Saturday, May 23, 2009

Mounting stamps

Hello thank you for clicking by today. Most of you who come and vistit my blog are alrady familiar with all the opitions on how to use unmounted rubberstamps. However.. Tab from 7 Kids College Fund got several emails regarding storage of stamps or general mounting questions. Now that the new Magnolia summer kit (which is always UNMOUNTED) is almost beeing shipped i thougth it would help one or the other person who is starting just out with unmounted rubberstamps.
A little later today i am going to have a little altered project to show you.
Below is a list of products used in this tutorial to show different stamp mounting options:
Memento Ink , Neenah CS , Acrylic block or Cuttlebug B Plate as mount for very large stamps, rubber scissor, Hot knife, Ultra clean, Magnolia Sign with Bird, Love heart Love Collection 2009

Sunday International Thick EZ mount
Sunday International Thin EZ mount
Tsukineko Tack ‘n peel



First… lets start with Tack n Peel product. You can use this product with any unmounted rubber stamp. Simply attach the clear sheet to your acrylic block, peel the foil off and you are ready to go. You can attach your roughly trimmed rubber stamp right onto the acrylic block. I would say this product is a nice inexpensive alternative for EZ mount. I use all 3 methods when i stamp - however i use my block prepared with Tack n Peel only when iam out of EZ mount.



For best results, stamp on a stamping mat - or use at the bottom your mouse pad than your CS and stamp on it.




The stamped image will be crisp and ready to work with it. Once you are finished stamping, clean your stamp and simply take the stamp off the acrylic block. When you are completely finished stamping, add the clear foil to the cling site of the Tack 'n peel to keep it from losing stickiness as a result of dust or fibers.
The next mounting option is EZ MOUNT by Sunday International. These sheets are great for big or regular-sized stamps. With this product you are adding a permanent cushion to your rubber stamp






Peel back the side with words from the EZ MOUNT just to the point where you have exposed enough for the stamp you are mounting. Place the rubber stamp on the grey side of the EZ mount.




Use your rubber scissors to trim the excess rubber and mounting foam from around the image. I recommend using straight cuts. It is also important to have the right tools for mounting. By using a special rubber scissor or a hot knife, you will avoid undercutting the foam. It is important the entire stamp have cushion underneath, otherwise your image might not stamp properly.




Here you are getting a good look how nice a rubber scissors cuts the rubber and the foam. To make your stamp ready for stamping just peel away the white paper from the EZ mount (this is the side with NO text on it). You can discard this paper. EZ mount does not loose tackiness






You can now add your stamp to any acryl block or to any other hard plastic surface. Tip: for big stamps like the Magnolia house, Magnolia trees or Spring Background stamp, I use my Cuttlebug B Plate instead of purchasing a large acrylic block.
For those of you wondering: what is THIN EZ MOUNT FOR? Here's the answer: THIN EZ MOUNT is absolutely wonderful for small unmounted rubber stamps like sentiments or small accessory images from the Magnolia collections. When a stamp is fairly small, the cushion of the regular EZ MOUNT is going to make the stamp too “wiggly” to get a nice impression.

The other option you have with THIN EZ MOUNT is that you can unmount all your wood mounted stamps and just add the layer of THIN EZ MOUNT. These stamps can now be stored in CD or DVD jewl cases



or on tabbed dividers that are also made by Sunday International and save you tons of space!








In the photo above, you see a Stampin' Up! sets that has been taken off the wood blocks and THIN EZ MOUNT has been added. It now uses only a fraction of the space than before. (The grey layer of foam is the original foam the stamp came on.)
To unmount a wood mounted stamp, simply place 1 stamp at a time into your microwave and heat it on high for 10-15 seconds
When you take your wood stamp out of the microwave, grab it with a towel because the wood is going to be hot. The glue is now soft and you can take the rubber easily off the wood block. Now, apply stamp right onto the black side of your THIN EZ MOUNT. Don't be scared - you are not going to destroy your rubber stamp.

19 comments:

Claudia said...

Claudia, these are wonderful tips. Now that I have been stamping for a few months I want to unmount all my old wood stamps and have oodles of space too...for more stamps of course, lol.

Gail said...

thank you soooo much for this tutorial! I never heard of the thin ez mount or tack n peel! I thought it was just in one size! LOL. I've wanted to unmount my SU! stamps too thanks for he ideas! You rock!

daisy said...

wow i didn't know the microwave tip! i'v been peelin' myself nuts on those wood mounted stamps!
thanks for that tip.

hugs
daisy

Deb said...

fantastic tips there Claudia, thanks so much! Hope you are having a great weekend!
Debx

Penni said...

Fab instructions & tips Claudia - Thanks.

Hugs
Penni
X

Nancy said...

Claudia...Thanks so much for the mounting tips. I did not know about the thin EZ mount. I have a ton of wood mount stamps that I am going to have to switch to the thin EZ mount. Thank you for your tips.
Nancy

Aunty Sue said...

brillient tips and instructions and pictures. Thanks Sue xx

AnnS said...

Great visual tutorial. Thanks Claudia.

Moni said...

Great tips! Hugs Moni

Gry-E. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Gry-E. said...

Thank you for a great and easy to understand tutorial. This is very useful for me who is new to the game.

annececile said...

Merci beaucoup, c'est vraiment tres clair !

Unknown said...

Wow Claudia! You are amazing. You are a wealth of knowledge and talent, and always sharing those qualities. You are an inspiration! Thanks!

Roberta

Linda S. said...

Claudia, Thank you for this tutorial. The pictures are so helpful, and your explanations as to the differences in these products, and why we should use one over the other is very helpful. Thank you for sharing. Linda S. in NE

charlene said...

Claudia thanks so much for all of these little tips, I will be getting my first unmounted stamps shortly. I did go get some EZmount from the 7kids college fund and some of allene tack it over and over....it makes the best little glue dots for scrapping and cards. I was really happy to see they are a local company !
Hugs

Candy said...

Hi Claudia,

Can't thank you enough for the instructions on how to unmount all of my Stampin'Up Stamps. I have a ton and I need the space. Been trying to figure out how to do this for a while!!!!

Big Hugs, Candy

Hilda said...

I'm pretty new to stamping techniques so your little tips are so helpful. I have a special book where I write them all down.
Thanks Hilda

Norma said...

Claudia, thank you, thank you, thank you for these tips. These are new to me. I specially like the one re getting rid of the wooden blocks as I'm running out of room.

Hugs.
Norma xx

Teri said...

Thanks for all of this wonderful information Claudia! xo, Teri