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I have heard so much about using my stamps unmounted but have heard it is not for everyone. Can you give me your thoughts on mounted versus unmounted which do you prefer???? How hard is the unmounted to use, etc????? Please fill me in.
mounted-I am not good with doing things over and over. I am fortuanate that space is not an issue which seems to be the big advantage of um that I hear often.
I think mounteds hold their value better if you want to trade or sell than do um stamps, and since I lose stuff all teh time think if I had um I would lose half of every set on a regular basis! LOL
__________________ I want people to be afraid of how much they love me-M. Scott
Mounted for me too, space isn't an issue for me and I trade/sell stamps far too often to have them UM. I'm also too lazy to have to put them together each time, I love that I can pull out a set and they are all ready to be inked.
__________________ Melissa
"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort" - Franklin D. Roosevelt
Alphabets UM is helpful because you can stamp the entire word at one time.
Storage is easy. I have about 40 SETS in ONE binder. Then again, I have over 400 in the SU! plastic cases in the linen cabinet so that works for me too...
Now, if we are talking acrylic vs. rubber UM....RUBBER UM all the way baby, too many complaints with the acrylic stamping quality. The Angel Company carries the UM rubber stamps vs. Close to My Heart which only carries the acrylic stamps. Now if only SU! would get a clue and offer BOTH!!!
It isn't an issue at all for me to pull off the stamp and stick it to the block.
I also got used to the "feel" of the plastic block vs. wood and can line it up perfectly with the Stamp-a-ma-jig if precision is an issue.
Well Just my 2cent, I love un-mounted stamps....For one I don't have ton's of space for storage....
And this is the big reason for me.
Plus I do like using acrylic blocks for my stamping. Easier to carry with me when I go Home paries I can carry many different stam sets with me without being weighted down.
I have wood mounted stamps from SU and other companies that use wood mounting for their stamps.
But I prefer TAC stamps for my stamping needs......
I have no preference. To me it is all about the stamp and whether I like it enough to buy it. Obviously, with unmounted you get far more for your money
How do you all stamp your stamps if they are not mounted????? I'm so confused!!!!!
I like mounted mainly because I wouldn't know how to use unmounted ones!
:lol:
Robin
When you go to use an unmounted stamp, it has a static cling type system that allows you to 'stick' the stamp onto a clear acrylic block. You then stamp with it just like regular wood mounted stamps.
When you are done stamping, you 'un-stick' it from the acrylic block, and move onto your next stamp. It is easy to do, and saves SO much space!
When you go to use an unmounted stamp, it has a static cling type system that allows you to 'stick' the stamp onto a clear acrylic block. You then stamp with it just like regular wood mounted stamps.
When you are done stamping, you 'un-stick' it from the acrylic block, and move onto your next stamp. It is easy to do, and saves SO much space!
So this isn't something you can do with Stampin Up stamps??????
So this isn't something you can do with Stampin Up stamps??????
You can do this with your SU stamps. All of my new purchases get cling stuck onto them before i trim them. After I trim them I put them in CD cases and stash away the wood blocks. For stamps that are already mounted you can put them in the micro for 10-15 seconds -you can then easily peel off the wood and attach vinyl cling to the foam. it takes up so much less space!!!! so now i have MORE ROOM for stamps!!!! I love this new way of using my SU stamps
WOW! I've never even heard of the "unmounted" technique. That's so cool. Oh, the space I could save with this method!
For those of us willing to remove our current collection from the wooden blocks the stamps are currently on, what do you put on the back (sticky side)? I've got a load of page protectors, would they work?
I prefer the unmounted stamps hands down, and I enjoy the easy storage compared to the wood mounted stamps. Also I can see where I am stamping easier, and do not need any additional tools to position my stamps, etc.
