Engraving Rubber Stamps - need advice...

[Paul Torrigino]

Hi all -
I ordered the rubber stamp making sample kit from LaserBits and got it last week. The self inking stamps come out really great and I've sold a few already... really they come out perfect!

Here's the question I have; I want to make a larger size stamp to mark our cardboard shipping boxes for our other items. I made a nice stamp about 3" x 2" but I can't get a good impression on cardboard. I tried several different new ink pads, one expensive one from Michael's, one from Office Depot. I even tried buying more ink and saturating the pad... didn't work. Then I bought a little roller made for wood block printing. I hand rolled the ink onto the stamp. Still, a lousy impression. What's the secret here? Is there some other technique I'm missing to get a good impression from a large size stamp onto a cardboard box? I don't mind it a little faint or blotchy, but so far I can't even get it good enough to read the text. Does anyone out there know about this stuff??
Help!
and thanks,
Paul

[Wil Lambert]

Did you put a foam backing to the stamp? I have found that the foam helps "correct" for the uneveness of larger produtcs.

Wil

[Joe Pelonio]

Rather than using the normal rubber, I found that if you avoid intricate detail in your design, "fun foam" works better on uneven surfaces. It's softer and will conform to the cardboard. I glue two layers of 1/16" together, and rastor the background, then vector cut just inside the rastored rectangle. I wouldn't try it with a self-inking, though, just use it with an old fashioned stamp pad.

[Paul Torrigino]

Thanks Joe, I'd like to try that.. but what's fun foam?:confused:

[Joe Pelonio]

Thanks Joe, I'd like to try that.. but what's fun foam?:confused:
Brightly colored fairly dense foam used for crafts, sold at places like Michael's, Joann's and Ben Franklin. I've used it for custom stamps for projects for people, not so much text. Also for cutting out lettering for odd uses like sticking to the soft walls of a slot car racing track. It comes 1/16-1/2" thick.


http://www.joann.com/catalog.jhtml?CATID=101939&PRODID=104430

http://www.epiloglaser.com/sc_foam.htm

[Mike Sharp]

For larger stamps you need to use a rocker stamp, this is a stamp mount that is made rounded so that when you stamp you rock the stamp back and forth. This will make a much better impression.

MAS

[Bill Cunningham]

With larger stamps, it's best to not fill the words and logos area if possible.. I probably make a thousand rubber stamps every year, and I get a request like this at least once a month.. If the customer 'really' has his/her heart set on a HUGE stamp, talk them out of solid letters and fills, you will never get a good imprint with ordinary stamppads, and the industrial square pads that hold a quarter pint of ink will work better than the usual ones, but still the imprint will not be all that great without a rockerstamp.. If it 'must' be filled, use a sparce halftone, it will pick up the ink better.. Outlines give the same info, in logos or words, use less ink, and imprint better.. The 'real' alternative, is to sell them a stencil and a stencil roller with a buit in ink supply.. Cardboard boxes 'are' printed with a flexo plate which in many cases is a glorified rubber stamp, but you will never get the pressure and even application a machine will, and the ink is not the same.. The largest stamp I have made, was a 5" x 18 " rocker, it printed well, but it also cost the guy a fortune.. Also, it was not done on the laser, but rather a convertional polymer platemaker and vulcanizer..

[Josh Forbes]

You will likely have better luck using laser-photopolymer rather than laser-rubber. Natural rubber absorbs ink while photopolymer has a tendancy to repel the ink. We make a lot of stamps for pizza boxes (typically 5" x 7"), I'll usually use the photopolymer instead of rubber. The customer needs to be informed however, the boxes/cardboard needs to be quite even (preferably not assembled) in order to get any quality imprint (and lots of pressure).

Josh Forbes
Epilog Mini 35w

[Mark Winlund]

Has anyone tried wrapping the stamp rubber around a roller? Haven't tried it, but it might work....

Mark

[Josh Forbes]

Yes, we've rolled a rubber die over a wooden dowel/brayer a number of times now. We found that the rubber should be quite a bit thinner in order to give it enough flexibility. Getting the rubber die to stick to the wooden dowel can be tough, we wrapped elastics around it to hold into place until the adhesive had dried. Putting the die on a brayer (usually made of hard rubber/silicone is easier, we used rubber cement. Once dry, works like a charm.

Josh Forbes
Epilog Mini 35w

[Bill Cunningham]

If your using bands to hold the die to a dowel, while 'waiting' for the rubber cement to dry your doing it wrong. Rubber cement is a 'contact' cement.. you put a even coating on both pieces, then set it aside for a while, maybe 20 minutes or so depending on the humidity.. When the glue is ready, it's dry to the touch of the back of your finger.. The tip of your finger has oil on it, and will ruin the hold.. Once the glue is no longer tacky and the back of your finger will not stick to it, it's ready. Start wrapping the die around the dowel or what ever your using. Press firmly.. Once the two coated pieces touch, they will stick fast.. Hence the name contact cement... Pressing them firmly together, will make the bond stronger.. Do it right the first time, because it's not likely you will get them apart again without damage.. The whole trick, is the adhesive must be dry on both pieces before they 'contact'.. This is the technique for gluing anything with contact cement..
Have fun!!! Don't sniff the glue:D