Another reason people choose to purchase unmounted stamps is the space issue. That is, after time it becomes harder and harder to find a way to store stamps that are mounted on wood blocks. Any stamper knows that storing mounted stamps takes up a lot of room. It would be nice if we all had slat wall and shelving covering the walls of our homes, or the unlimited budget and space to have all the IRIS carts we need to store our mounted rubber stamps, but sadly that’s not the case for the majority of us.

Whether you’re someone who wants to get more bang for your stamping buck, or are just plain running out of storage space, here are some of the techniques and tricks needed to mount those stamps. Armed with the necessary knowledge and just a few decisions to make, mounting your own stamps can be easy as pie.

By far, the two most often used materials for mounts are wood and acrylic blocks. Wood offers a permanent mounting medium, while acrylic offers temporary mounting and ease of storage.

Wood

Wood mounts are used when you want a permanently mounted stamp. Cured hardwood is the best choice. Do not use plywood or uncured woods such as pine. Wood is available either as pre-cut blocks or in strips. When you purchase pre-cut wood blocks from a stamp vendor, the blocks are sanded, grooved and ready to be used. If you choose to cut your own wood, you will need a jigsaw, some sand paper and something on which to support the wood while cutting. Important — Dig out your saw horses or go buy some to add to your tool stash. Don’t ever think you can just “hang” the wood off the end of the kitchen table ... and don’t ask me how I know this either!!

Acrylic

Acrylic blocks are used when you want to temporarily mount your stamps and then file them away for easy storage. They are available in a bazillion sizes. From cute teeny-tiny ones to blocks that will accommodate page-sized background stamps. For most of us, an assortment of four or five blocks will suffice. The beauty of using an acrylic block is that the die can be seen through the block, so having one bigger than your stamp is not a problem. Another advantage is that you can actually group stamps on the same block and print them together. This is a great way to use those individual alphabet stamps for words or phrases instead of stamping one letter at a time.

When you buy a mounted rubber stamp, there are three separate components that make up the stamp: the mount, the cushion, the die. When you permanently mount dies on wood there should be a cushion between the wood and the die. The reason is that wood, even hardwood, may warp over time. Sometimes it will warp and not be visible. If there were no cushioning, parts of the image wouldn’t print. So remember wood = cushion.

Acrylic is a different animal. It doesn’t warp and therefore, it’s not usually necessary to use a cushion between the die and the mount. There are exceptions to every rule, and one that I personally subscribe to is when I have a large die, I use a cushion.

Traditionally, sheets of a spongy-type rubber are used as a cushion. They are available by mail order and can often be found at stamp conventions. They come in a variety of colors, usually red or gray, and are offered in either plain or self-adhesive forms — both personal preferences.

Some non-traditional substitutes for cushion have been developed and/or discovered over the years. These include “loop tape,” cushion with vinyl adhered, foam sheets from the craft store, meat trays and Dr. Scholl’s shoe cushion.

Trimming The Die

Before a die can be mounted, it must be trimmed of any excess rubber around the image that might interfere with getting a clean print. If there is a large amount of open space within a design, it should be trimmed too.

The first thing needed for trimming is a good pair of scissors. Kai scissors are the choice of most stampers. These are scissors with short, incredibly sharp blades. Obviously any pair that is sharp and easy to control will work.

If you are choosing a self-adhesive cushion, I suggest a pair of scissors with Teflon coating on the blades. This will help remove the buildup of adhesive that will occur. If you don’t have these specially coated scissors, wiping the blades with embossing ink or glycerin before cutting, or using WD40, Goo Gone, or lighter fluid after cutting will help tremendously. Some people swear by sprinkling talcum powder or cornstarch on the exposed parts of the cushion after adhering the dies to decrease the sticky-ness of the adhesive. This can be washed off later and doesn’t damage the die.
When trimming the die, get as close as possible to the image without cutting into the image itself. Begin cutting around the image with the blades of the scissors straight up and down or at a slight outward angle. This will provide support for the edges. Do NOT hold the scissors at an inward angle. This will weaken the outer borders of the image.

If you choose to cut the die and the cushion at the same time, read the instructions for adhering the die to the cushion before cutting the dies and then follow the instructions above. A word of caution: it takes a lot of hand strength to cut both together, and it is a little harder to control the cutting.

Now that you’ve got all the basics, get out there and save some money!

