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Hello, all! I bought a PSX stamp of a house off eBay. It is hard as rock, and the foam underneath is hard, too. I don’t have any glycerin in the house, except maybe in some hand soap, so I’m soaking the rubber stamp in that.
But, with the foam hard, too, I’m afraid to remove the stamp from the block - the rubber might break.
Would anyone here have suggestions for how to treat this stamp? I *really* love the image.
Hello, all! I bought a PSX stamp of a house off eBay. It is hard as rock, and the foam underneath is hard, too. I don’t have any glycerin in the house, except maybe in some hand soap, so I’m soaking the rubber stamp in that.
But, with the foam hard, too, I’m afraid to remove the stamp from the block - the rubber might break.
Would anyone here have suggestions for how to treat this stamp? I *really* love the image.
Sorry to hear this happened. Unfortunately, when several of my stamps did the same thing, there was no way to make them pliable again. I soaked in glycerine, in oil, etc. Nothing helped and I had to toss them. This happened when I used metallic pigment inks and didn't scrub the ink off thoroughly. They were wood mounted Anna Griffin stamps. Only two of them got stiff and shiny...the rest were fine.
I had to toss almost all of my beloved Posh Impressions stamps last time I looked through old stuff. The foam mounts were badly cracked and some of the rubber had a crack or two. I guess back then they did not know what would happen to rubber on foam over time. Sad.
Back in the '70s and '80s, my father owned a typewriter repair business. He used to use a spray to restore the rubber on the typewriter carriages. I don't remember what it was called, but I'm thinking that there must be something similar in the automotive industry. Maybe you could try a Google search for rubber restoration products. Just a thought, and I hope you find something that works. Just be careful with any product like that. Read the safety precautions, because some of those chemicals can be toxic.
I just had to throw away a beautiful PSX angel because foam was hard as a rock and rubber was hard and cracking. I loved that stamp. I guess rubber stamps do eventually get old. First rubber stamp I had to throw away.
__________________ The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable. Practice safe eating always use condiments
And for what it's worth, I have a few SU! wheels where the rubber dried and cracked, but the woodcut look works with them, so they're still good for what I want to do with them. Some cracked rubber won't work this way, but some does.
__________________ If you don't want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you don't. ~ Jimmy Carter
ut oh. Unfortunately when you have non-stampers selling stamps they dont understand what good condition really means (they think it is just clean)
Have you tried using it? I have found sometimes they still work. You just have to provide cushion under the CS. You might have to ink it more than once just to get the rubber going a bit.
I dont know how rare this one is. Check the completeds in ebay...not the solds. Completeds tell you how many times it was offered but check the sellers. One seller could have put it up 7x or something. It will show the solds too if it matters.
I am not asking but I know PSX can go for a nice chunk of change. You might want to ask for a refund and explain why. The seller may not even ask you to return it.
If not....
If the image is a little cracked and stuff and you dont feel you can correct with a micro pen... but you could un-munt it and then re-mount with your own cling and use in a platform for multiple stamping....let know and I will tell you how I would do that. Just taking a shot but when we have a rare image that we really love...
I did un-mount mine that were in that condition and did stick them to cling foam ( some of the ones that were deteriorating) various brands, I only ruined one. ( it was a tiny angel one from hallmark that I could not save and it did not look good trying to piece the pieces together on the cling foam)
my husband did give me something from the garage once to try to "revive" the rubber that is sold for people working on cars. ( it didn't really do much of anything, I have also never had any luck with soaking in straight glycerine either)
at this point it is not use able as is so, you really don't have much to lose if you do try to unmount it and try not to break the rubber.
I ended up removing the stiff, hard rubber image from the block. The block had warped from the liquid I’d put the rubber in (oops). When I get the last of the old adhesive off, I’ll attach it to cling foam, and see if it works okay.
I’ve noticed that the few original PSX stamps I own that I bought years ago, don’t stamp very well. The foam is hardening, and the rubber is not as flexible as it once was. I keep them out of sunlight, cleaned, etc. So I’m wondering if this is partly the manufacturer’s fault? Seriously, I don’t abuse my stamps.
I am getting stiffer as I age too.....LOL. Jut kidding.
Just probably aging...doing those things slows it down a good deal though. Maybe if we put glycerin on them regularly like we moisturize it would help. But who is going to do that?
You could treat it as a wood block stamp and just make sure the cushioning is under the paper. Or try stamping with the stamp up, and laying the paper on top of it, so you can rub with the cushion on your fingers. The probably means you’ll use the stamp differently than you intended, but it still works.
I'm pretty sure that VersaMark ink has glycerine in it. A long time ago, I had a stamp I used with permanent black ink so much the rubber got really hard. Then I was in a monthly swap using that stamp set, and I embossed lots of images using VersaMark. The rubber softened and was great.
yes, try to use your versamark on those older rubber stamps every so often. ( I do that one too) and when I seen this post had made it back to the top I was excited that Melody told you that one.
I have an old Winnie the Pooh stamp that's dying. It got really hard and then started getting sticky.
I asked Aaron - the owner of Hero Arts if it could be saved, and he said probably not - once vulcanized rubber breaks down like that, it can't make a comeback.
