I am just really hoping the machine will be able to make clear stamps. I have looked at the process online and I might have bought the wrong machine…Just don’t know what machine to get. I know I have asked before and was told it probably will. But would love to see a sample done from one of the test machines out there.
I second that. It would be great to see some stamps made. I’d be happy to order and send some stamp rubber to you @dan to see how the GF handles it.
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This is one of the main reasons I’m getting a GF. I plan to get both rubber and clear stamp blanks from Jackson Marking Products (I already use their photopolymer products–good company), and experiment. I prefer clear stamps so if anyone has experience with those I’m all ears.
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I’m a little confused. In my mind “stamps” are things that you put ink on, then turn up-side-down and stamp onto a surface to transfer the pattern onto the surface. Something like this:
@JeremyNielsen’s comment about “stamp rubber” reinforces that idea.
Is that what you are talking about? The picture you posted looks more like “acrylic decals”. Are these stamps that are made from acrylic instead of rubber? I’ve never seen stamps like that.
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I bookmarked this a while back, they sell several laser-friendly stamp materials.
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@polarbrainfreeze Yes that’s the kind of stamp @fabriccutups is talking about. Except s/he is looking to make see-though stamps. The picture of that kind of stamp can be a bit confusing if you’ve never seen how it works in real life. The individual “stamp” can be peeled off the sheet and will stick to a clear acrylic block (like cling film). Having a clear block and stamp makes it much easier to position the stamp. I was always terrible at getting the impression where I wanted it until I discovered clear blocks & stamps.
*editL why cant I see typos until after I press reply?
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Wait, so are you saying it’s kind of like that plastic material that can be stuck to glass doors and windows as holiday decorations? Also like when you get an oil change and they put that plastic “sticker” on your windshield that tells you when the next one is due? Except thick enough that you can use it for stamping?
Psst… http://www.cesco.ca/LaserEngravers/index.php?Category=9&Series=54&PageTitle=Rubber
(Blames Canada)
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I was looking for a Canadian supplier. Thanks!!
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No, it’s not the same as a decal. Usually the clear stamps are a photopolymer, typically about 1/16" to 1/8" thick, that has just enough natural stickiness to cling to an acrylic block. They can also be made out of silicone, but these usually perform poorly compared to the photopolymer. I don’t know what kind of polymer is used for the lasered clear stamps (hoping ii’s more like photopolymer).
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What you are seeing in that package is a decal on top that shows what the stamped impression will look like. The stamps themselves are underneath that decal, and because they’re clear they are hard to see.
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Oooohh, ok, gotcha, thank you.
So I have made rubber stamps. But the material I used, like the material others have linked to, is not clear.
Where do we get CLEAR stamp material? I am assuming that it is rubbery?
Of course, if it IS NOT rubbery, it’s pretty easy to just etch a chunk of clear acrylic…
Dave
These guys have some, posted not too far up. It’s the one called “Laser Photopolymer Clear”.
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Jackson Marking Products has both laserable rubber and clear polymer here. Neither of them are made of acrylic, which is too rigid for use as a rubber stamp. Might be able to use it for letterpress, though ( for that I plan to use Delrin).
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Oops, beat me to it.
Well then… if it’s Canadian suppliers you want…
Start here: http://www.trodatmarking.ca/
Find their Catalog section ( http://www.trodat.net/en-US/Products/Pages/Catalogue-Dealer.aspx )
and flip to page 51, the pink(ish) section.
Find a local dealer here
at http://www.trodat.net/b2b/en-US/Service/Pages/buy-a-stamp.aspx and see if they can order you the Trodat raw material
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@madebynick and @Tom_M were just talking about this today - we’ve done both stamps and… for lack of a better term, punches (designed to be imprinted into leather). We haven’t tried the clear product you mention but it should work just fine.
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