Manufacturing of Rubber Stamp ď Ź
Rubber was discovered in the Amazon River Basin in 1736 by the French explorer Charles Marie de la Condamine. Cubes were made of the substance and used for rubbing out lead pencil marks, but the material was unstable—when the temperature rose, the cubes turned to jelly. This difficulty was solved in 1839 by Charles Goodyear. Some years before, Goodyear had begun pondering this problem with rubber, and he was determined to solve it.
Raw Materials ď Ź
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Rubber stamp manufacturers do not produce the elements that make a rubber stamp directly from raw materials. Raw materials include latex rubber, wood for the mounting blocks, adhesive-backed padding that is placed between the rubber and the block, and adhesive-backed labels. All of these items are produced by specialty manufacturers who supply them to rubber stamp makers MD Merchem | Merchem Company Review
Design ď Ź
Designs for rubber art stamps originate at the hands of a variety of artists. Large-scale manufacturers of rubber stamps use original art and hire freelance artists to produce unique designs that are copyrighted by the artist and manufacturer. Some makers use existing artwork produced by name artists whose artwork—in rubber stamp form—is then uniquely available from one manufacturer. Some rubber stamp companies will also produce custom designs
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Usually, this information is provided to fit a template or a specified word or letter limit so that multiple stamps can be produced at once, despite the unique contents. Almost any kind of artwork can be produced in rubber stamp form. Another rubber stamp revolution has been developed by manufacturing large blocks with families of words (like names of flowers) or greetings (such as "Happy Birthday" repeated in a variety of lettering styles); these blocks are used by stampers to make greeting cards, wrapping paper, and other personal products with a theme or message. By giving classes and showing hobbyists clever ways of using these products, manufacturers fuel demands for their creations. MD Merchem | Merchem Company Review
The Manufacturing Process ď Ź
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After a rubber stamp design is selected for manufacture, a drawing of the design is photographed, and multiple copies of the image are transferred to an aluminum plate. The plate is then bathed in acid that eats away the exposed metal so the design is etched or raised above the plate. The engraved plate (a positive image) is placed on a sheet of Bakelite, a registered brand of resins and plastics that can be used to produce finely detailed molds, in the
Quality Control ď Ź
Because so much of the rubber stampmaking process is done by hand, quality control is built into the process. Each laborer sees the work of the previous handler, so substandard stamps can be removed anywhere in the process. Quality is also ensured by using only the finest materials. Manufacturers use 100% Goodyear rubber and maple blocks that are often superior to furniture quality maple. Adhesives used for the adhering material and the indexes are
The Future ď Ź
The future of rubber stamps is both practical and fun. Stamps used by businesses will be required in many kinds of applications until a paperless society is truly achieved. Other practical applications like signature and return address stamps are also not likely to be replaced by computer applications in the near future. As for art stamps and the rubber stamp hobby, this interest appears to be thriving as stampers seek to create individual cards, letters, communications, and