Plain Cushion
Apply rubber cement lightly to the backside of the trimmed die as well as to the cushion. Make sure you get complete coverage on both. Allow the rubber cement to dry on both surfaces until it is tacky but not wet. Place the rubber die onto the cushion and firmly press the two together to create a permanent bond.

Self-Adhesive Cushion
Remove the backing from the cushion. Place the rubber die onto the cushion and firmly press the two together to create a permanent bond.

Cling Vinyl Cushion
This cushion is much like the self-adhesive rubber cushion with the exception that there is one self-adhesive side and one side that has vinyl already adhered to it. Follow the instructions for using self-adhesive cushion by removing the backing and adhering the die to it.

Hook & Loop Tape
This type of mounting uses special acrylic blocks that already have strips of the “hook” side of the tape applied to it. The dies are adhered to wide strips of self-adhesive strips of the “loop” part of the tape. Follow the instructions for using self-adhesive cushion by removing the backing and adhering the die to it.

Foam Sheets, Meat Trays, Shoe Cushion, Etc.
Foam sheets are available at your local craft store in self-adhesive sheets. Follow the instructions for using self-adhesive cushion above. For meat trays, shoe cushion, and anything else you may decide to use, a permanent, waterproof adhesive should be used.

Cutting The Cushion
If you’ve decided to cut the cushion after the dies are adhered, carefully cut around the die, trimming off all excess cushion. It’s not necessary to trim exactly to the die, especially in areas that might need a little more support.

Indexing

When you are permanently mounting a die to a wood block, you will want to be able to tell what the image is without having to turn the stamp over and practice your “mirror” image reading skills. Indexing can be done in a couple of different ways.

Permanent Ink
Ink the die with permanent ink and lay it ink side up on your work surface. Quickly press the top side of the mount onto the image. Permanent ink dries very quickly.

You can also use packing tape and laminating sheets with permanent ink by stamping with permanent ink onto the packing tape or laminating sheet after mounting the die. Allow to dry. Trim as necessary and adhere to the top of the wood making sure to get out any pesky air bubbles.

Pigment Ink
Follow the instructions for using permanent ink. While the ink is still wet, apply embossing powder and heat.

Paper
After mounting the die to the wood, stamp the image onto a piece of text-weight paper and allow to dry. Glue the image onto the top of the wood, decoupage style, using an acrylic medium. You want it to remain waterproof.

When using acrylic blocks, it’s not necessary to apply cushion to the die first unless you are using the cling vinyl method or the hook and loop tape method. However, large dies may make a better impression if mounted to cushion first. Whenever you stamp, it’s always a good idea to stamp on a surface with some give such as a mouse pad, a stack of scrap paper, newsprint, or a foam craft sheet.

Hook & Loop Tape
Adhere die to block. The “loop” tape on the die will adhere firmly to the “hook” tape on the block.

Cling Vinyl
Simply press the die cushioned with cling vinyl onto the mount and it will stick. If you live in a particularly dry climate, or you have problems with the vinyl not clinging to the block, dampen the block with a spray of water or window cleaner and it will adhere better.

Repositionable Adhesive
Products such as Aleene’s Tack It Over and Over and 2 in 1 Glue will temporarily hold the die to an acrylic block. Apply the repositionable adhesive to the die and let dry. When it’s dry, adhere the die to the block. Over time, you will have to reapply the product to the die.

Craft Glue Stick
Apply glue stick to the acrylic mount. Let sit for a minute or two. Stick the die to the block. When you’re finished, the glue will wash off the die and the mount with water.

Tacky Glue
Apply a layer of Tacky Glue to the back of the die. Allow it to dry completely. When dry, the die will adhere to the acrylic mount. There is no need to remove the glue from the back of the die. It will not leave a sticky residue on the mount.

Double-Sided Tape
Standard double-sided tape or poster tape is the least expensive, and in my opinion the easiest way to adhere dies to acrylic blocks. Apply a few strips of tape to the acrylic mount. Slap the die onto the tape and stamp, stamp, stamp! The same tape can be used over and over again. When it’s time to replace it, just pull off the old tape and retape the mount.

Permanent Mounting To A
Wood Block

If you’re working with plain cushion, apply rubber cement to both the cushioned die and the block. Allow both to become tacky to the touch, but not wet. Make sure the indexed image and the die are aligned; press the die firmly to the block. Excess rubber cement can be removed from the wood by rubbing the dried residue with a rubber cement eraser. If using a self-adhesive cushion, remove the protective backing from the cushion. Make sure the indexed image and the die are aligned; press the die firmly to the block.