronic compass built into a GPS unit? They all to
the same thing.

The clues: Posted on the internet? How's that for irony in this
seemingly old-fashioned game! :)

So, back to the stamp. Sure a hand-carved stamp has a certain
personal quality to it, but in the end, it doesn't really matter. If
one must keep score, then commissioning one from a personal design is
just as good, in my opinion. Personally, I don't think there's a
real concept of cheating in this game, other than by logging things
you haven't really found.

The important thing is to just get out there and play hide and seek
and enjoy yourself.

BTW, Erich, I used my lunch hour today to stomp around a park in West
O. I got some mild ideas for a letterbox location, but
unfortunately, nothing that screamed "hide a box here!"

Regards...

Scott
P2F1
Omaha, NE
redd@interbug.com
http://interbug.com/letterboxing


--- In letterbox-usa@y..., "Erich Sawyer" wrote:
>

--- In letterbox-usa@y..., "Erich Sawyer" wrote:
> Is it considered cheating

No, it is not cheating. I gather that many people do that for their
signature stamps. It is still your own original and creative
artwork that you designed yourself (or if a friend drew it for you,
that is OK too) and therefore a lot better than a store-bought stamp.

As far as stamps that are placed in boxes, though, I am always much
more excited about finding a hand-carved one than a store-bought
one. Just my opinion.

Karen in CT
P9 F83

In no way is this cheating. Any kind of stamp will do.
I have learned that there are very few rules to this
hobby. Some like store bought ones, some like hand
made stamps.It does not matter at all.

--- Erich Sawyer wrote:

---

A quick question if you please. Is it
considered cheating if you take your artwork someplace
to have a stamp commercially made instead of carving
it yourself. The reason I ask, is that I have a design
for my next box, but my attempts to carve it by hand
have not worked out. I have tried several different
mediums, but have as yet been unsuccessful. I made
some calls and found that I could have it made for
about $10.00! Then I started thinking that some might
consider it to be cheating. Any and all responses are
welcome.


Happy Boxing,

Erich Sawyer

Omaha, NE p1f2

http://letterboxnebraska.8m.com

---

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I think that if you can get it carved for that cheaply! you should
go for it. I am thinking about getting my signature stamp
professionally done. It gets a lot of wear and tear (F134 and
counting) And tends to wear out pretty quickly. I am on my third
signature stamp (all with the same image) and I have tried a
different carving medium each time!

--Amanda from Seattle


> There are no hard and fast rules. A lot of folks like hand carved
stamps, but I think the skills for creating an image and the skills
for carving an image are quite different. Its YOUR box. Make its
visitors welcome in the way that most suites you.
>
> Space Traveler
Is it considered cheating if you take your artwork someplace to have
a stamp commercially made instead of carving it yourself. The reason
I ask, is that I have a design for my next box, but my attempts to
carve it by hand have not worked out. I have tried several different
mediums, but have as yet been unsuccessful. I made some calls and
found that I could have it made for about $10.00! Then I started
thinking that some might consider it to be cheating. Any and all
responses are welcome.
>
>
> Happy Boxing,
> Erich Sawyer