How to Make Great Rubber Stamps

Making rubber stamps is fun for parents and children.  With a minimum of materials and preparation you can make a wide variety of custom made rubber stamps.  The following directions are an excellent guide on how to make great rubber stamps. 

Materials

Before beginning any custom rubber stamps project, gather together these common materials:

Flat Eraser:  A wide range of sizes are great for making rubber stamps.   Use large single erasers, not pencil erasers.

X-acto Knife:  A crucial tool for making rubber stamps.  It's also very sharp.  Be careful.

Block of Wood:  Wood will hold your custom made rubber stamps in place.  Save money and use scrap wood from around the home.

Pencil and Paper:  Important utensils for making rubber stamps.

Precision is required for making rubber stamps.  Take your time, do it right, and you'll be happy with the results.  Supervise children with these simple instructions.

Patterns

Making rubber stamps starts with a drawing.  Using the pencil and paper, draw the pattern you will use.  It can be a letter, number, or unique design for special craft rubber stamps.  Fill in the pattern with enough pencil lead to leave a shining, powdery coat on the paper.

Image transfer

The next step in making rubber stamps is turning the pencil drawing paper upside down onto the eraser.  Rub the pencil image onto the paper with a popsicle stick.  The extra amount of pencil lead will transfer a mirror image of your drawing to the eraser.

Look sharp

This step in making rubber stamps demands fine attention to detail.

Using the X-acto knife, cut away the eraser from around the image.

The cuts should be angled, not straight up and down.  Making rubber stamps this way will add a measure of sturdiness during pressings.

Remember:  Making rubber stamps means having that mirror image ready to take and transfer ink.  Do not cut into the pencil lead areas.

For making rubber stamps that demand intricate detailing, experiment with a variety of sharp tools such as sewing needles or pins.

The last steps

Try out rubber stamps to see where touch-ups are needed.  Dip in ink, press to paper, and examine the image carefully.  When satisfied, imprint the image on a suitably sized block of wood.  Feel free to trim excess material from your custom made rubber stamps.  Glue the eraser to the bottom of the block, and you are finished!

Making rubber stamps is especially fun for holidays.  Then again, nobody needs a reason for making rubber stamps.  Just gather the materials and let creativity run wild.

More information on rubber stamps