stamp for metal clay

[Richard Coers]

New to the forum, and did a search for rubber stamp info, but it may be that I don't need rubber. I've started making some wood jewelry, and am looking at add precious metal clay elements. On many videos, the maker uses a rubber stamp to emboss the clay before firing. Since they are pressing in the clay on a mildly lubed (olive oil suggested) stamp to prevent sticking, I wonder if I can use something other than a flexible polymer or rubber? Think I need the "draft angle" of the stamp mode to release the clay? I don't think my old ULS has a rubber stamp mode, so I thought I would ask if anyone has any experience here.

[Dan Hintz]

I would consider delrin... relatively easy to laser, doesn't stick to much, relatively inexpensive for the thickness and size you would require.

[Tom Bull]

I think that is Joe Peacock's forte. You might PM him to make sure.

[Alexander Stein]

all I know about PMC is that it shrinks considerably when fired. Keep in mind that your stamp should be larger (approx 50%) than you want it to turn out...

[Mike Null]

How old is your machine? My old ULS had the rubber stamp mode.

[Richard Coers]

If I remember correctly, ULS-25E, 1994? I bought it from Bosworth at Used Lasers, maybe in 1999, and it was a rebuild then. I think it has to be a ULS-25ER for the driver to run rubber stamps. Of course this is all from memory, the paperwork is at home and my memory is sure fading. I wondered about a driver update, but didn't ULS stop supporting those machines all together? What I want to do is take some of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco images from my Dover books, and make the stamps. I'll then make some pendants and earrings from those.

[Mike Null]

You may be able to achieve the rubber stamp effect using the contour tool in Corel.

[Len Levi]

I have tried both rubber stamp polymerand delrin to make molds for PMC.
Best to make a positive image as the master, then make a mold
with rtv putty. Delrin's rigidity is best as the polymer stamp
material can easily flex and distort the mold. The rtv mold
allows the pmc clay to release without adding any parting agents.

Setting for the laser should be rubber stamp mode with wide shoulder.
Also have done 3d. Detail is not as exacting as a wax milling machine
but its OK for most applications.

Make sure to check your mold very carefully to make sure it picked
up all the details. Its much cheaper to re-make the mold than to
waste any of the PMC, at over $40/ounce. I measured the shrink
factor of PMC3, its 9%.

[Richard Coers]

Could you please elaborate Mike. Would you use different color fills on the steps of the contour to get different density of burn? I'm using CorelDraw 9, so I just an antique sort of guy all around. (My age, age of the machine, version of software) Just a hobby guy trying to have fun!

[Bill Cunningham]

I just made one out of wood for a town in NovaScotia that wanted to have a local crafts person stamp the town name into clay mugs.. The crafts person wets the wood piece then presses it into the clay.. I guess it works, they ordered a second one.. I had my doubts. I figgured the striations in the wood would cause the clay to stick.. I did spray it with a few coats of rattlecan lacquer after engraving, perhaps that and a wet surface makes the difference..

[Mike Null]

Richard

It'll take a little experimenting but I would try using several contour lines of varying shades of gray. You can set the width of the lines to raster.