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I am very frustrated. Heat embossing looks so easy in all the videos! No matter what I do, I cannot make it work. I am using a brand-new Wagner heat tool, so hot that it turned itself off and won’t turn back on. (I’m hoping it will restart when it cools down.) I am using a nice juicy VersaMark pad and a brand-new jar of Brutus Monroe embossing powder. I’m trying to emboss onto watercolor paper. I am using a powder bag, a MISTI, and a red rubber background stamp from Simon Says Stamp. The embossing powder *will not melt.” I can hold the heat tool on it until it smells like either the powder or the paper is burning, but the powder is still dry and powdery and brushes off the paper when it’s touched. What am I doing wrong? Can anybody help?
__________________ Carol
*Olim velis me peraudire.*
Rock is dead. Long live paper and scissors!
Wow, that does sound frustrating! Have you tried heat embossing on regular cardstock just to see if the watercolor paper is the problem? I hope someone that can help you chimes in!
Ok...you are going to do this. And it is fun as heck and don't blame us when you get addicted LOL.
Watercolor paper can be tricky...it can have a textured surface (does it say smooth on the cover?) so the versamark is maybe not getting a good hold on it. Try stamping it more than once-but not pressing too hard or you might distort the stamp image. I have seen people do it 3x semi lightly. Can you see the ink and it is shiny (wet)? That should be good.
Dont over poof the paper or the ink might not stick. You want a light dusting.
Try shaking the jar of embossing powder-I turn it upside down. Look at it first...then shake it. See a difference? The elements can separate and I have had this problem when that happens if I forgot to do that. They don't all need that but who the heck can remember which ones do and it wont hurt it. You might not see the difference but it will perform better.
Start heating from under the paper. Then nothing will blow away on you. Once you see the powder start to melt you can switch to the top. Some people do it all from the bottom but I find I get a better finish if I switch to the top. I hope you have reverse tweezers-they are great for holding things while you heat them. But even regular tweezers since you are saying this is an overall BG stamp. WC paper is heavier so it would take longer.
How close are you holding the gun? Maybe not the right distance...I would suggest 4-5 inches with a wagner as they are strong and keep the gun moving. Don't leave it in one place you could easily burn. I tend to angle and come from one side and once the powder starts going, I chase it across the surface so to speak but I am moving the gun back and forth. Some people like to make small circles with the gun. Don't start till the gun is hot. I dont know why it turned off. Might be a safety.
If none of this works I would do what what bzzzee suggested and try it on a definitely smooth reg CS.
__________________ Margot
I am a proud fan club member
Last edited by wavejumper; 08-14-2021 at 06:48 PM..
The following 7 users liked this post by wavejumper:
wow Margot, great info. Lately, I have been complaining my embossing powder isn't melting right and I wasn't sure what was wrong. I use it every so often, and the last few times it's not produced a good result. I didn't know if embossing powder can go bad.. I mostly use black momento SU ink, and clear embossing powder. I was in a hurry and didn't try my colored embossing powders with versa mark ink, but now I think I'll go play around with them and see what happens. I keep my embossing powders in a plastic container with a lid, and I do stir the powder with a plastic spoon when I sprinkle it on the image. I also start heating from the back, but continue to the front when the heat gun is warmed up, and always use regular cardstock (never used watercolor paper). Thank you for sharing the detailed information !
Heat embossing was not only my "gateway drug" to carding like so many others...but I really love doing it. So I have a huge collection of them and I would have to say it is the technique I do the most.
I have heard people say EPs can go "bad". I can't say I have had that experience but the benefit of so many of us being here is we get a HUGE experience pool to learn from which I love.
Some products just never worked well from jump for me-some of the Judikins glitter EPs for example. No matter how much I shake them, the glitter is sparse on the paper. Some worked fine. So I don't know if that was an age problem-I got them out of a sale bin at my LSS. They easily could have been years old. I would be happy to send those to someone if I even still have them for free and see if they have the same problem with them. Learning would be valuable to me.
__________________ Margot
I am a proud fan club member
Ok, I'm gonna 'fess up on something right now. Don't be laughin'! When I first started trying heat embossing, I was having the same problems but using regular cardstock. Tried, tried and tried. Doing the right stuff--just wasn't working. One day that I was trying and getting annoyed, I decided to really very specifically look at the jar of embossing powder I was using--maybe there were specific instructions I was missing. Nope! What I did notice, though, was that the jar did not say "embossing powder." All it said was "glitter." All that time, I had thought it was glitter embossing powder!
