soap stamps add character and a professional look

some months ago i bought a couple stamps on a whim-something to play with-and boy was i suprised what a nice "finished" and professional look this gave to my soap and samples! i got a lot of great feedback from old customers, but i got a much more positive reaction from new customers.

in every purse i own i have samples of my stamped soaps. i use a ziploc bag and print a label including ingredients, a brief outline of the time and effort it takes to make the soap, and my name and phone number.

when i "tip" my waitress or stylist, etc, i also leave a sample. i give them out to anyone who does me a favor or kindness, and chances are, if we are standing in line long enough, i will give you a sample.

they make a great simple office gift-maybe placed in a pretty tea or coffee cup to welcome a new co-worker. i leave samples for my new post lady, because she does such a good job, and the list goes on and on!

my 2 top favorites are the heart (obviously!) and the frog which is darling! i find that i'm getting quite a collection. i also have the dragon, cat, nubian style goat and hand made stamps.

this is a easy, simple and inexpensive way to add character and polish to your soaps.

i get mine from www.suppliesbystar.com

she has great prices and 49 different stamps.

oh, i should mention, i do rtcp, so i don't know if this works with m/p. maybe you m/p's could comment?

i have also seen mention using scrapbooking stamps and micas? i'd like to hear more about that! how do you keep that from smearing?

it would be nice if we could keep this thread alive for decorating c/p and m/p soap tips!

happy soaping!

I started stamping my soaps long ago. I use the thistle stamp or the rose, but whenever I get a logo designed, I'll have a custom stamp made with my logo.

Stamping does add class to your soap. When in full production, doing back-to-back soaping, & doing different recipes, I found it hard to keep up with the stamping, though. It has to be done at just the right time, or the soap sticks to the stamp, or if you wait too long, it just won't stamp. At one point, I just had too many soaps curing & in too many stages of cure to get them all stamped.

stamps

LOL! make some chocolate chip cookies or muffins, and you'd be suprised how many volunteers show up!

i have found that for me i get the rbest esults when the soap is 2-3 weeks old or more.

i rub a little mineral oil on the stamp and my "handy-man" epoxied a thick metal washer with a tiny hole ontop of my stamp. i use a medium weight household hammer, a couple firm taps and voila!

i also find you need a sturdy surface to pound on. i dont suggest a light or flimsy table. i place my soap on a smooth marble slab (about 8 x 8") on top of my counter. this eliminates any "jump" when tapping.

You can also use a clamp to apply steady pressure to the stamp.

Great ideas guys. Thanks for help!

Soapmaker Man said:

You can also use a clamp to apply steady pressure to the stamp.

Click to expand...

how does one clamp a stamp to a bar of soap exactly?

Carol, I can take a picture for ya if you want to see that it works well. You simply place the soap on the table edge, preferably on a board. I like to use plastic craft table. Place the stamp on top of the soap. Put the clamp on the table to the top of the stamp. Screw the clamp down or however the clamp closes. Apply enough pressure to the stamp to leave a impression, not going to deep. This is especially a good method for harder more cured soap. It takes me about 5 seconds to do this process to a bar of soap. I could have stamped 10 bars while explaining this method. It also assures even pressure on the stamp, while a hammer might get off centered and the impression not evenly disposed.

Paul

post a pic please - it's not coming to me!

carebear said:

post a pic please - it's not coming to me!

Click to expand...

OK, I need to take one first. I'll do that tomorrow.

Paul :wink:

I do stamps on my MP soap but it's done in the mold - I don't use soap stamps, just any rubber stamp I like. Pull the rubber stamp, along with it's foam cushion, off of the wood/plastic base. Remove the foam from the stamp itself, and adhere the stamp to the bottom of the mold with a dot of melted base. Pour, cool, unmold, and pull/trim the stamp away from the finished soap (it will pull out of the mold with the soap..

http://img516.imageshack.us/my.php?image=soaps4rd6.jpg

http://img516.imageshack.us/my.php?image=soaps3lt5.jpg

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that is way cool! i have a bunch of scrapbooking stamps i could use! i've just got to find time to do some r & d with some m/p when things quiet down after the 1st of the year.

What a great idea!

x

(bump for the newbies!)

I have written my name on soap with a pottery tool , just for fun to see what it looked like.I also tried it on the bottom of the soap , just as a reminder to the buyer , for a little while , where it came from. Kinda like it.

Kitn

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Thanks so much for letting me know about this thread Bombus!

Thanks for all the info here, contributors!

You can also try making your own stamps with polymer clay. There is a great tut here.

http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/claystamps.html

I've started using rubber crafting stamps on CP soap too - brushed gently with mica and pressed lightly into freshly cut slices

Those are really cute! I ordered a couple my self to test out.. eventually I want to get my logo made so I can STAMP the poo outta my soap lol

hi.. when is the best time to stamp? i will be using just an ordinary rubber stamp..