The Echo Park stamps work great after I went the extra mile conditioning them, and both sets are grand additions to my
Recently, I purchased a couple of clear stamp sets at a brick-and-mortar scrapbooking store. Both were new companies for me...Echo Park Paper and My Favorite Things.
The Echo Park Paper set definitely required conditioning. The first time I inked one of the stamps, it didn't take ink well. This isn't unusual, as the manufacturing process can leave a residue on clear stamps that can be removed easily with an eraser and quick cleaning with a damp washcloth to remove all the eraser nubbins.
Normally, this doesn't bother me much. I whipped out my white eraser and went to work, but the results were unlike any I'd experienced before. The eraser simply smeared the residue around in a very sticky mess instead of removing it.
I tried wiping this on a wet washcloth, and all that accomplished was to smear the sticky mess around.
Finally, I sprayed Ultimate Stamp Cleaner directly on the stamp to thoroughly wet it, let it sit a bit, and wiped it off with a clean, damp washcloth. The results were satisfactory.
Every stamp in the set required this treatment to get clean, and by the end I'd used about a quarter of my bottle of stamp cleaner. The MFT set didn't cause this much of a problem, and it left me wondering, "Has anyone else has experienced this level of icky sticky mess when conditioning stamps?" I really like the set...it's very summery and fun, and I've made some cute cards with it now that it's all clean. But I wonder what would cause such a problem. Any ideas?
And here's a card that pretty much sums up my Tuesday on Lake Vermilion. Or it would sum up the day if the surf board were a kayak. Not much surf here in Minnesota.
Hope you're having a beautiful day, too.
Supplies
stamps: Echo Park Paper
ink: Memento, Hero Arts
paper: Papertrey
accessories: rhinestones, dimensionals, scissors
Oh yes, I've had some clear stamps which have caused me no end of problems!
ReplyDeleteFAB card
Kathyk
No i have been pretty lucky so far. What a pain having to clean them all so thoroughly but the end result is brilliant. Love the surfboard. My son's sign name (in the Deaf community) is Surfer and I am always looking for good srf board stamps
ReplyDeleteI have had this happen when I buy clear stamps at places like Michael's. I've never had any trouble with CTMH sets, so I just thought it was made with a cheaper material. I will try to condition them like you said. Sorry for all your trouble, but your finished product looks great.
ReplyDeleteAre Echo Park stamps made in the USA? I've found stamps made in China get yucky and gross when I try to condition them, and they still don't stamp well.
ReplyDeleteYour card is adorable!
I've had problems with inexpensive clear stamps but never to the level you have shown. I know I've bought some that I never got them to stamp cleanly. I have not had any problems with the MFT stamps.
ReplyDeleteWhat Erin said. Made in China, or anywhere else besides the USofA, the quality of stamps isn't so great. Make sure to get Made in the USA and you shouldn't have that problem.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that's your first MFT stamp set. I have a squillion of them if you'd like to borrow some to play with.
If I were you I would contact the customers=service in Utah ( http://www.echoparkpaper.com/contact-us ) and email your blog to them.
ReplyDeleteThey can look into the matter. And if their customers-service is any good they will send you a bottle of stampcleaner at least ;)
great idea - tracey of lavinia stamps said a bunch of stamps that had been made for a magazine had this problem and they were told to send them back
DeleteI have never had a clear stamp THAT bad when it first arrived. I would think something went wrong in the manufacturing. Cecile's idea sounds like a good one - tell Echo Park about it. Hopefully they can offer you something in compensation for your "mental anguish" (lol!) or at least fix the problem in their manufacturing. :-) The card you made at the end of the trouble is fabulous! Bright and fun!
ReplyDeleteI have never tried Echo Park stamps but have many MFT stamps and have never had a problem with them. I too would call or email EP customer service.
ReplyDeleteI've never had that problem with any clear stamps. At most, all I've ever had to do was use an eraser on them. On some I might have a spot on the stamp that did not stamp after using the eraser and I've used an emery board to fix that. I'm wondering if the goo was caused by a reaction to the backing product. I read somewhere not to put clear stamps on plastic, that they'd turn to goo over time. That text set is huge which means you had to do a lot of work to make it usable. I think I'd write the company and tell them what you had to go through. I'd be leery of buying anymore of that brand of stamps.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your experience. Haven't ever tried any Echo Park - took a quick peek at the web site but couldn't find anyplace where they say where the stamps are made. RE: My Favorite Things -- wow, if this is your first set, watch out!! They have FAB stuff and I own a LOT of it - tee-hee. And MFT is Made in the USA! I won't buy any more stamps that are not made in America. Hope you'll have time to tell Echo Park about your experience and please do keep us posted. Big hugs, Sherry
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up and ADORE your card.
ReplyDeleteOh the orange and blue are just adorable on this card. I have quite a few clear stamps and apart from the early ones going yellow and brittle I have not had any problems with them.
ReplyDeleteI only use stamps from Gina K Designs and Mark's Finest Papers- never a problem! I don't get any stamps from big box stores-so luckily I haven't had any issues with my stamps. Hope you get things resolved soon.
ReplyDeleteI have lots of clear stamps made in the UK and they are fine too.
ReplyDeleteTypically, if the clear stamps are made in China or Taiwan they are not photopolymer. They are made from the same yucky stuff that the cheap dollar bin stamps are made from. Ink beads terrible even with conditioning. There is definitely a difference in quality among clear stamps. For me, it's made in the USA only! The only luck I've had with non-photopolymer stamps is using pigment ink. It's thick enough to cover the stamp (sort of) without so much blotchiness.
ReplyDeleteI have never had any problems with MFT stamps I have always used them right out of the packaging no conditioning required.
ReplyDeleteI've never had that much trouble with clear stamps. I 'be had some that were real pains to condition, but they were ok after about 5 - 10 minutes of working with them. I don't own the brands in your post.
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