03/05/2012 - Rubber Stamp

With all the rubber that I use, I thought I would try my hand at making a rubber stamp. I thought it would be fun to make Zoe her own little name stamp so she could mark her artwork. Can you spot the problem?

Reclaimed Material: bicycle inner tube,wood scrap
Other/New Material: none
Tools: scissors, glue, books


How I did it: I cut out the letters for Zoe's name. I then cut a rubber strip that would fit the wood and letters and glued the strip onto the wood, then glued the letters onto the strip. I put the block under a pile of books so the rubber wouldn't buckle and waited for it to dry.

What I would do differently: Oh, so many things I would do differently. First of all, I had totally spaced that I needed to mirror the letters so they would stamp the right way on paper! Duh. Secondly, I need to figure out a better glue to use. I knew the regular glue I used wasn't the best option and it hardened the rubber. I think a heavy duty rubber cement would work, maybe. The wood scrap I used wasn't very big, but it seems cumbersome, so will use a smaller scrap next time. One last thing is that I will make the letters thicker by gluing rubber strips together then cutting out the shapes. Oh well, you live and you learn.