How to Make a Custom Soap Bar Stamp
Custom soap-bar stamps add an extra touch of personalization to the soap bars you make, whether for personal use, gifts or business. Soap-bar stamps can be made from many materials including hard plastic, metal, ceramic or wood. Hand stampers can be made or bought, these work best for small batches of soap. There are also custom soap-bar stampers that are designed for larger batches or mass production soap stamping. These kits usually come with one custom soap-bar stamp. You can purchase additional custom designs that fit the soap stamper and conveniently change them as you see fit.
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Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Wood
- Whittling tools
- Scroll saw
- Dremel saw
- Sandpaper
- Stain
- Sealer
Instructions
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1
Sketch a custom design for your soap-bar stamp on a piece of paper. Try to simplify the custom design with simple lines so that it works best for pressing the soap bar. See the references for more information and example images of soap stampers.
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2
Cut a wood block that is 2-by-2-by-4 inches, 3-by-3-by-4 inches or 4-by-4-by-4 inches to accommodate the width and height needed to make a custom soap-bar stamp.
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3
Carve and whittle a knob in the height of the wood block, leaving a 1-inch square or rectangle base that is either 2-by-2, 3-by-3 or 4-by-4 inches, Use a pencil or marker to draw a rough outline of the handle and stopping points before carving and whittling--any combination of a scroll saw, Dremel or whittling can be used to create a handle.
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4
On the square or rectangle end of the stamp, draw the design from the paper of the sketch. You can also use carbon copy paper to transfer the design if needed.
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5
Use the Dremel tool with various ends and whittling to cut the design out of the wood block. It is possible to shave large parts off with the scroll saw if securely held with tools so that it will not slip. The design only needs to stick out 1/4 inch or less on the custom soap-bar stamp.
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6
Sand the handle and stain the custom soap-bar stamp if desired, Seal the wooden custom soap-bar stamp with a form of polyurethane or wood finish that you select.
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Tips & Warnings
It is possible to carve or whittle the design in the custom soap-bar stamp first before creating the handle--just be careful not to damage the finished stamp while creating the handle.
It is possible to simplify the steps and just carve the design for the custom soap-bar stamp and not create a handle at all--just use the block as a handle too.
If you don't have the tools or skills to make a custom soap-bar stamp out of wood, take your design to a business that makes custom soap-bar stamps out of metal, plastic or rubber.
Sand and seal the wooden, custom soap-bar stamp for a smooth finish, for easier clean up of the stamping tool when using it to stamp soaps and to prevent splinters.