Just sayin'!
__________________ Brenda
<-My sibling kitties, Milo and Rousseau
The following 12 users liked this post by Paper Junky:
I also got hooked on heat embossing from the beginning & bought every new powder my LSS got in! My stash is huge & most of them still work great, even the very old ones. The Wagner is my favorite, so I doubt that is your problem. I would say you either got a bad bottle of embossing powder or you don't have enough ink on the paper. Usually when I have a problem, it's because I didn't get a good inking of my image. I'm impatient, but have to say it works best if you let the heat gun warm up. I don't start on the back unless I'm embossing on vellum. I do hold the paper at sort of an angle so I can see the image start turning shiny & keep moving the heat gun. I would try the powder on regular paper & see if that helps.
My JudiKins powders are all very old--some of the first I got at least 20 years ago. I still love Egyptian Gold, Black Diamond, Diamond Sparkle & Iridescent Sparkle. They don't have as much glitter as some other company's glitter powders, so I use them on images/sentiments with thicker lines.
I have heard several experts say that’s atercolor paper is very dry, that is very thirsty, and I wonder if that means it is soaking up your embossing ink so much that the EP isn’t getting a grip. I agree that using smooth-surfaced WC paper is best for stamping but multiple stamping using a platform will work on the rougher ones.
I had a Heat tool do that to me. It was fairly mold and I think it just gave up. It worked once or twice more after cooling down but then nothing. And I notice that many times in Tim Ho,to q&a’s, his heat tool has quit and Mario has used canned air to cool it down and it started again, but Tim has commented that it is probably due for replacement.
It is important to let the Inked stamp sit on the paper a bit, don't just stamp and lift as the ink is thick and needs time to transfer. After I read this tip I have had better results heat embossing. You may also need to lay down ink a couple times. Don't give up.
I've never heard of anyone having a problem when using a heat gun & ep (NOT glitter!).
As others have said:
Heat gun first - then start embossing
Keep gun ALWAYS moving...at an angle till ep is shiny...then stop!
Do not over heat! Keep a sharp eye out for "shiny"!
This is not brain surgery! If the combo you're using doesn't work, try another ep and/or cardstock. This does work and truly it's easy! Please let us know when it works for you and what the problem was!
Black Momento ink will not work well for embossing. You need to use a pigment ink, one that will stay wet long enough to allow the embossing powder to stick.
Embossing on watercolor paper is very tricky. I know the "experts" make it look easy, but it isn't. You have to work very quickly, because the watercolor paper is designed to "soak up" whatever you apply to it. Since you have a stamp positioner, I would stamp with the ink 2 or 3 times, and then apply the powder and heat it very quickly. If you're a beginner, I would advise that you practice with regular cardstock first, so that you can get a feel for how the powder will melt.
Embossing powder does get stale, but most of the better brands (e.g. Stampendous, Judikins) will last a long time. Good luck, and I hope this helped.
No laughing at all...packaging can be very confusing esp in the realm of glitter EPs. As I recall...Judikins used the same jars for EP and glitter so you really had/have to read. (and label yourself?) Still my reigning EP fav is a Judikins called Bronze metallic which actually is more than one metal color.
Also on the shaking idea-this has proven more true esp if a glitter is mixed in with reg EPs, and even more so if the EP is larger pieces. Glitter is lighter weight and might stay to the surface of the jar. This actually helped me when I felt one jar had too much glitter and it was overpowering the other two colors. (blue glitter with red and white large EP) so I was able to remove some of it. (Wows Old glory that I wanted for patriotic cards. I wish they had just mixed three EPs) But any of the mixed colors I would definitely shake as I find some may be finer. The size mix can give you a fun final finish but like I said can mess with the mix. I am seeing more and more of this type of EP (ie Andy Skinner, Marion Emberson, etc) which I am loving. Some really cool distressed metal looks for example. Some are meant to be layered. (do it 3x)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paper Junky
Ok, I'm gonna 'fess up on something right now. Don't be laughin'! When I first started trying heat embossing, I was having the same problems but using regular cardstock. Tried, tried and tried. Doing the right stuff--just wasn't working. One day that I was trying and getting annoyed, I decided to really very specifically look at the jar of embossing powder I was using--maybe there were specific instructions I was missing. Nope! What I did notice, though, was that the jar did not say "embossing powder." All it said was "glitter." All that time, I had thought it was glitter embossing powder!
Just sayin'!
__________________ Margot
I am a proud fan club member
I would suggest that the type of watercolor paper can cause problems, too. I have a pack of 100% cotton watercolor paper from Bee Paper Company, that I've had to mark as impossible to heat emboss. It's not the the paper absorbs the Versamark too much, since the powder will stick to the ink. It's almost like it absorbs the embossing powder as it melts! :? I don't know exactly why, since that's the only watercolor paper I have that issue with. The powder color still shows on the Bee paper, but it is in no way raised & shiny. I have tried barely heating it, just until it melts, since I thought maybe I was overheating it - still the same result. :confused: Maybe it is a result of how much cotton and/or sizing is in the paper...? Anyway, if I'm heat embossing I stick to Canson Montval, Canson XL, or Cheap Joe's Kilimanjaro watercolor papers.
wow Margot, great info. Lately, I have been complaining my embossing powder isn't melting right and I wasn't sure what was wrong. I use it every so often, and the last few times it's not produced a good result. I didn't know if embossing powder can go bad.. I mostly use black momento SU ink, and clear embossing powder. I was in a hurry and didn't try my colored embossing powders with versa mark ink, but now I think I'll go play around with them and see what happens. I keep my embossing powders in a plastic container with a lid, and I do stir the powder with a plastic spoon when I sprinkle it on the image. I also start heating from the back, but continue to the front when the heat gun is warmed up, and always use regular cardstock (never used watercolor paper). Thank you for sharing the detailed information !
Coming to this thread very late: as Scrapjanny said, Mermento doesn't work for embossing, it dries too quickly. One trick for coloured embossing with dye inks (like SU) though is to ink a stamp with Versamark, then ink it from a coloured dye pad, then stamp and apply clear embossing powder, then heat. That gives an embossed surface which matches your dye ink without having to buy coloured embossing powder. The Versamark doesn't contaminate the coloured ink pad. Remember to clean your stamp thoroughly before using this technique again, otherwise you'll get a coloured Versamark pad (ask me how I know).
Another tip when working with glitter EP is mix it with clear first then you can make your mixes with color EP's & Glitter. It works like a charm.
Paper fibers either will take embossing ink like a dream or just go pfffft. If you have trouble embossing an image try it on a different piece of paper.
Heat embossing is my ultimate favorite stamping forever love.
right: heat embossing isn't "brain surgery" - but some craft techniques come easier to some and not to all. 20+ years ago every card I created had a heat embossed sentiment inside and I never had a problem. My late craft buddy, Theresa Marie Tauscher brought me into the world of metal dies (previously I only used my Cricut and Slice machine for designs) about 7 years ago and I slowly left the embossing world. When I decided to get back into it was when I ran into trouble. I don't recall what kind of ink pads I had 20 years ago, but for the past few years used my Memento black ink for everything I stamped - not realizing that was my main problem. With crafters help from this posting, I switched to a pigment ink pad and I'm back into the game of powder embossed sentiments.
This is actually why many of us refer to SCS forum, to get the help we need to continue our love of paper crafting. I thank you all who helped me with my embossing problems !
I think a lot of stamping things are "brain surgery". I don't know how many times over here I have joked that picking out inks you need a Ph.D.
There are a lot of stamping techniques that I struggle with- Distress for example. I can't make a rosette no matter how hard I try. I just turned fifty this year but I have been stamping since I was a young girl in the 1970's. I didn't know the world of stamping communities. I didn't even know there were magazines. I didn't find out about stamping magazines & communities until the mid-2000's. Wow, that was an eye opener. The techniques were mind boggling. Still to this day I get confused. Honestly if it wasn't for magazines, YouTube & stamping forums I would have gave up a long time ago with stamping. I would have been like this is way to advanced for my experience level. I am grateful to all who share their "Brain Surgery" techniques.
I do think heat embossing is a "brain surgery" technique. Even my friends who are doctor's ask me all the time about my paper crafting "How did you do that?" Then they look at me blankly like they need to go back to school, lol. I am sure some of you have stories of that too.
mac4551- I used my Making Memroies Slice this weekend. . That made me smile you mentioned it.
good luck using your Slice die cutting machine. Mine pretty much no longer works. I have done the re-caliber-adjustment, but it just doesn't cut very well. I miss it - I had lots of fun with it. Maybe I'll dig it out and try again too !
Heat embossing help!
