Post by Emily on Oct 17, 2006 12:33:36 GMT -5
When rubber stamping first started out there was basically two types of stamps, wood mounted and foam mounted. Today, there are many more choices of stamp mounts. Today the choice is usually between wood mounted (either mounted already, or mounted by you) or acrylic mounted (the stamps are unmounted until you are ready to use them). Basically it comes down to personal preference. Try both kinds and find what is right for you.
Wood Mounted
Wood mounted stamps are usually made of rubber and you will find varying quality of rubber. Poor quality rubber will dry and crack easily, while good quality rubber will remain pliable for a long time as long as the stamp is properly cared for. How do you know which stamps have good quality rubber? Ask other stampers!!
Wood mounted stamps come either already trimmed and mounted or untrimmed and unmounted. If you purchase mounted stamps make sure the image if trimmed carefully and evenly. If you choose to by unmounted stamps, you must trim them yourself.
Advantages of Wood Mounted Stamps
Unmounted Stamps
Unmounted stamps are usually made of acrylic, however you can purchase unmounted rubber stamps and use them with an acrylic block system. Like rubber, there are different qualities of acrylic. Some acrylic is more pliable then others. You must buy different sizes of acrylic blocks to handle you different stamp sizes.
Advantages of Unmounted Stamps
Wood Mounted
Wood mounted stamps are usually made of rubber and you will find varying quality of rubber. Poor quality rubber will dry and crack easily, while good quality rubber will remain pliable for a long time as long as the stamp is properly cared for. How do you know which stamps have good quality rubber? Ask other stampers!!
Wood mounted stamps come either already trimmed and mounted or untrimmed and unmounted. If you purchase mounted stamps make sure the image if trimmed carefully and evenly. If you choose to by unmounted stamps, you must trim them yourself.
Advantages of Wood Mounted Stamps
- If you buy unmounted stamps, you can permanently mount the stamp on the wood block where you would like it.
- Image quality seems to be better with rubber stamps than with acrylic.
- Some stampers like the feel of the wood blocks versus the acrylic blocks.
- Rubber stamps are easier to clean.
- You can line up images with a stamp positioner if needed.
Unmounted Stamps
Unmounted stamps are usually made of acrylic, however you can purchase unmounted rubber stamps and use them with an acrylic block system. Like rubber, there are different qualities of acrylic. Some acrylic is more pliable then others. You must buy different sizes of acrylic blocks to handle you different stamp sizes.
Advantages of Unmounted Stamps
- Unmounted stamps are less expensive since you are not paying for the wood blocks.
- Since the acrylic block is clear, you can see exactly where you are stamping your image making images easier to line-up and build designs.
- You can place several images on one acrylic block and stamp all images at once. This works great for forming words with alphabet sets.
- Unmounted stamps take up less room to store than wood mounted stamps.
- Wood mounted stamps can be converted to unmounted by removing the stamps from the wood (place stamp in microwave for a few seconds at a time until the adhesive is soft and can be removed from the wood).