How do I take my new UM SU set and make it where I can use it like acrylic stamp

[suzyqok]

I have new set of stamps that I just received and I would really like to try to use is with acrylic block. I am the worst and getting things lined up straight and this should help me. I have read some of the post about undoing stamps already on wood and making them work on acrylic block. How do I do it when ne?. Can I buy the stuff I need at Michaels? No Joannes here. Sorry, but pretty new to this and no one around here seems to do this.

Last question-thanks to many of you I have a growing collection of stamps I have purchased. Can I make them where I can use them on acrylic blocks and later (when I want to sell them) remount them on the wood for resale purposes?

Thanks.

[javajunkie]

I buy EZ mount. My problem was storage. I just don't have the room to hold all the boxes.
It's foam sheets with adhesive on one side and cling on the other. There are many places to buy it, but I bought mine at www.rivercity rubberworks.com You do need to remove the foam already on the stamps and if they're older, this can get messy. The back of the rubber needs to be clean. Then remove the paper covering the adhesive side of the EZ mount, place your stamps down and start cutting. Your sissors will be sticky, so have a cleaner handy.

I've heard of another product that is just cling backing, but I had already started on the EZ mount.

HTH

[malindaplace]

You have several options. I'm sure others will chime in with their favorites, but this is what I currently do with my new SU stamps:

I trim my stamps as usual, and stick them to vinyl window cling (available very inexpensively from Michaels). I then trim the vinyl, but leave about a sixteenth to an eighth of an inch extra margin of the vinyl around the edge of the foam. Then I remove the protective backing from the vinyl and store them in CD jewel cases. I adhere the index stickers to a plain piece of cardstock to put in the front of the case, and put the ID label inside the top edge of the case.

Other people do not like my method for a couple of reasons:

The flexibility of the vinyl changes - sometimes it feels hard to the touch and doesn't want to stay on the acrylic block. This has happened to me. I simply warm the stamp in my hands - if it's quite cold I'll blow warm breath on it like "huffing" a stamp. So far that has always been the only remedy necessary for the stamp to perform fine.

The vinyl shrinks - Window cling vinyl is sensitive to changes in temp and does expand and contract. That's why I leave a bit of a margin around the edge. If you trim exactly to the edge of the foam, and the vinyl shrinks due to fluctuations in temperature, the sticky edges of the adhesive on the foam will be exposed. This has happened to me, but wasn't a big deal.

The stamp slides off the vinyl in storage - hasn't happened to me yet.

I choose this method because it's the cheapest and quickest way to get my new stamps in use. It's so inexpensive, that if I decide later it isn't working too well I'll just peel the rubber off the original foam and mount it on the nice EZ Mount that always works wonderfully. I haven't found that necessary so far, and I've been using this method for about one year. The adhesion to the acrylic block with this method is not as firm as with the cling foam. If you need to rub the stamp around on an ink pad for whatever reason, you'll need to pay a little extra attention.

I have not found any local retail stores that sell EZ Mount or a similar product - so it's not the most economical or convenient choice for me. I've purchased the foam from TAC (not the best price for the item on the market, but I was ordering other items so paying one shipping charge made it worth it).