Nicole
__________________ Nicole L.
The Angel Company Demonstrator #1260
Team Leader of The Elegant Diva Stamp Angels! Email
I have both...and equally love both. I do have space restrictions, so the unmounted stamp sets in CD cases is a GREAT "invention". I have so many SU sets that are wood mounted, that going thru and unmounting them now, would be a pain in the butt. :? :lol:
OK, I am with Robin. Can you give me a detailed account of how you take a new SU set adn make it an unmouned set. What do you use to make it cling? Where do you get the acrylic block? How are you storing them in a binder?
Please help those of us that can't visualize things mentally....
When I get new stamps " SU! or from the store" I peel the gray mounting off so all I have is the rubber. I then use EZ mount and mount my stamps on that. One side is sticky " this goes to the rubber" the other is slick like vinyl cling. This is the side you put to the block. Stamp , clean, remove, store. I store mine in Cd cases, so I have all my stamp sets at my finger tips. You can buy the Gray EZ mount from , The Angel Company, The stamping studio, Sunday International, you can also buy the blocks from all these companies. In Him,
Shawna TAC Demo # 565
Can you give me a detailed account of how you take a new SU set adn make it an unmouned set. What do you use to make it cling? Where do you get the acrylic block? How are you storing them in a binder?
Ok Kath - in a nut shell there are a couple of ways you can do it. You can purchase ez-mount foam (just do a google search to find vendors) and use that instead of the foam that comes with SU. Basically its the same except that instead of having adheasive on both sides, one side is static cling (think of saran wrap that sticks to glass). OR, you can just buy static cling. and attach that to the adhesive foam. I have never done this and heard that it is not the greatest, but it is cheaper. I know that sunday international sells the cling sheets.
You can get the acrylic blocks at lots of places too - just do a google search again.
I do know that many people don't even use foam with thier stamps. They just apply Aileens tack it over & over on the back of the rubber and attach it to the acrylic block that way. Most stamps are ok for this but if it is very detailed you might have a problem. A mouse pad under your stamping surface might help.
I LOVE um. For me the cost is a big issue and space. Some have a problem with constantly having to switch stamps during a project but most um users have more than just a couple blocks so all the stamps we work with can me 'mounted' until we're done with the project. I can reach every stamp i own without getting out of my chair - so the little time it takes me to 'mount' my stamps is easily made up since i don't have to hunt down my stamps.
I do love the 'feel' of wood - but you get used to the acrylic.
Sorry, I forgot to add that there is a storage system that allows you to store the um in binders. I think its called the stamp n store system. I've never used it - but basically i think that its just heavy board with cling that the stamps will cling to. Then into the binder. Many people just use old cd cases (the fat ones) the stamps cling to the plastic and are protected and EASY to store!
wood mounted all the way. i love the idea of unmounted, but i don't like the image i get from them. also, if you don't have the right size block--it can be pretty awkward. one of the um stamps i used was a 2 inch stamp she'd stuck on a block the size of a bg stamp! :shock: talk about clunky!
I am thinking about at least trying unmounted, perhaps with a retired set of mine to see how I like it, but I can't imagine falling that much in love with it . . . .but ya never know . . .
__________________ Kristina Wife, Mommy, Stamper, Nurse Laura 6yo Jack 5yo, James 4/20/08 Megan arrived 3/16/09
Mounted only for me, please!!! I do NOT like the way UMs stamp at all... If I ever get any in a supply swap or as a part of a grab bag in an online order, I save them for gifts for my foreign pals... They buy them due to the outrageous shipping rates on the mounteds, so they are happy to get them for free!!! JMO :o)
__________________ Anna.
"Fearless is not the absence of fear. Fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you." (Taylor Swift)
How do you all stamp your stamps if they are not mounted????? I'm so confused!!!!!
I like mounted mainly because I wouldn't know how to use unmounted ones!
Robin
With the Close To My Heart unmounteds, you don't have to add anything. You just peel them off the clear acrylic sheet, stick them to your block, and stamp. When finished, wash and put them back on the acrylic sheet. What's great about them is, since they're clear, and the block is clear, you can see your impression. Great for doing scrapbook pages where you want to make sure it's perfect!
