Testing the Stamps

Update, having had a few problems with using my Ranger Archival Ink pad with any regularity as seen on this post when I dropped my Ink Pad! I did a bit of research and came across this Ink Pad 101 by the frugal crafter. The post is quite old now but the Ink Pads and Brands are all still relevant. The cheat sheet states that Brilliance is great for using on clear stamps that can struggle to give a good impression. As Brilliance comes in the same affordable and easy to manage dew drop as Memento (which I love) I ordered myself a couple of collections of 4 pads using my Amazon Prime (these basics and these metallic ones) to give them a go. Of course, I still use the Stamping Platform as described.

To test out new stamps I always use my Tim Holtz Stamping Platform. I know there are other platforms available but when I came to the point that I knew I needed one I did a load of research into the different features of them all and decided this was the right one for me. You can read my post about it.  Why did I need one? With the Fibromyalgia (not to mention a bonus gift of some Arthritis in my hands) I could no longer rely on my hands to get a clean even print with stamps. I was increasingly finding I was not getting good results, even with the Rocker Blockers which always guaranteed this before. The benefit of a stamping platform is that for whatever reason you do not get a clean impression you can simply re-ink and go again and you are guaranteed to be exactly in the same spot. Even the best eyes can be slightly off and then you risk shadowing.

I also always use Archival Ink to test stamps that come as free gifts with magazines. They are usually made from a different material to the one used by a lot of the major brands which means that if you use a dye based ink like Memento the ink can pool on the stamp and give a really bad impression.  You can see exactly what I mean in this test of a fairy stamp. Archival Ink does not pool like this and I get to really test the stamp properly.

Stamping Quality

At first glance, the stamps seemed to have behaved flawlessly, however, upon closer inspection there was a problem with the right-hand side of the corner stamp where it seems to be cut off. I tried re-doing this and got very similar results. After a third inking and as much pressure as I could put on the platform, I more or less got a clean impression. This was quite sad because the corner stamp was one of my favourite ones from the set but having Fibro I can not be having to use that kind of pressure very often or I would not get anything else done other than stamping one image.

Testing the die

Next, it was time to see how the die performed. I spent a good while lining it up and then fastened it down with some low tack tape so it couldn’t move whilst it went through my Gemini. I’ll be honest, I don’t think it was a great match. On the right-hand antlers, the right edge has been cut off. I think I get spoilt using my ScanNCut which allows me to have a perfect 1 mm border around an image. Thr biggest surprise though was the die itself, when I took it out of the cardstock quite a lot of the paint had come away too, I have never seen that happen with a die, has anyone else experienced this?

Am I going to have Majestic Moments?

At this point I’ll be honest I wasn’t inspired to make a card. As mentioned at the beginning of the post, I would much rather feature a stag in a field than the mounted head. I really didn’t have the strength or energy to try and work with the corner piece and that leaves the others. Part of the reason for doing these testing posts is to let me organise and reduce my crafting stash. Having a quick peek through my drawer I found these stamps that pretty much cover several of the images (I’m pretty sure I have a Sheena Douglass stamp that is similar to the corner one too, somewhere!)

Therefore I have decided to let these stamps fly free to a new home where they can be used by someone who doesn’t have problems pressing hard in the corners and more importantly has a bit less stash, to begin with 🙂

Sorry, I do not have a card to share with you today but I’m sure I will have some soon. Next time things are staying festive as I am going to build a wreath.