Having Some Issues With 3D Stamping

[mjensen]

Hi all,

I've picked up a few 3D stamps from Tandy and have been a little disappointed. I can't seem to ever get the full impression of the stamp. There always seem to be a few of the fine details missing toward the middle of the stamp impression. I can get all the fine details along the edges of the stamp if I beat the snot out of my stamping handle while tilting it to get a stronger impression along each edge but I can never seem to get the middle.

I've watched Tandy's youtube video on 3D and Alphabet Stamping with George Hurst about a dozen times and I am following him to the letter. Considering how simple this should be I can't figure out where I'm going wrong.

Here are a few things I've gone over:

Casing - I've tried every level of moisture from "muddy" to "been sitting there for over an hour and it's dry" and surprisingly I get my best impressions very near to the "muddy" end of the spectrum, but I still can't get the detail in the centre.

Leather Thickness - I'm using 4/5oz leather. Is it maybe not thick enough to allow the stamp to sink into the leather all the way? I can see where the leather is becoming heavily burnished on the flesh side where I'm stamping.

Leather Quality - I'm using Tandy's economy tooling shoulders (I'm on a budget and they're cheap). All of my craftool stamps leave excellent impressions on properly cased leather so I can't see these 3D stamps being any different....right?

Anyways, as always any suggestions or ideas are very much appreciated,

Cheers,

Matt

[Tree Reaper]

What are you using to put the leather on to stamp it?

Which tool are you using to put in the 3D stamp?

The larger the stamp the more pressure it will take because of the larger surface area.

Do you have one of these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Craftool-Ram-Foot-Heavy-Duty-/290313567372?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4398097c8c

or a hefty handle?

Edited February 18, 2014 by Tree Reaper

[Dwight]

If I were a gambler, . . . I'd bet that the problem lays in one of two areas: your table is bouncing, . . . or you do not have a proper surface under your leather for tooling.

I don't do a lot of tooling or stamping, . . . but when I do, . . . my big hunk of fake marble comes out, . . . onto the bench, . . . and a toolin' we will go.

But even a good piece of marble or something similar, . . . can be somewhat negated if the table is a bouncy one.

Check those out, . . . and proper casing when it actually looks like it is almost dry again, . . . will give you the best impressions, . . . for sure.

May God bless,

Dwight

[mjensen]

What are you using to put the leather on to stamp it?

Which tool are you using to put in the 3D stamp?

The larger the stamp the more pressure it will take because of the larger surface area.

Do you have one of these

http://www.ebay.com/...=item4398097c8c

or a hefty handle?

I have a ramsfoot and a heafty handle. I've tried both and am getting the same result. I'm striking the handles with a polymer mallet (one of the yellow ones from Tandy).

If I were a gambler, . . . I'd bet that the problem lays in one of two areas: your table is bouncing, . . . or you do not have a proper surface under your leather for tooling.

I don't do a lot of tooling or stamping, . . . but when I do, . . . my big hunk of fake marble comes out, . . . onto the bench, . . . and a toolin' we will go.

But even a good piece of marble or something similar, . . . can be somewhat negated if the table is a bouncy one.

Check those out, . . . and proper casing when it actually looks like it is almost dry again, . . . will give you the best impressions, . . . for sure.

May God bless,

Dwight

I have a 16" x 16" marble slab I picked up as an off-cut from a local tile store. The table is a definite possibility. It has a bit of a wobble to it and a little bit of a bounce. I'll try setting the slab on my counter top and see if that helps then I'll get back to you!

Thanks guys!

[Tree Reaper]

I use a press for 3D stamps so that might be a consideration for you, it never fails to leave a deep impression.

Even something as simple as a 6 inch C clamp might work better for you.

[ENC]

You could try putting the leather directly on a concrete slab, sidewalk, driveway ect. and give it a wack. If you get a good impression then its is defiantly table bounce. If not try a heavier mallet. If you do get a good impression try putting your slab directly over one of your tables legs. This should help reduce some of the table bounce.

Ray

[WyomingSlick]

Mostly it is that you are using lighter leather. Try them out on a thicker leather. They usually work much better on a belt than on a wallet back.

You might also do a little experimenting. Find a nice smooth river rock that has a bit of a curve to it. How much curve? LOL, that is where the experimenting comes in. Try using one of them for your stamping backup.

[TomG]

Well, I think everyone is right on point.

You have multiple factors against you at the same time.

1) Wobbly table - MUST be stable and sturdy

2) Thin leather- You can actually put a piece of 8oz scrap under it when you stamp and it will help it to hold a deeper impression

3) Probably not hitting the casing right for that leather - I've found that thinner leather needs to be SLIGHTLY wetter than the heavier pieces for stamps

4) That Poly mallet isn't gonna cut it for most 3D stamps. Get a 2 or 3 pound maul or a cheap Harbor Freight Dead Blow Hammer for the big stamps.

5 ) Last but not least - Some Tandy stamps - especially the new 3D ones are crap.

Try all of this and I'll bet you get better results.

[JoeSnuffie]

I've done a lot of stamping in thinner leather and it's not difficult if you use a proper backing. I uploaded a picture that explains how I did it.

Click it to read the details.

[mjensen]

Thanks for the tips everyone! I'm going to pick up a couple C-Clamps tomorrow since I've been meaning to buy some anyways. I don't have any really heavy leather to use as a backing so I'm going to attempt to layer a few thinner pieces together and see if that will do the trick.

[Tree Reaper]

If you use the C clamps use them with the screw down so you don't end up with metal flakes on your leather.

[mjensen]

Thanks for the tips everyone! The C-Clamp worked like a dream. I put the leather I was stamping on top of 2-3 layers of 4/5oz leather and screwed down the clamp as far as it would go. It went a little too far the first time and I ended up getting marks from the stamp base. Second time was beautiful.

Thanks again!

Matt

[fatbob1945]

Thanks fellows,---yep wasn't using the proper tool,I'll go and get a C-clamp and a ramsfoot next trip into town!