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How to Stamp Sheet Metal

Block printing techniques can be used to stamp any desired image onto sheet metal. Carving your own image or design into rubber carving block will make an individual handmade stamp that can be printed as many times as desired on to a range of surfaces. To stamp sheet metal you will need to use a gloss enamel printing ink as this type of ink is specially designed to stick to surfaces that are difficult to adhere to like metal.

Things You'll Need

  • Pen
  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Tracing paper
  • Craft knife
  • Rubber carving block
  • Lino cutters
  • Palette
  • Gloss enamel printing ink
  • Brayer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Draw or print your design onto a sheet of paper. Place a sheet of tracing paper on top of this drawn image. Trace the design onto the sheet of tracing paper using a pencil. Cut a piece of rubber carving block that is slightly larger than your design.

    • 2

      Place the tracing paper on top of the rubber carving block. The drawn-on side of the tracing paper should be facing down onto the top of the carving block. Shade over all the details and lines of your design. This will transfer the outlines of your design onto the surface of the rubber carving block.

    • 3

      Hold the lino cutters so the blade is parallel to the surface of the rubber and it skims across the top. Carve 1/8 of an inch out of all the areas of your design you do not want to print. Use smaller cutters for finer details of your design and larger cutter to remove large areas of the design.

    • 4

      Brush your fingers over the top of the carved surface to remove and unnecessary rubber pieces or dust. This is your stamp. Clean the stamp in water and leave it to dry.

    • 5

      Squeeze a small amount of ink onto the palette. Use the brayer to roll the ink out over the surface of the palette until it forms a thin, even layer with a rough looking texture on both the palette and the roller of the brayer.

    • 6

      Roll the brayer over the carved surface of the stamp. Cover all the areas of the design that you want to print with a layer of ink.

    • 7

      Press the stamp face down onto the sheet metal in the desired location. Roll a clean brayer over the back surface of the stamp. This will apply even pressure over the entire stamp, giving a better print.

    • 8

      Lift the rubber carving off the metal sheet to show your stamped sheet metal.

    • 9

      Repeat steps 6 through 8 for additional prints of the stamp.

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