How to Make Your Own Decorative Rubber Stamps

Make Your Own Art Stamps and Save

If you've been to a craft store lately, you've probably seen the hundreds, if not thousands, of beautifully designed rubber stamps used to decorate cards, scrapbooks, etc. The only problem with these stamps is that they can be quite pricey, especially if you want to purchase several different designs.

Is it possible to save money by making your own stamps? The answer is yes,and you can have fun doing it. I describe two methods in detail below and offer a few other alternatives.

A commercially made rubber decorative stamp is made of three pieces: the actual design, generally cut into rubber; a foam cushion and finally a wood or plastic backing or handle. If you look at the design, it is actually raised above the rest of the flat surface of the stamp.

Method 1: Handmade Rubber Stamps

Find a white rubber eraser in as big a size as possible to accommodate the design you want to make.

If large enough erasers are unavailable, you can either downsize your design or use several erasers pieced together. Just be sure that all the erasers are exactly the same thickness so your stamp will be level.

The next step is to transfer the design to the eraser. If you're using a picture from a book or magazine, you can use carbon paper to create a reverse image or tracing paper and then carbon paper for an exact duplicate. An exact duplicate may also be made using a light box but that can be tricky if there is heavy print or color on the reverse side of your original.

Finally you can draw you own design directly onto the eraser(s).

Darken the lines with a pencil or pen so that you can more easily see what you are doing.

If the design is not solid; in other words if it requires cuts in the interior of the design to make it work, make these cuts now.

Depending on the size of your stamp and the design, the smallest blade of your craft knife might be too big. You can use tools such as jeweler's screwdrivers, dental picks or even needles to make the cuts. Usually the cuts don't have to be very deep, just deep enough to keep ink from being transferred to the paper when you stamp.

The next step is to remove the areas that are not part of the design. Using a very sharp craft knife, begin by cross-hatching the area to be excised (without doing any undercutting yet). This is to make it easier to remove the excess material. Do this several times to get nice clean cuts entirely through the rubber to a level well below the design itself.

Once you are satisfied that the rubber is loose enough, undercut the cross-hatching as evenly as you can to make the rest of the stamp as smooth as possible. Try to bevel the edge of the design itself for added strength.

Once you have made your cuts, test your new stamp and make adjustments as necessary. You can use fine grit sandpaper or cushioned nail files to smooth rough edges and a little silicone to glue back some of the eraser scraps if needed to fill in a hole.

Keep in mind that most decorative rubber stamps are not meant to produce extra sharp, detailed pictures, but rather more diffuse, soft edged images. Unless you want the former, don't be concerned about minor errors.

Once you are satisfied with your stamp, glue it onto a piece of ¼ inch sponge cut the same size and shape as the stamp.

Finally attach the sponge and stamp to a block of wood or clear plexiglas a little bigger than the stamp itself. The advantage of a plexiglas base is that you can more easily gauge the placement of the stamp when you stamp with it.

Method 2: Remoldable Foam Stamps

There is a soft moldable material called Penscore Magic Stamp which is available in sheets and blocks. Magic Stamp allows you to make a reverse impression of any semi-hard three dimensional object that has a more or less level top surface.

Examples are engraved items or flat sculptured items like plaques, heavy fabric with a prominent texture, corrugated cardboard and charms. You can also draw or trace your own design onto the foam.

Magic Stamp is easy to use. You simply heat it slightly with a heat or embossing gun until soft enough to take an impression; then carefully press it onto the object you have chosen.

PenScore Moldable Foam Stamps can be molded and remolded with an endless variety of textures and objects. They're great for stamping or stenciling on paper, fabric, and wood.

Molded images will remain until you reheat the foam, and the stamps can be remolded over and over again. Stamps can be used with all water-based stamp inks.

The designs will be more diffuse, i.e. not as sharp as commercially purchased rubber stamps, but for some uses that is just fine.

Method 3: Polymer Stamp Kits

A polymer clay stamp making kit is a little pricey if you just want to make stamps for yourself, but if you want a nice work at home craft business, a professional stamp making kit is definitely something to consider.

Using your computer to create or scan a design, you make a special negative, that you then cover with liquid polymer. The result is an easy to make original stamp like the ones pictured above. You can make stamps up to 5" x 7" in size. All stampers know this size stamp is very expensive.

Here is more information about this stamp making kit - click here for the home page then scroll down to find the button for Art Rubber Stamps in the left column.

Once you master any of these techniques, you'll no longer be confined to pre-defined commercial designs. Your handmade rubber stamps will be truly unique and will save you money to boot.