Making stamps out of JB weld

[CraftyNick]

I am not asking any questions in this post about whether this would work, because I already tried it.  Nor am I recommending this unconventional idea to anyone because it didn't work all that well.  Just sharing for the sake of interest or discussion, or in case anyone else out there is wondering about the idea.  To begin, I carved a set of tracks that I had drawn deeply into a piece of leather (one front and one back bear paw - no, I didn't bother to make a right and left - they're both left ).  Then, after soaking the leather in neatsfoot oil, I filled the impressions with JB weld.  After removing the JB weld nuggets from the leather cast I had semi functional stamps.  The front paw was too thin so it cracked during use, the back paw just lost it's fifth toe, but they stayed together enough to get the project done. Best part of it all was that I got the belt decorated just as I had imagined.  That was the whole point.   (Yeah, I could have just bought a bear paw track from etsy, but I had no time to order one because I had to get the belt done for somebody's birthday and I never plan ahead very far).  

Edited September 9, 2016 by CraftyNick

[bikermutt07]

I like the rustic look of it. 

I love hearing about obscure tricks that kind of work.

[CraftyNick]

Thanks for the comments

 

[Halitech]

might not be the "right" way of doing things but if it's going to be a 1 time use stamp, makes more sense then spending 50.00 on a custom stamp. Maybe if you had made it thicker and added a washer in the middle, it may have lasted longer, especially if you used a press instead of a hammer

[TinkerTailor]

6 minutes ago, Halitech said:

might not be the "right" way of doing things but if it's going to be a 1 time use stamp, makes more sense then spending 50.00 on a custom stamp. Maybe if you had made it thicker and added a washer in the middle, it may have lasted longer, especially if you used a press instead of a hammer

I have used metal window screen as reinforcement in jb weld projects (not stamps)in the past, kinda like rebar in concrete. Stops cracks. I wonder if you couldnt embed some into a stamp? I bet if the jb was at at least 10mm thick and it was backed by some metal, with a screen embedded it would last longer.

Imma gunna try it.

[Halitech]

the metal screen would probably work better in the middle then the washer and yeah, get it at least 10mm (3/8" for our SAE members) and add the washer to the top and I bet it would last longer. Think I'll give it a shot on Monday when the stores are open that I can get to as well

[CraftyNick]

There is a front/back bear paw stamp on etsy but yeah, they are $22 a piece.  I bet it could be done a lot better than my first, sort of, crude attempt.  Using a press might be a good idea, if you have one.  Adding some backing to the stamps would be very helpful.  I used a piece of leather for backing, but there are probably better materials.  It was hard to hit the stamps without a post attached, so I put a regular stamp to the back of the homemade stamps and pounded the stamp indirectly through the other stamp post, which is what broke it, so a rigid backing on the homemade stamp is advisable if you are going to do that.    

Edited September 11, 2016 by CraftyNick

[LumpenDoodle2]

What a perfect idea for a one off design stamp.    

Looking forward to a report on youe 'upgrade'.

[R SFraser Sr]

A bit off topic, Nick, but can you tell me where you got that style buckle?

thanks

bob

[CraftyNick]

This is the 1 1/2 inch roller buckle with the center bar that Tandy sells.  It's not as quality as I would like it to be, but there are not many options for this style of buckle apart from this one that I have found.  

[TinkerTailor]

pics didnt work, will repost later

Edited September 14, 2016 by TinkerTailor
pics didnt work, will repost later

[CraftyNick]

Try some more pictures TinkerTailor.  I'm intrigued to see somebody else's attempt.

 

[TinkerTailor]

I was trying to drag and drop the image directly from my gmail, the pictures showed up in the edit window, but the links broke when I posted it, I then had to leave for work.... Is there any way to resize the post window? I have discovered that posting long posts like this one is a pain with the new editor because i can't fit the picture and the text into the edit box at the same time.

Here is the post again, with the images actually working:

Impression #1 was waxed with snowseal several coats and then filled with jb. I embedded a screen into it and stuck on the block.

For comparison, I included the final stamp #2(more on this later) and a clean copy of the original #3:

 

In the next photo, after i stamped a piece of 5 oz, two correctable mistakes become apparent. The jbweld was too thick and i could not get out the air bubbles, however the detail of the bubbles perfectly transferred to the leather. I think the solution to this is thinner epoxy, whether it is thinned jb or a different product.

The stamp is uneven because the block is not parallel with the stamp surface, so it stamps uneven. Care and attention while casting will fix this.

 

Last one is on some chromexel scrap.

All in all i think this is a workable process, though i have not tested it with a hammer, only a press. Its really hard to get an even impression with a big stamp and a hammer, and impossible on some leathers.

 

 

[CraftyNick]

I think the technique has potential, though as you said easier for smaller stamps. I think making use of a block of wood as the backing is a good way to go.  Thanks for sharing your ideas.