RUBBER STAMPS, DIE SINKING, BURNING BRANDS AND STENCILS
Rubber Stamps
A _rubber stamp_ is type matter molded in rubber which is then mounted
on a block with a handle as shown in Fig. 77. When the stamp is inked
and then pressed on a smooth surface it leaves an impression on it.
Rubber stamps are useful for marking tags, books, boxes, bundles, etc.,
but it is very bad taste to use them for letter-heads and envelopes.
=How to Make Rubber Stamps.=--_The Materials Needed._--To make rubber
stamps you will need (1) one or more fonts of type; (2) a composing
stick if you intend setting up more than one line; (3) a frame called
a chase, 4 × 5 inches on the sides made of a strip of wood 1 inch wide
and 1³⁄₁₆ inch high, which is the height of type from its feet to its
shoulder; (4) another frame, called the _matrix frame_, made of a strip
of wood 1 inch wide, ³⁄₈ inch thick and 4 × 5 inches on the sides.
These two frames are shown at A and B in Fig. 74. (5) Two smooth boards
1 inch thick, 6 inches wide and 7 inches long; (6) a tooth-brush; (7)
a couple of pounds of _dental plaster of Paris_, and (8) a ¹⁄₄ pound of
_pure unvulcanized rubber_.
Dental plaster is finer than the ordinary kind and you can buy all
you will need from your family dentist for 5 or 10 cents a pound.
Unvulcanized rubber for rubber stamps comes in sheets about ³⁄₁₆ inch
thick and is sold under the name of _signature stamp gum_ and you can
buy it for about $1.00 a pound.[72]
[72] You can buy signature stamp gum of The Goodyear Tire and Rubber
Company, 10 Central Park West, New York City. In ordering of this
firm ask for No. 4093, ³⁄₁₆ inch thick.
[Illustration: FIG. 74. THE MATRIX FRAME, CHASE AND BOARDS FOR MAKING
RUBBER STAMPS]
Unvulcanized rubber is crude india-rubber mixed with sulphur and when
this is heated it gets very soft and can be molded by putting it under
pressure; when it gets cold it is not only much stronger than before
but it is very elastic as well.
=Making the Mold.=--Since you know how to make pewter castings and how
to set type, making a rubber stamp will be as easy as rolling off a log.
When you have the type set up that you want to make the rubber stamp
of, put a _lead_[73] on each side of it, oil it all over with sweet
oil and tie a string around it tight. Lay the thick, shoulder high
wood frame over the type matter you have set and see that it is in the
middle of it.
[73] See the preceding chapter on printing.
Next mix up a little more than enough plaster with cold water in a bowl
to fill the frame; stir it with a tablespoon and make it about as thick
as sorghum molasses. Pour the plaster all around the type in the frame
and fill up the space between them as high as the face of the type.
Now let the plaster _set_,[74] that is, get hard, which it will do in
a very few minutes. When it is hard enough to hold the type in place
and yet before it gets solid take the tooth-brush, dip it in water and
brush away the plaster until it is exactly even with the frame, and
hence, even with the shoulders of the type as shown in Fig. 75.
[74] When _calcium sulphate_ is heated it loses its water of
crystallization and forms a powder, which we call plaster of Paris;
the plaster has the power of taking up water and forming a solid
substance, and this process is called _setting_.
When the plaster has set hard oil the face of the type and the plaster
with sweet oil; now lay the thin frame over the thick frame; mix up
some more plaster with water and make it thin enough so that it will
flow easily into every little space of the type and fill the frame up
with it.
Let this frame stay on the lower frame over night so that it will get
very hard and you can then lift it off, when a very sharp impression
of the type faces will be formed in it shoulder deep, that is as deep
in the plaster as the face of the type is high. This frame with its
plaster impression is called the _matrix_.
[Illustration: FIG. 75D. THE TYPE IN THE CHASE. E. PLASTER OF PARIS
IMPRESSION IN THE MATRIX FRAME]
=Vulcanizing the Rubber.=--Cut a piece of the unvulcanized gum rubber
¹⁄₄ inch wider and longer all round than the impression of the type;
peel the strip of muslin from the strip of rubber gum and lay it on the
matrix. Put one of the boards on top of the rubber and the other on the
bottom of the matrix and screw them together tight with the iron clamps
as shown in Fig. 76.
Half fill a kettle with water; lay the mold on top of the kettle--but
not in the water--and put both of them in a hot oven for 30 minutes.