I am thankful that both are available. Everyone has their own preference and that is whats so great about stamping and the different options available. Everyone can be happy.
I mainly use unmounted I was very worried about the image not being clear. I had heard a lot about that problem. However when I received my first set of TAC stamps I was really surprised, the image was great. I know not all unmounted have very clear images but I have been pleased with these so far. I don't know if it has to do with TAC stamps are unmounted rubber, but they worked great for me
I still have a lot of woodmounted stamps mostly SU and a few hero arts. To lazy to make them unmounted Maybe one day.
Have fun stamping no matter what your preference. Just enjoy it
I definitely prefer unmounted stamps!! The cost is much cheaper, they require very little storage space, and I can take hundreds of stamps easily with me when I travel.
My preference for using them with acrylic blocks is to use Scotch 3M poster tape. I store all my UM's in CD cases. The inside of the CD case has Aleen's Tack-It Over & Over on it so that the rubber clings.
None of my UM's have cushion on them or anything sticky which makes them really easy to clean. The poster tape is only on the acrylic block.
One must remember Not allunmounted stamps, Are created equal...
I have some unmounts that are very bad with the image showing...
But My TAC stamps are great! I use the ez-mount cling that come with the stamps.
I have also used Red rubber with tack it over and over glue.
Which I like too!
The best thing FOR ME! Is the storage.......Neatly put away in my CD storage unit.
I use a old computer desk for stamping and storing my stamp sets in.
Along with many others items.
In fact I have 2 old computer desk...Both of them were Free!
Mounted; too lazy, just like the feel of wood mounts personally, much too lazy, do not have storage/space issues, too lazy to take that extra stamp of mounting and unmounting every time I wanna use an image . . .
Did I mention I'm just too lazy for UMs?
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
Mounted -Hands Down!!
I am not interested in spending time mounting and unmounting my stamps everytime I use them...talk about stifling my creative process, lol. I often pull down 3-7 stamp sets anyway and try a few to get just the look I want ...cant imagine the mess and time it would take to do this with unmounted stamps! Plus I've tried a few of the unmounted systems at make and takes and was very disappointed in the image quality...there isn't enough cushion on unmounteds in my opinion and the clear acrylic isn't a drawing point for me either since I have no problem getting my image where I want it, even without a stamp-a-ma-jig.
As for storage...all I can say is if I didn't have so many stamps my DH never would have built me a beautiful stamp room to put them all in and I'd still be stampin at the wet bar!!
MOUNTED. . . I have both, and I *do* appreciate being able to get unmounteds--especially for specialty stamping, something that I'm stamping one or two of and not using often. But I find that I rarely get out my UM's and can never find the block I want when I'm in a hurry because I left it with another piece of rubber and meant to get back to it. . . :?
Having said all of that , I like quirky UM alphabets especially. :-)
I can't stand unmounted stamps. I had a girlfriend who was a TAC demo and I bought about 30 sets from here to help her out, and I have EBay all of them except for one, which I turned around and mounted on wood....
I like wood mounted ONLY. I am too crazed to have to re-mount them every time, Plus I like being able to grab the set and look at what the stamped image looks like on the sticker....Storage is not a problem for me (over 300+ sets)...
Plus the mounted sets have a MUCH higher resale value. It's also easier to find them.
I love my unmounted stamps. I keep a basket of acrylic blocks on my desk - they are so pretty and the right size block is always within reach. The images are just as crisp as with wood mounted stamps - you just don't have to press as hard. I do keep my stamp room much cleaner since converting to unmounted. You'll need that acrylic block for another stamp soon, so I do clean my stamps and put them away when I'm done with them. When I was a "wood" girl, my desk would become buried under wood stamps. I would only clean up when I ran out of room.
which do you prefer Mounted or unmounted
