Rubber Stamp Lessons Learned

[kittski]

Dang, so nice and clean! Well done.

[cynd11]

Very nice job!

Now, if in the future you want to make stamps with really thin lines, keep in mind that you would need to create a greyscale image with a ramp to white (unengraved surface) so the base of the figure (next to the engraved area) would have some support. Otherwise the thin parts would wiggle when you tried to stamp them. I hope this makes sense.

[alan_ferrell]

It totally does. I’ve actually used the exact same technique to create what you just described. I didn’t post it here because it has a lot of personal detail, but it’s done without the type of gradient support you describe. If it wobbles when I stamp, I’ll try the greyscale ramp you’re describing and update the post. Based on Leahgee2’s input above, it may be that I don’t need to cut quite so deep as well. Nothing teaches so well as failure :^)

[AhnoldZ]

And for those who want to learn from other people’s experience as well, I’ve linked to posts below. Note that settings in earlier posts may not be applicable because of changes to the power settings over time. (Links to ‘Beyond the Manual’ do not display the same way as links to ‘MOAG’.)

Low Odor Gray Laser Rubber - A Starting Point

A lot of this started in the ArtPrint Linoleum thread, but thought it would be wise to move to its own topic for Grey/Gray Low Odor Laser Rubber for Stamps. ( Post with links for buying ) Settings I used on a Pro GF to produce successful stamps: Engrave Speed: 220 Power: 60 Greyscale: Vary Power Min Power: 0 LPI: 270 Cut Speed: 185 Power: Full 1 Pass (edit) These are the settings I use now that are pretty successful for me(end edit) It makes a lot of white powder that turns into flames …

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Update on laser polymer stamps

Today is the first time I’ve tried engraving laser polymer stamps since my first adventures, when power settings were very different. I thought I’d revisit the process using the new settings, and let me tell you they work great! First off, the settings for Art Stamp Laser Polymer that gave me good results are as follows: Prepare your file as a raster engrave rather than vector engrave, to get access to the Vary Power function. Do three passes of Speed 1000, Power 100, Greyscale setting Vary …

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Another Rubber Stamp, with support

Here is a stamp I just did. Was really pleased with the results. [FullSizeRender (1)] (All I had to test was an old dollar store ink pad) [FullSizeRender] Stamp is .75" across, the letter width in the “.com” is .010" ! The rubber I used was .060" thick and is a medium to hard durometer(I had it laying around) I prepared the file in InkScape. I brought in my logo, changed it to white and put it on a black background, then I duplicated it (Cntl +D). Next I increased the stroke width an…

Pre-Release | Mother's Day Part 1: Make a Card

Hey! It’s getting close to that time of year. Mom knows I have a Glowforge so I’m sure she is expecting great things this year. Both of us are rabid cardmakers (she’s 83 mind you, but she still has to have the latest card tool) so of course the card is my first focus. I saw a card done recently (it’s this one if you’re interested) that I wanted to reproduce, in style anyway. But not having that particular stamp set, I decided to start from scratch. First, the final result, then I’ll docume…

Pre Release | Art Stamp Laser Polymer

It was a busy day at the 'forge today. We had breakfast guests and I wanted to demo my GF. They were all rolling eyes and “oh boy, she’s got another geek toy, we’ll humor her.” Everybody trooped downstairs after breakfast and they saw my samples and saw the possibilities. Starting to get excited. Then we whipped out a few quick items (a duplicate of the parametric box from @mpipes; a custom cake topper for a 40th birthday my sister was making a cake for). That’s when they really got it. I…

Updated: Natural Rubber Engraved Initials Stamp and Hallmark

I got a sheet of low odor rubber from Laserbits (along with a few other types of materials that await testing). I have no experience making rubber stamps other than taking big rubber bands in junior high and using an ink pen to write my name backwards on to make a quick stamp for wasting time in math class. [image] @dan requests that I do projects as separate posts so that they are more easily tracked and studied by everyone; however, I’ll just stick an update and another example of a stamp he…

[alan_ferrell]

In testing my real stamp (the one with all my personal details on it), I found it did wobble a little, but with even pressure it worked very well. That said, I’m going to cut another this weekend with the font bolded so the letters themselves are thicker. With this particular rubber anyway, I do not feel the gradient support is necessary. Your mileage may vary.

[julesweissman]

@alan_ferrell

Johnson Plastics

Thanks so much! My next project will either involve rubber stamps or wood block printing. This is helping me lean toward rubber!

[bhaffner]

Well done! Just received my Glowforge recently and am interested in making some rubber stamps. What is the best design software for rubber stamps. Are there any tutorials available to help me get started?

Thanks so much!

[alan_ferrell]

Many people use either Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape. As Illustrator would run me $20/month, I use Inkscape.

[bhaffner]

Thanks for the info. Learning Inkscape now.

[cordioli]

Thank you for the settings.
All worked perfectly!
2 passes are essential!

Made that to my sister in law to stamp her kids school books!

It says: “This book belongs to blah blah and blah blah”

[Jules]

Ooh! Like the spiral text!

[jws]

long thread with lots of info. What material and settings did you end up using?

thanks!
Jeff

[cordioli]

Hi there, I’ve used this material:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162577376592

And used the settings he mentioned, worked perfectly.
For the engrave and cut I did two passes ! (the cut just to make sure) or you can try reducing the speed of the cutting part.

Settings:

Power: 70%
Speed: 340 speed
Two passes

Cut :
Speed: 200
Power: Full
Maybe two passes.

[johnbrooker]

I see that though it’s Chinese origin, they say item location is GB, and a delivery in three days.
Is that your experience, with a quick delivery ? I’m assuming your UK based because of the link !
John

[cordioli]

Hi, It was around 4 days to be delivered! Didn’t take that long!

[johnbrooker]

Thanks. I’m getting some now - good for stock !

[lizabeta]

What was the depth of the material used here?

[cordioli]

Hi Lizabeta, I’ve used a 2.3mm

[alan_ferrell]

@lizabeta

What was the depth of the material used here?

This stuff is the RUS001 from Johnson Plastics, with a thickness of .09".

[subatomic]

What lines per inch did people use?

(I’m going to try 225, the default… assuming that’s what was used)…