which solvent should be used for carving rubber stamp after tracing the image on the rubber block?

Question

which solvent should be used for carving rubber stamp after having traced an image on the rubber block

Answer 1

You don't use solvent, you get a cutting knife (forget the name, but the blade is v-shaped for digging out the rubber) and follow along your lines to remove the excess rubber and obtain your design/picture. You need a stamp roller to apply the printing ink evenly and then press onto your paper. Good luck.

Answer 2

It sounds like you re confusing the carving with transferring an image. You can use a solvent to transfer an image onto the rubber before you carve it, but if you re drawn your image onto the rubber, you d use a an exacto knife or a gouge to carve the image. Solvents work well to transfer images that have been created with the kind of toner used in many copiers and laser printers, but not for inkjet images. Inkjet images can be transferred onto the carving medium by reducing the color saturation, then printing on something slick like parchment paper, waxed paper, overhead projector film, etc. The ink beads on the top and is then put onto the rubber, facedown, and gently pressed. Often a solvent ink like Staz On is used to "hold" the image and prevent smearing caused by contact with your hands while carving.

Answer 3

I agree about not understanding what you'd need a "solvent" for, but maybe you can explain more.

For most "carving" of the type it sounds like you mean, you'd just use a carving or gouging tool of some kind (to either cut the lines, or cut away the "background" parts, of an image).

Some people just use an Xacto knife ("craft" knife) with a pointed blade, some like to use gouging tools which have U or V-shaped cutting edges to make the cuts in certain ways.

If you want more info on eraser carving, or linoleum block carving, etc., and the tools you can use, to create "stamps" you can print with, check out some of the info and links on these 2 pages of my website:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/stamping.htm
(... click on the category ERASER CARVING near the bottom of the list...)
http://glassattic.com/polymer/carving.htm
(...click on CARVING TOOLS > by HAND for many that would also be used for erasers, carving sheets, linoleum blocks, etc...)


HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 4

Mike is correct - you can't dissolve one bit without the rest disappearing. I use lino-cutting tools quite successfully.

Answer 5

Sharp knife, I always thought. Solvent?