Mounted Rubber Stamps

Rubber Stamping

Rubber stamping, also called stamping, is a craft in which some type of dark ink made of dye or pigment is applied to an image or pattern that has been carved, molded, laser engraved or vulcanized, onto a sheet of rubber. The rubber is often mounted onto a more stable object such as a wood, brick or an acrylic block to produce a more solid instrument. The dark ink coated rubberstamp is then pressed onto any type of medium such that the colored image has now been transferred to the medium. The medium is generally some type of fabric or light weight paper. Other media used are: wood, metal, glass, plastic, rock. High volume batik uses liquid wax instead of dark ink on a metal stamp.

Rubber stamps for business are custom-made, showing an address, a business logo or something similar, or they are bought so you can use right away. They often have movable parts that allow the user to adjust the date or the wording of the stamp. They are still often used to date incoming mail, memos and similar items, as well as to denote special handling of the document. There are about 10-15 large to medium sized businesses in the UK that are producing stamps of all kinds all day every day. Many smaller businesses exist producing just a few daily. Business stamps are generally available from stationers or direct from the manufacturer. Popular stamps include address stamps and one line cheque stamps. Some artists have been using such stamps to decorate pieces of art for special effects or in an ironic way.

As rubber stamping increasingly gains popularity, mostly in the US, it also gains a reputation as an art form. Some participants choose to carve their own rubber stamps, either of old-fashioned gum erasers or eraser-like rubber. Companies like Speedball or MasterCarve even supply carving sets to amateurs wishing to carve their own rubber stamps that include gouge-like instruments. This special rubber is popular due to its ease of use. It can mimic woodcuts, but is rarely used this way. The print from the carved rubber stamp is viewed as work of art on its own, or one or more stamps are used to embellish a work of art with other components.

The print of a larger rubber stamp can be a work of art on its own right, and is often used as such. But it's also possible to use multiple prints from the same or different rubber stamps on a piece of art to create a picture, or combine stamping with other art forms. The use of rubber stamps can be combined with other materials. The image may be embellished by the addition of chalks, dark inks, paints, fibers and a variety of other ephemera and embellishments.

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