Conditioning Clear Stamps

Long-time stampers already know that clear stamps often need to be conditioned...and sometimes rubber stamps do, too. After not buying many stamps for a few years, I'd sort of forgotten about it, so here's a reminder to condition your new stamps so they take ink well.

For newcomers, this might just change your life.

First, here's what can happen when you DON'T condition a stamp:

Unconditioned Hero Arts banner stamp using Hero Arts butter bar ink

Now, if you're aiming for a "distressed" look, this is fine. But I'm not generally a distressing stamper. I want clean images. After I stamped this blotchy aberration, I reached for this:

White Eraser

After firmly scrubbing the whole image with the white eraser, I cleaned the stamp well, inked it up again, and this is what happened:

Soooo much better.

Why do stamps need to be conditioned? Well, residue from the manufacturing process can cause blotchiness on both clear and rubber stamps...especially large-area solid stamps. This film is easily removed with mild abrasion, and once it's gone, it's gone.

Any time you have a problem with blotchiness, grab that essential stamping tool--the standard white eraser--and get to scrubbing. Totally worth the effort.

Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts
ink: Memento
paper: white 110# cover
accessories: orange Stickles