How to Create Polymer Stamps

Create polymer stamps of favorite images, words and shapes using photopolymer and ultra-violet light. Glue them to a small block of wood for easy handling and stamping, and the result is equal to what can be found on the shelves of many scrapbook-supply and arts-and-crafts stores. Add more variety to stamping projects by making one-of-a-kind polymer stamps at home.

Things You'll Need

• Copy machine or graphics software
• Laser printer
• Transparency film
• Plastic tarp or vinyl tablecloth
• Clamp lamp
• Black lightbulb
• 2 small glass containers
• Measuring spoons and cup
• Washout concentrate
• 2 sheets of 6-inch square glass, 1/8-inch thick with polished edges
• Magnetic tape
• Damming tape
• Polymer substrate and liquid
• Needle or sharp needle tool
• Timer that measures seconds
• Toothbrush or small-bristle brush

Instructions

Preparing Image and Work Area

1. Choose an image for the polymer stamp. Black-and-white line drawings with very little details are the best choices.

2. Use a copy machine or a computer-graphics program to enlarge or reduce the original image to the exact size of the required stamp. Invert the artwork to obtain a "negative" image. Print the "negative" on transparency film.

3. Set up the work area by protecting the surface with a plastic drop cloth. Insert the black lightbulb into the lamp. Place the lamp where it will hang above the work area at about 4 inches. Place 2 cups of warm water and 1 tablespoon of the washout liquid into one of the glass containers. Pour 1 inch of cool water into the second container.

4. Prepare the sheets of glass. Cut four strips of the magnetic tape. Place a strip of tape across the top and the bottom of each piece of glass.

5. Leave a 1/2-inch border around the artwork and cut the artwork out of the transparency film. Place the transparency face up on one of the sheets of glass and use the damming tape to hold it in place. Use the damming tape on each side of the negative, leaving gaps at every corner to allow the liquid polymer out.

6. Cut a portion of the polymer substrate in the same size as the area inside the damming tape and set it aside.

Exposure Process

1. Pour liquid polymer into the area marked off by the damming tape. Allow the liquid to rise close to the top of the tape and fill the area. Do not let the liquid rise over and spill out of the taped area. Pop air bubbles using the needle tool.

2. Pick up the polymer substrate that was cut earlier and place it frosted side facedown, on top of the artwork. Place the second sheet of glass on top to create a sandwich: glass, negative, glass. Push gently to connect the magnetic strips together in a tight bond.

3. Move the black light into place over the glass. Turn on the lamp and set the timer to 1 minute, 30 seconds. Liquid may ooze around the damming tape and over the edges of the glass; this is normal.

4. When the timer goes off, turn the glass over and expose the backside for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Turn the lamp off once the timer goes off the second time.

Washout Process

1. Gently pull the glass apart and lift the artwork away from the polymer substrate. Throw the artwork away.

2. Pull the substrate away from the glass. Place the substrate into the washout solution, making sure that all of it is in the liquid. Scrub the polymer gently with the toothbrush or bristle brush to wash away the polymer liquid.

3. Remove the polymer from the washout solution. Cut away excess polymer from the image.

4. Drop the polymer image into the dish of plain, cool water. Turn on the black light and shine it on the polymer (while it is in the cool water) for 10 minutes. This final exposure further hardens the stamp image.

Tips & Warnings

• A printing company can create the transparency, or it can be made on a home printer.

• Use a laser printer for the solid-black image necessary for a crisp stamp image.

• Do not cover the artwork with the damming tape; use it along the edges of the artwork.

References

• Carve Your Own Itch; Bob Clark; 2006