Rubber Stamp Carving Tool

Intro: Rubber Stamp Carving Tool

Creating stamps can be a very rewarding hobby. If I need to just do something with my hands, I will just create a stamp! This instructable is aimed to help you to create your own tool, to create intricate and beautiful stamp designs.

This was inspired by https://www.instructables.com/id/Super-Easy-Custom-Rubber-Stamps/ and https://www.instructables.com/id/Block-Printing-With-Things-You-Can-Find-In-The-Tra/

I urge you to check those instructables first!

STEP 1: Gather Your Materials

Materials:
1x Mechanical Pencil with removable thin aluminum tube
1x Rubber Eraser (You can get them cheap at 99 cents stores. Mine were 5 erasers for $1)

Tools:
1x Needle nose pliers, or similar multi-tool of your choice.

STEP 2: Disassemble Your Pencil

Disassemble your mechanical pencil, to acquire your soon-to-be tool.

These were the steps I had to take for this particular pencil.

1. Unscrew the head of your pencil (Pic. 2).

2. Slide out anything else, such as the gripper (Pic. 3 & 4).

3. Slide out the aluminum tube (Pic. 5 & 6).

4. Reassemble the pencil without the tube, and it still works like a charm (Pic. 7)

STEP 3: Shaping Your Tool

Grab your aluminum tube with your needle nose pliers. Place one end of it in the gap, and squeeze until you can't squeeze anymore. The resulting shape in the end of the tube should be similar to an egg. One tip will be thinner, and one will be wider.

Note the widths.

If you would like to stop here, you can and create your stamps. The thinner end will be for more detailed parts, and the broader end is to remove "meat" chunks. Big chunks of eraser with no intricate details.

You can go one step further, and finely shape your tool.

STEP 4: Finely Shaping Your Tool

This is an extra step, and is optional but recommended.

This is to further enhance the details you can create with your tool.

1. Grab the thinner tip of the the tool horizontally (Pic. 1).

2. Squeeze until desired width is achieved (Pic. 2). Remember, the thinner, the finer lines you can create, and the smaller nooks you can remove in the stamp.

3. Grab the broader end with your pliers. Squeeze this end until your desired width (Pic. 3 & 4).

Picture 5 shows the finished tool. You can create a total of 4 different widths on just one tool!

STEP 5:

Start making stamps!

Here are a few photos of my tools and a few stamps I have created.

Stamps you create will show up as reverse!

Be cautious, this can be a sharp tool so use with caution.

Comments

[darrenhall]

This is a well thought out and handy tool for folks of any age, I can see it producing some excellent results.
My wife needs to make some stamps for finishing off her calligraphy work, this will help a lot.
good instructable, thank you for putting it on line.

DZ

[Uncle Kudzu]

Very clever! Are the tools very sharp, and do they stay sharp?

[Tape-structable]

Luckily, this particular pencil brand has a sort of "bevel" that creates a sharp edge on the inside of the tube. Mine has stayed sharp, but i dont think that the rubber will wear it down too quickly. If you wanted, file or sand paper could possible make the outer edge sharper if needed.

[rimar2000]

Very good idea. I have four litlle granddaughters, they will enjoy this. Here in Argentina exists the "bombilla" for "mate" drinking, you can see them here. Bombilla is like your tool!

[Tape-structable]

Thanks! And be careful, the edges can get sharp. And I agree, it is like the tool!