Sticking it Down

Once you've been making stamps for awhile, the idea of authenticity starts to tickle the back of your mind. The average artistamp maker starts to think about perforation and glues relatively quickly, I've found. Solutions aren't always so easy for a perforator (and next month's article with discuss perforation options in more depth), as they're expensive and hard to find, but glue has more options.

There are several ways you can go about making your stamps stick. We'll go from the easiest to the most involved.

#1: THE EASY METHOD: Buy some self-stick label paper for your printer. It sounds a little simplistic, but the fact of the matter is that this is the easiest way to make self-adhesive stamps -- buy self-adhesive or lick and stick paper! It can get expensive, though, especially if you're doing a big print run. In my experience, it's around $30 a ream at some office supply stores, which makes it cost-prohibitive for some. (Unless you print the decoration for a sheet around the outside and then adhere a smaller subsection with stamps on it to that foundation piece...but the material is still expensive.)

#2: THE GLUE-STICK METHOD: Probably the most common of options is to print your stamps on regular ol' paper, and get out a glue-stick when you want them adhered. Aside from the authenticity factor, which is pretty much nil for the gluestick method, it's easy AND it's cheap. Cheap is always good.

#3: MAKE YOUR OWN lick and stick glue! I have several recipes for glues that can be painted on and left to dry. These glues will reactivate to varying degrees when licked or sponged. Recipes follow:

LICK AND STICK (ONE)
materials:
* White Glue, such as Elmer's or other good white glue.
* An equal amount of vinegar, also white.
* Flavor oil (optional -- use peppermint or cinnamon or other good oil)

Mix equal parts glue and vinegar, add some flavor oil. I do caution you, though -- some flavor oils elicit an allergic reaction from people, make sure to only use flavoring if you'll be licking them yourself, or let your recipients know. Mail art is kind of on the edge, but we don't want it to kill anybody.

Brush the glue on the back of your work, and let dry. Make sure your layer of glue is VERY thin. Too much, and it will get very gloppy very quickly. Wait for it to dry and brush another coat on. It will reactivate when licked, and I must say --it tastes awful.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic