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If you have never used a Stampin' Up wheels I would suggest you try them! They are super easy to use. I will answer your questions the best I can.
Yes! You can certainly use them on a regular ink pad. Just run the wheel over the ink pad making sure to go in both directions on the pad to get good coverage then wheel away. This works well for a card. If you want to roll across a 12 X 12 page I would suggest using a cartridge as it takes twice as much in as a card and will ensure an even image.
I have never tried brand other than Stampin’ Up reinkers so I can’t answer that question but reinking with SU inkers is just like getting a new cartridge.
As far as removing from the wheel I haven’t tried it but know others who have and have had good luck with it. I used mine in scrapbooking a lot and like the image to be continuous. However, now that we have clear blocks it is simple to line the image up so I am thinking of giving it a try.
If you are going to remove the rubber from the wheel make sure to cut it at the seam and use something to easily lift it so you don’t stretch the rubber. Then you will need to use a product like EZ Mount to add the foam backing. If you do this I would highly recommend using a clear stamp block so you can easily see how to line your image if what you are stamping is longer than one length.
In terms of other reinkers, in general, yes. The alcohol inks probably won't work in an uninked cartridge (I think it would dry way to quickly to be of use).
Yes, you can unmount your wheels! As noted above, use an exacto knife to cut along the seem, and slowly peel up. If there is any glue remaining on the rubber, remove it (rubs off easily). Instead of using a foam (e.g. ez mount), I simply apply a little (use sparingly) of Aileen's Tack it Over and Over glue (brush on, allow to dry, and voila - will stick to a clear block).
I never used the wheels until I realized that they could be unmounted, therefore I never purchased the handles. The stamps come off the wheels SUPER EASY. Only a few times have I had to take a craft knife down the seam to break the glue bond. Usually, I look for the seam and start peeling that seam apart. Once the seam is free, then the rest of the stamp can be peeled off the wheel. All of my wheels have peeled very easily with no glue sticking to the stamp. I prefer to mount my unmounted stamps on EZ mount. There are many, many threads on SCS about methods for stamping with unmounted stamps.
Although I have used ink cartidges with wheels at workshops and they do work well that way, I don't own any cartridges myself. I couldn't see having a whole lot of them that I would have to switch out whenever I wanted to use the wheel. I just rolled my wheel over the ink pad over and over until I felt I had good coverage.
I think that alcohol ink would dry too quickly. And the cartridge pads are felt, not foam, so they wouldn't accept craft, pigment, versamark or chalk inks well. You could use any other company's dye ink though I would think.
I have unmounted almost all my wheels now. I think they are so much more useful now because they are easier to line up, easier to get even ink/stamping coverage and take up a lot less space. They are SO easy to unmount. Just find the seam, use a craft knife to cut to the wheel then peel off. I have one or two that are on ez-mount but the rest I just use a couple of small dabs of adhesive on the back to stick to my acrylic block long enough to stamp. I write the name of the stamp on the back of the rubber for reference.
Just to be clear, you can't use alcohol ink for stamping in general. You would just wind up with colored rubber. Alcohol ink is designed to be used on non-porous surfaces: glass, metal, glossy cardstock, etc. If you haven't before, visit Tim Holtz's blog and look at his videos and the Twelve Tags of Christmas posts for info and ideas on using the alcohol inks. They're very cool, but they're not for stamping.
The amount of knowledge and help on these forums is almost overwhelming! Thank you all for your input. I am a "self-taught" stamper/cardmaker so I learned a lot through trial and error. But the information on these threads and tutorials has been the BEST!
Why oh why haven't I learned yet to come here first?! I just sent off an email to my SU demo to ask if you can use the wheels on an ink pad! I think this site is absolutely the best and where else can you get answers from so many experts? Love it!! Thank you.
. And the cartridge pads are felt, not foam, so they wouldn't accept craft, pigment, versamark or chalk inks well. You could use any other company's dye ink though I would think.
I have to disagree, and with experience. The foam inside an uninked cartridge holds Versamark, pigment, metallic, specialty inks quite well. After all, the inkpads for those inks are made of foam.
It's a lovely result to wheel silver stars all over a dark navy cardstock!!
Back in my demo days several years ago, I bought and inked cartridges with silver, gold, white pigment, and Versamark/clear embossing inks. It works great.
The only caveat is that you want to reink the cartridge just before using it, NOT before putting it away. Also, reink with the same technique you'd use on a regular inkpad; add a few drops or stripes, rub it in good with the reinker tip or use a small spatula*, repeat until it's wet enough.
HTH!
Holly
*(you can get these at Sally Beauty Supply, they are a bunch in a bag and meant for makeup artists to mix and use foundations for mulitiple people hygenically, I think, or something like that)
Stampin Up wheel stamp questions
