It’s a question I hear over and over and over again – usually delivered with some level of frustration in the voice:  “HOW can I get my clear-mount stamps to stick to their acrylic blocks?!?” In a perfect world your clear-mount stamp would always be coorperative in clinging to its block for as long as you want it to, and then politely releasing itself the moment you’re done with it.  But like all things in life, sometimes reality doesn’t quite equal perfect.

So if you’ve also struggled with your clear-mount stamps one too many times, hopefully these tips will help!

1. Just like you, your stamps don’t appreciate being cold.  So if you store your stamps (and/or their blocks) in a chilly garage or unheated room you’ll need to warm ’em up before they’ll feel like getting cozy with each other. So hold them in your hands for a while (I’ve even been known in desperate times to put stamp in one hand and block in the other – then cross my arms and hold my hands in my armpits for a speedy stamp warm-up)…… or rinse both pieces under moderately warm water, then dry with a paper towel. The idea is to loosen up that frozen rubber with some gentle warmth.
2. Your stamps AND their blocks must be perfectly clean.  Grease (including hand lotion), smoke, dust, animal hair, etc. will become a barrier between your stamp and its block.  So don’t grease up your hands right before sitting down to stamp (save the lotion until you’re done), and keep your stamps and blocks away from dust, hair & pet fur.  If a bath seems in order (for your stamps & blocks, silly – not for YOU…….), I prefer to clean my blocks with Dawn dishwashing liquid, then rinse well and polish with a paper towel. And if I suspect grease or other grime on my stamps, I’ll wash *them* in Dawn, too. Just be super gentle. Oh, and do NOT use Stazon cleaner on the acrylic blocks, btw.

Ok, so what if your clean and warm stamps STILL refuse to stick to their clean and warm blocks?  Well, then it’s time to check in on your adhering technique…..

1. The first thing you might try is to breathe some warm damp air onto both the backside of the stamp and the surface of the block.  Kind of like when you adhere a suction cup doo-dad in the shower or something; a little moisture helps.  But still no luck?  Keep reading…..
2. Next, place the label side of the stamp onto the block, lay that on a sturdy table or counter, then stand up, put the heal of your hand (or even both hands) on the center of the stamp and lean your whole upper body weight onto it for 10 – 15 seconds.  Then flip the stamp over (rubber side down; block side up), and lean onto the block for the same length of time.

If you’ve done ALL these steps and suggestions your stamp has probably given in and decided to stick to  its block buddy by now.  But in case it STILL refuses to cooperate it’s time to get really serious.  It’s probably time for surgery.

If you’ve made it this far and your stamp is still being stubborn, odds are pretty good that if you look at it closely from the side you’ll find that the label surface may be concave, rather than flat.  That is, cupped towards the label side and curved away from the rubber side.

(Above) – Arrows show daylight between the label side and block surface.

(Above) – If you lay the stamp upside-down, arrows show outer edges of stamp cupping inwards towards the label side and away from the rubber surface.

And guess what?!?  When there’s significant cupping present, there’s not going to be very much surface CAPABLE of sticking to the block! So it’s time to get out the Exacto knife and take a deep breath…….

On this next picture notice the fine lines I’ve cut in several directions – ONLY through the label, and trying to avoid cutting into the foam.  (There are actually many more surface cuts going in various directions through this particular label than show in the photo.)  I haven’t found that this harms the stamp in any way, but it releases the tension caused by the label – and allows the stamp to relax and flatten out.

And by eliminating the cupping, the now-flat stamp can lay perfectly snug against the block.  Yippee!  Success!

Happy stamp. Happy block.  Happy Stamper!

Try this yourself on a particularly stubborn stamp, and leave a comment if it helped.