casting stamps help needed

[Glenn McCullough]

I have a request to cast some rare stamps( actually copies of them) and i need to know if the stamps are glued to the Sierra Vista tube or if you turn a piece of wood on it first and glue the stamps to the wood? I dont want to do the decoupage and CA as in the Penn State video. I have successfully cast snakeskin before and know it holds to the tube, but not sure of the stamps. Also is it necessary to seal them first or just cast as usual? If there is a tutorial on this, I'd like to see the link.
Thakns,

 

[rjwolfe3]

Good questions, I am interested as well.

 

[RONB]

I have cast a few stamps in P.R. I start by powder coating the tubes white. I've used spray paint and it seems to work O.K. if you let it cour fro a few days. I then place the stamps on the tubes using med. C.A. glue to stick them down. When this dries I put a thin coat of the C.A. over the seams just for insuranse sake. Cork the ends and fill with play dough. Cast under about 25-30 P.S.I. Three drops of hardener to 1 ounce of P.R.

 

[ngeb528]

I read the instructions on the PSI site and they suggest turning wood to just under the size pen you want, applying the stamps using Modge Podge then finishing.

I guess it's a matter of how you want it to look. If you want the stamps on the surface or under clear PR.

I'd be interested in seeing side-by-side comparisons of the two processes.

 

[its_virgil]

Hi Glenn,
You could lay out the stamps on a scanner and scan and then print the image on a label. Then cast the label like some of us have been doing. But I see no reason why the stamps couldn't be glued to the tube and cast. I like casting in PR much better than a thick coat of CA, but that is just my preference. I do think the PR looks better. I'll be glad to offer help. Just contact me.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

I have a request to cast some rare stamps( actually copies of them) and i need to know if the stamps are glued to the Sierra Vista tube or if you turn a piece of wood on it first and glue the stamps to the wood? I dont want to do the decoupage and CA as in the Penn State video. I have successfully cast snakeskin before and know it holds to the tube, but not sure of the stamps. Also is it necessary to seal them first or just cast as usual? If there is a tutorial on this, I'd like to see the link.
Thakns,

 

[aggromere]

stamp pen

I wanted to make a pen with stamps for an uncle of mine that is a retired postman and has been an avid stamp collector most of his life. I tried printing stamps on my color printer and using those. I think it would work but I got some bleeding of the colors. I think with a little more practice I could do it right. I actually went through a bunch of sites on the internet and made me a sheet of stamps. Some rares ones. I made it into a powerpoint page and printed it and cut out the stamps. If you want to send me a private message with your email address I will email you the powerpoint document and you can print and use those stamps.

I went ahead and ordered the stamps and finally made a pen. You really need to cut the wood down well below the bushings. It takes at least 10 coats of CA to cover them smoothly. I think it is also important to cover them with a decopauge protectant before you CA them. Just put the first few coats on with out sanding and with little pressure. Once you have it built up then you can sand with micromesh to get it smooth and then go back to CA.

The pen I made turned out very nice, although the barrel is slightly proud of the finial, but the other three joints are fine.

 

[gomeral]

That's a beautiful pen, Peter. I'm going to have to try that myself someday, my dad's been collecting stamps since he was a kid.


daniel

 

[Glenn McCullough]

That is stunning, yowza! Thats the effect I am looking for...Thanks for all the help.

I wanted to make a pen with stamps for an uncle of mine that is a retired postman and has been an avid stamp collector most of his life. I tried printing stamps on my color printer and using those. I think it would work but I got some bleeding of the colors. I think with a little more practice I could do it right. I actually went through a bunch of sites on the internet and made me a sheet of stamps. Some rares ones. I made it into a powerpoint page and printed it and cut out the stamps. If you want to send me a private message with your email address I will email you the powerpoint document and you can print and use those stamps.

I went ahead and ordered the stamps and finally made a pen. You really need to cut the wood down well below the bushings. It takes at least 10 coats of CA to cover them smoothly. I think it is also important to cover them with a decopauge protectant before you CA them. Just put the first few coats on with out sanding and with little pressure. Once you have it built up then you can sand with micromesh to get it smooth and then go back to CA.

The pen I made turned out very nice, although the barrel is slightly proud of the finial, but the other three joints are fine.

 

[aggromere]

No prob, glad I could help. I pasted the stamps on with elmers white glue. Be sure to have a popcicle stick or something like that to use to press the stamps onto the wood when you glue. I also made a couple wooded sticks to hold them on while I was gluing. I found on my earlier efforts that getting glue all over my finger tips was a bad thing. After I glued the stamps I painted them with a thin coat of Mod Podge Satin Finish that I got from a Michaels craft store. Once dry the finish will be kinda rough, but don't worry. Just go ahead and put a few coats of CA over it to build up the protection for the stamps and then micromesh smooth and then continue with CA.

 

[aggromere]

stamp pictures

I pulled some of the stamps I found on the internet. I wanted to use these but ended up with using real stamps. See if you can make these work. I don't know much about stamps but the invertedjenny I think is supposed to be one of the rarest US stamps of all times.

 

[workinforwood]

I make my wife lick the stamps, then apply them. This way if the glue is toxic, I'll be safe!

 

[Druid]

That's an interesting selection of stamps Peter, it certainly perked my interest.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[NewLondon88]

I think it might be a matter of preference.. and depend on the type of pen.

Printing them out on labels and affixing them to the tubes to cast might be easier and
give a cleaner appearance; all of the images being on one level.
Applying the stamps over wood makes the tube thicker so there is less resin over
the surface of the stamps to optically distort the image.

 

[jleiwig]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv1WoQtwVVE