Introduction: Custom Stamp

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The following information is a single lesson in a larger Tinkercad project. Check out this and more projects on Tinkercad.

Return to Previous Lesson: Make a Trick Die

Lesson Overview:

Now we're going to make a stamp!

Step 1: Background

This lesson is designing your own custom stamp. We will use the example Korean characters “Ko” and “Be” but you can use the same techniques to create any stamp you like. The power is yours!!

The stamp you will be designing can be 3D printed and used on wax seals, ink pads or roller ink.

Instructions

  1. Continue to the next step.

Step 2: Working With Extrusions

Stamps apply ink to paper. Paper is a 2D surface, meaning, like the Workplane, it lacks a dimension of depth...at least as far as writing is concerned.

So when making a stamp, we are, in essence, 3D printing a 2D surface. In fact, the only reason a stamp would be 3D is for a handle.

But how would we make shapes like the characters in the example? It would take a lot of primitive shapes. Is there some other way?

EXTRUSIONS!

An extrusion is a 2D shape given depth. Like a cube is a square with depth and a cylinder is a circle with depth, an extrusion is a drawing with depth.

This means we can make any stamp we want! Let's do it!

Instructions

  1. Continue to the next step.

Step 3: Extrusion Shape Generator

You'll find the Extrusion shape generator in the Tinkercad section of the Shape Generators menu.

Drag one of these to the Workplane. Underneath the Inspector, you'll see a little grid called the Profile. On this grid is where you'll begin defining your new shape by dragging around Vector Points and Control Points.

This is very intuitive, so go ahead and start pulling these points around. I will, however, explain what is going on in the hint, below.

Instructions

  1. Drag out an Extrusion Shape Generator to the Workplane.
  2. Manipulate the Vector Points and the Control Points until you are satisfied with the shape.
  3. Repeat this process with as many Extrusions as you need to make your stamp perfect!
  4. Remember to make your stamp reversed!
  5. Continue to the next step.
  6. Stuck?

HINT:

The Vector Points are the points that are touching the Circle. The Control Points are the points radiating outside of the Vector Points. Dragging the Vector Points moves the point the arc (curved line) that defines the shape travels through. Moving the Control Point changes the direction and size of the arc as it passes through the Vector Point. To change the direction of the arc, change the angle of the line that extends between the Vector Point and the Control Point. Moving the Control Point closer to or further from the Vector Point will change the size of the arc. These tools are the foundation of the graphic design tool known as a Bézier Curve. Bézier Curves have applications in graphic art programs, 3D modeling programs, Mathematics for understanding calculations, and Science for understanding data. Here, they allow you to make any shape you want! If you find that one extrusion isn't quite enough, feel free to use more. You can even use them to make hole shapes!

Step 4: Creating a Stamp Handle

This step we will add the stamp handle so it is easy for anyone to use.

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Instructions

  1. Shrink the stamp so that it fits within a 50mm square, then move it to one corner of the Workplane so we can create a handle.
  2. Drag a half sphere to the workplane and proportionally scale it until it is 30mm in diameter.
  3. Drag a cylinder to the Workplane and scale it so it is 30mm along the Z Axis
  4. Align these two shapes so they are centered on the X and Y axes and aligned to the lower limit on the Z Axis.
  5. Continue to the next step

Step 5: Creating the Stamp

This step you will create the front (bottom) of the stamp for ink pads, wax seals, etc.

Instructions

  1. Drag a pyramid from the shape menu to the Workplane and resize it to roughly the size and shape of your stamp.
  2. Rotate the pyramid so that the flat side is facing up.
  3. Align the pyramid and the cylinder so that they are centered on the X and Y axes and aligned to their upper limit align the Z axis.
  4. Group all of the objects and the handle together.
  5. Continue to the next step.

Step 6: Adding the Stamp

In this step you will move the stamp from your sketch to the stamp you have created. Now it's getting fun!!

Instructions

  1. Copy your stamp, but don't paste it.
  2. Create a new workplane on top of the handle you have created. To do this, drag a workplane from the helpers section on the right to the top of the yellow pyramid.
  3. Paste the stamp and it will appear on the new Workplane.
  4. Align the stamp and the handle along the X and Y axes.
  5. Select all of the objects and group them.
  6. Continue to the next step.

Step 7: Printing Your Stamp

Because the overhangs from the pyramid are less than 45°, this object should print without trouble on most printers. If it does not print well, add support material, in your 3D printer's software, to support the angles during printing.

Instructions

  1. Copy your stamp, but don't paste it.
  2. Create a new workplane on top of the handle you have created. To do this, drag a workplane from the helpers section on the right to the top of the yellow pyramid.
  3. Paste the stamp and it will appear on the new Workplane.
  4. Align the stamp and the handle along the X and Y axes.
  5. Select all of the objects and group them.
  6. Continue to the next step.

In the next lesson you will learn to make a custom zipper pull!

Next Lesson:Backpack Zipper Pull