How to Care for Your Stamp – 7 Tips from the Workshop
A good stamp lasts for years – if you look after it properly. We've been making stamps for over 30 years and are often asked how to keep the impression and material looking good for a long time. Here are our most important tips from the workshop.
1. Give it a quick clean after stamping
Leftover ink dries onto the rubber and, over time, settles into the fine lines. The easiest way is to dab the stamp on a damp cloth or some kitchen roll straight after use. For stubborn residue, lukewarm water with a drop of washing-up liquid and a soft toothbrush will help – but always soak just the rubber plate, never the wooden handle.
2. Keep alcohol and harsh cleaners away
Rubbing alcohol, nail varnish remover or disinfectant attack the rubber: it becomes brittle, loses detail and can eventually crack. If water isn't enough, use a proper stamp cleaner from a craft shop instead.
3. Never put a wooden stamp in water
Our wooden handles are made from FSC-certified beech wood. If it sits in water for too long, it swells and the bond between the wood and rubber can come apart. So only wipe the rubber surface with a damp cloth, then leave the stamp to dry with the rubber side facing up.
4. Stamping the right way – press, don't rock
The most common cause of a smudged impression is too much movement. Place the stamp straight down, press evenly, then lift it straight back up – no tilting, no circling. On a soft surface (for example, a sheet of paper underneath your paper), the impression often comes out even more even.
5. The right ink pad makes all the difference
Classic water-based ink pads work best for ordinary paper – you'll find a wide choice of colours and sizes in our ink pads category. For fabric, you'll need a textile ink pad, which is ironed once dry – only then is the impression washable. Our Trodat ink pads are available in both the classic and the textile version. Metallic and glitter inks take a little longer to dry, so it's worth being patient before you carry on working with the paper.
6. Store it dry and out of the light
Store your stamps lying flat or with the rubber side facing down, somewhere dry and out of direct sunlight. UV light makes rubber harder over time. Ink pads are best kept tightly closed and lying flat, so the ink stays evenly distributed.
7. Refill your self-inking stamp instead of throwing it away
If the impression from a self-inking stamp starts to fade, the pad is usually just empty. Instead of refill ink, you can also swap the pad completely – it takes seconds and is especially mess-free. We have matching replacement pads for both model ranges: replacement pads for Edy self-inking stamps (used among other things for our teacher stamps) and replacement pads for Trodat Printy 4912 & 4913 (for our address stamps). If you'd rather top up: apply the ink straight onto the pad, leave it to soak in for a few hours, and you're done. Make sure to use the same ink range, so the inks don't mix.
And if something's not quite right?
If something's wrong with your stamp, just get in touch with us at info@kreativpuenktchen.de. We'll find a solution together.