If you can't salvage it, but the index image is still clear, you might see about having a new stamp made with the image. PSX was sold off around 2000. Inkadinkado bought a lot of their designs, so they may still offer it. If not, it would probably be OK to duplicate it.
In cases where the company still exists, but they no longer offer the stamp for sale, I would be inclined to just contact them and ask if they would have any objection to you having a new stamp made from their image for your personal use. There are plenty of companies out there that make stamps. If you are a member of Stamp Junkies on Facebook, there's a document in the files called "customstamps" that lists a whole lot of them.
__________________ Diana B
-We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all. ~John Hughes
I ended up removing the stiff, hard rubber image from the block. The block had warped from the liquid I’d put the rubber in (oops). When I get the last of the old adhesive off, I’ll attach it to cling foam, and see if it works okay.
I’ve noticed that the few original PSX stamps I own that I bought years ago, don’t stamp very well. The foam is hardening, and the rubber is not as flexible as it once was. I keep them out of sunlight, cleaned, etc. So I’m wondering if this is partly the manufacturer’s fault? Seriously, I don’t abuse my stamps.
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On the subject of the foam hardening, this stuff definitely has a life span. I bought many u/m stamps years ago, and added foam to them. Couple of brands,- Kling-On & Eazimount. After something like 10 ish years, I found many of them had started to separate from the foam, and also that in a number of cases, they had started to 'cup'- as though the foam was actually shrinking. So thats when I stopped with adding that stuff to my u/m's. That was definitely not something I was intending to replace every so often!
Never use harsh inks or cleaners (no StazeOn, Archival inks, or bleach). I mostly use Momento Tuxedo Black or Versamark;
Always clean the stamp after every use, mostly with water and a damp cloth trying not to soak the wood. For stubborn ink, I use an older nylon nail brush with a stamp cleaner of glycerine, water and baby shampoo;
Store them out of sunlight, one layer only, nothing on top and in shallow plastic drawers/cases (I've been storing mine one layer, rubber side down on a flat surface, and no issues as yet after about 10 years this way)
Every year or so I do an inspection and those who seem a little dry, I dab generously with Judikins Cleaner and Conditioner. I dab the entire rubber die (sides and inner crevices too) and then let the stamp soak up the solution on a glass mat or plastic tray for a few hours.
On most wood mounteds, I've varnished the wood so that ink would not stain it (yes, I'm OCD like that, and I don't know if this has helped, but it sure keeps 'em pretty)
I love to buy older WMs or UMs off Ebay and try to recondition them. If a stamp is soaked in ink stain, I often pass it up, unless it is an insane bargain or find and then I try to remove the ink and revive the rubber.
I recently bought an older Coronado Island stamp where half had a whitish discoloration (not from ink, it was clean), indicating that it was exposed to sunlight and/or heat. This was visible from the photos, so I took a chance.
One way I check to see if the rubber is still salvageable, (if no cracks are visible and it isn't completely hard) is to press a nail into the edge of the rubber die, by the foam. If my nail makes an indentation that does not bounce back, the rubber is dying or dead. If my nail mark disappears, the rubber is alive. That Coronado Island stamp, even though it was whitish and a little hard to the touch, took the nail mark and it bounced back-- showing there was life left.
I used the glycerin soak and repeatedly brushed the rubber, rewet it with the glycerine, and let it sit faced down on the glass mat. I also used the Judikins Cleaner & Conditioner. It took two days or so and several applications, but now the whole rubber stamp is pink (the original color) and supple. It stamps very well too.
I think if you catch the stamp in the early stages of breakdown, revival is possible. I also think it depends on the quality of the rubber and cushion, its storage life, age, whether it was cleaned routinely and whether harsh inks or solvents were used.
I've used Goo Gone to remove old foam from the rubber die to replace with EZ mount, and decided to stop that. Instead, I try to gently remove the foam from the wood block and affix it with the original foam to cling vinyl. I'm going to see how I like that (it was a recent transition due to EZ mount shrinkage and breakdown issues-- really mad about that since it was supposed to have a lifetime guarantee).
I had an older Rubber Stampede Decor stamp that was breaking down and I didn't catch it in time. I had unmounted it then remounted onto EZ mount, stored it on a laminated card upright with other stamps. The rubber went gummy. I'm not sure from what, but I think this is one I used goo gone on or maybe I didn't remove all the cleaner. The pressure from nearby stamps indented the rubber and now it is ruined. I plan to cut out the symbols that aren't ruined and use those separately.
As for rubber quality, I have/had a few foam mounted All Night Media (ANM) stamps that broke down even after unmounting them onto EZ mount and lots of TLC. ANM produced some Posh Impressions stamps (as did Rubber Stampede I believe) and the ANM ones all broke down. I think they used inferior rubber or a rubber mixture towards the end of their production. However, my Anna Griffin wood mounted stamps seem to be holding up (fingers crossed). I recently unmounted those, but kept the original foam, where possible, and glued it to cling vinyl. I'm praying they will stay pliable with my routine.
I hope this is helpful to someone. I am a rubber enthusiast because with proper care, they can last well over 25 years and take and stamp ink like nothing else.
Help! Old PSX stamp & foam dried out
