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I sometimes go weeks without getting to my inks and was considering buying vacuum boxes (you suck the air out) to put my pads in.
Given the money invested in stamp pads, it seems like it could be worth the expense, particularly for the inks that tend to dry out like Staz On Opaque.
It works well for food, why not for something more important ;)
I have the canisters for my food saver. Never tried it. I can say though, I have had trouble with the air escaping over time. so I'm not sure how fool proof that would be. the rolls for making bags never loose the air though. If you don't mind the expense, I would think a roll would last forever and you wouldn't have big bulky, and dare I say ugly, canisters sitting around that you have to check for leaks. Dunno, just a thought.
I HAD one of the food savers - didn't work well, and the rolls don't last forever and are fairly expensive in my opinion. Especially since you'd have to redo this every time you used your ink.
What I use, and have used for years, are freezer storage bags. I have ink pads I've had since the mid 90's, and they're still going strong.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
I too have the rolls and the canisters. The rolls are better for truly sealing. When we have something we're planning on sealing and resealing and want to use the bags (as they take up considerably less freezer space), we just cut the bag long. That way, you can cut it open just under the seal, add or remove what you want, and then reseal. We've done this when we're freezing strawberries from our strawberry patch and want to put a certain amount (usually the amount for a recipe of jam) in one bag. I haven't tried this with a non-food product though.
The bags are expensive, but you can find good deals on them on the Foodsaver website if you pay attention and we've also found them on clearance before at Walmart. Heck, we're still working through the clearance bags over a year later!
__________________ I'm a natural blonde. God just dyed my hair brown. -me My Blog
No advice here. When I read the title of your thread I thought you'd sucked one of your ink pads up when you were vacuuming! Yikes!
I thought that, too. My friend recently sucked her daughter's hamster up through the vacuum hose (it survived ) so I figured it was somehow possible to suck up an ink pad, too!
LOL. I hoped the title would get noticed but didn't think of the vacuum cleaner aspect until I saw everyone reading and no-one commenting - too late to change it then.
Thanks for taking the time to reply too, Michelle and Karen.
Sounds like the cannisters might be a waste of time, unless I spend a lot of money so I'm thinking now, I might try freezer bags and a vacuum pump. We used to do that when I was younger and it seemed to work OK. It doesn't really have to be perfect, just better than leaving them in the drawer upside down.
__________________ There is no such thing as lack of sleep, only caffeine deficiency.
Back to the subject, IMHO it doesn't seem worth it. If stampads are stored flat and upside down (not SU) and out of heat and direct sun, they last a long time, but they don't last forever, that's why you buy refils. If you only stamp once in a great while it might be worth it. For me it would be just too much of a pain.
I'm just over re-inking my white in particular, every time I go to use it. Given that the white is always drying out, I figured the other colours could handle the same treatment.
But, as you say, why hassle? After considering what everyone has said, I'm just going to store the white and possibly the embossing pad in a freezer bag and suck the air out of it. If it helps, I'll have solved the problem. If not, I'll move onto plan B.
__________________ There is no such thing as lack of sleep, only caffeine deficiency.
I'm just over re-inking my white in particular, every time I go to use it. Given that the white is always drying out, I figured the other colours could handle the same treatment.
But, as you say, why hassle? After considering what everyone has said, I'm just going to store the white and possibly the embossing pad in a freezer bag and suck the air out of it. If it helps, I'll have solved the problem. If not, I'll move onto plan B.
White always seems to dry out faster - I treat pigment white ink like stazon white and I only ink reink it when I use it. My other pigment pads stay juicy for a long time.
I would worry that vacuum sealing them would actually suck the ink out of the pad. When I use a vacuum sealer, it seems to suck all moisture up to the seal (in a bag). Not sure, but I think it would ruin the integrity of the pad.
I would worry that vacuum sealing them would actually suck the ink out of the pad. When I use a vacuum sealer, it seems to suck all moisture up to the seal (in a bag). Not sure, but I think it would ruin the integrity of the pad.
Hadn't thought of it that way, but since the pad is getting ruined drying out, probably still worth a try.
__________________ There is no such thing as lack of sleep, only caffeine deficiency.
I'm just over re-inking my white in particular, every time I go to use it. Given that the white is always drying out, I figured the other colours could handle the same treatment.
But, as you say, why hassle? After considering what everyone has said, I'm just going to store the white and possibly the embossing pad in a freezer bag and suck the air out of it. If it helps, I'll have solved the problem. If not, I'll move onto plan B.
I've had my versamark embossing pad for years and it hasn't dried out. I also use the Close to My Heart white pad and have had it for at least 3 years without refilling it at all. I have one or two of the stazon pads but all I use are SU and CTMH and only have to refill the ones that I use often, like my chocolate ink. Are you storing your pads in a climate controlled room? I just can't imagine what would be drying your pads out so often.
I expect it is just one of the joys of living in Australia. It gets really hot over summer and 'climate control' is what you get when you open the windows.
Actually, our house is well insulated and is good compared to many. Maybe, I just have a dud pad?
__________________ There is no such thing as lack of sleep, only caffeine deficiency.
stamp pad in a vacuum?
