Making your own Custom Rubber Stamps with the Theresa Collins Stamp Maker

Using the Theresa Collins Stamp Maker
Rev Date:  Dec. 23, 2012

Goal - make my own stamps easily

History:  I have made my own stamps in the past - had to make my own magnetic frames to hold the liquid polymer  which was not too bad once I had them all set up - three sizes - small, med and large and created an area that I had uv lights set up - This came in small bottles that you pour and then expose to the uv lights.

http://www.granthams.com/page2.html
I have a lot left  ( bought the big box shown above ) so with the little exposure unit I might use it up as well

Step 1
The first thing you have to do is prepare your artwork
I used photoshop  - I created my wing  - A right and left -   you only have to create one and then mirror it
because I want more dichro to show through I want the white areas to be the actual stamp that will leave the resist. .

 I consolidated them onto one image and saved . 

 I thought if I do two on the image I dont waste space on the stamp - then I can cut my dichro as a square and stamp two wings at a time

 I installed software that came with the kit that sizes it properly for the  kit frame to process  - There are three sizes A6,  A7, A8  (this is a european product so the weird sizing)   - being Small Medium and Large- which is great - you get three sizes to choose from- from one image .  Medium is perfect for my pendants (just under 2") and the small is perfect for my earrings I want to make. I did have to go back and forth with photoshop till I had the placement of the image just right.

Its says you should use an inkjet but I have found I like the toner better and in my past work found something that makes your acetates using toner black and non transparent. (I list this below)

For my first run I chose the medium  size image and printed it onto the acetate sheet  (A7) -

I tilted it so you can see a bit through the black and you need really solid black so the light does not permeate the film and harden the resin.

To ensure a solid black background and lines I use something called  Casey's Ultra Black

I used this with regular acetate (which I will try with these as well later ) for my screen printing when I used to burn screens for glass silk screening 

makes the toner blacker and ensure there are no white spots . The image came out beautifully. You see a solid black background and really black defined lines

dries in minutes  (this shows the image trimmed to size )  I sprayed when it was a full sheet (so I wasted some acetate)  but next time I'll trim down and spray the smaller piece only 

Why do you need a black background:  the purpose is so the uv light only hardens the material that is in the clear areas - so your mindset is that anything that is not black will harden - anyting under the black will stay liquid.

I followed the instructions
I got out the frame and opened it up

Therse frames have magnets to keep them together while processing 

I places image ink side up in a well/depression in one of the frames

place a sachet (stamp) with printing face up (so much easier - no mixing or leaking, or mess ) ,

Picture to follow

 put on the cover (magnetic tray),

Picture to follow

pushed a bit on the top to ensure sache pushed to edges (in my case it did not care as my image was all center and the edges were going to be washed away )

turned on the exposure unit -

Placed tray face up as assembled into the exposer unit  for 3 seconds,

then flipped  over for 3 minutes

turned off unit, pulled tray out  opened tray,

taking the sache out and putting the acetate image and tray to the side - I  trimmed the edges of the sache with scissors, peeled the loose plastic top away (was a bit messy as the area that was covered with the black background was still liquid) ,

applied dish soap to the sache and used the little brush to wash away the material.  Was pretty easy

Once I finished cleaning - it was still sort of pink (the color of the sache)   I put in a little water  tray (provided) with 1/4" of water and turned on exposure unit and left it face up for 2 minutes

- took out and dried.

I really had no negative things to say about the kit other than the little plastic water  tray was broken  but I can go to the dollar store and find something that will work - so no end of the world problems

I think I need to make the lines on the wing thicker as they are there in the stamp but really not too deep -

I'll have to do a stamping test to see if I really need to change it -   but that will follow - I'll update this as I go along

I took my negative and a sharpie and made the lines on wings to make them wider so that I could get a better definition

Looks thick but because all around is more open than the smaller areas the light shines through more so  I wanted a more defined line - bust as always play and test 

The results were amazing and very happy with them - the thicker line was the way to go  was more defined so that when I stamp I'll get more resist onto the dicro with a more defined line for etching.