When the rubber gum gets hot it softens and the pressure of the screws
forces it into the letters of the matrix and so makes rubber type of
them. The steam from the kettle will keep the wood from charring and
the rubber from burning but has no other action on it.
[Illustration: FIG. 76. THE MATRIX WITH THE RUBBER GUM IN PLACE READY
TO VULCANIZE]
The heat _vulcanizes_[75] the rubber gum and makes it springy and
stretchy, but if it gets too hot it will become hard and you will
have _hard rubber_ instead. To get just the right degree of heat a
_vulcanizer_,[76] which is simply a little boiler with a thermometer on
top, is used by rubber stamp makers.
[75] Vulcanizing is the process of heating raw India rubber with
sulphur; the sulphur combines with the rubber to form a new compound.
If a large amount of sulphur is used and great heat is used _hard
rubber_, or _vulcanite_, or _ebonite_ is formed. If a small amount of
sulphur and a low heat are used the elastic rubber that is so common
is formed.
[76] The S. S. White Dental Mfg. Co., 5 Union Square, New York, sells
them, and unvulcanized rubber as well.
=Mounting the Rubber.=--All that you need to do now is to trim off
the edges of the rubber stamp with a pair of shears and mount it on a
smooth block of wood having a handle as shown in Fig. 77.
[Illustration: FIG. 77. THE RUBBER STAMP READY TO USE]
=How to Use a Rubber Stamp.=--A special kind of ink is used for rubber
stamps, as writing ink is too thin and printing ink spoils the rubber.
_To Make an Ink Pad._--Cut out two blocks of pine wood each of which is
¹⁄₄ inch thick, 2 inches wide and 3 inches long; cut out four strips of
woolen cloth 2 × 3 inches, lay two of the strips on each block and then
cover the latter by gluing a piece of muslin over it.
Pour a dozen or 15 drops of _rubber stamp ink_ on each pad and rub the
surfaces of both of them together to distribute the ink evenly. When
not in use keep their inked surfaces together and in a box so that the
dust will not get on them.[77]
[77] You can buy a good rubber stamp pad for a quarter. Rubber
stamps, pads, and ink can be bought of the Everson and Reed Co., 88
Chambers St., N. Y. C.
=To Make Rubber Stamp Inks.=--_A Black Ink._--Mix 3 parts of
_lampblack_ with 7 parts of _olive oil_.
_A Red Ink._--Mix 2 parts of _vermilion_ with 3 parts of _olive oil_.
_A Blue Ink._--Mix 3 parts of _aniline blue_ and 6 parts of _oleic
acid_ with 94 parts of _castor oil_.
_A Green Ink._--Mix 25 parts of _aniline blue_, 15 parts _aniline lemon
yellow_, 50 parts _oleic acid_ and _castor oil_ 950 parts.
=How to Make a Copygraph Pad.=--A _copygraph pad_, or _hectograph_,
as it is often called--from the Greek _hekaton_ which means 100, and
_graph_ to write, hence to write a hundred--is a gelatine pad for
duplicating a letter or a drawing.
To use a copygraph pad you must write your original letter with an
_aniline_ ink; then you lay it on the pad and rub it down with your
fingers. When you remove the sheet an impression will be left on the
face of the pad and if now you lay a sheet of clean paper on the pad,
rub it and _pull_ it off you will have a copy almost as bright and
clear as the original. In this way as many as 50 or 100 copies of the
original letter can be made.
To make a copygraph pad put 1 ounce of the best gelatine in enough
water to cover it and let it stand for 24 hours. Put a tablespoonful
of table salt into a cup of water, pour it into the outside can of a
_water jacketed_ pot. Put 6 ounces of glycerine in the inside pot, set
the pot on the stove and heat it good and hot, or to be exact, to about
200 degrees _Fahrenheit_.
Drain off all the water from the gelatine and put the latter in the
glycerine while it is yet on the fire; stir the mixture slowly every
once in a while in order to prevent bubbles from forming, and skim off
the froth that forms on top of it. When you have a nice smooth mixture
stir in a teaspoonful of oil of cloves to keep it sweet.
Next make a pan of sheet zinc a little larger than the letter you want
to copy and ¹⁄₂ an inch high, or you can use a tin pie pan if you
merely want to try it out. Set the pan on a level table, fill it with
the hot mixture, let it stand over night and it is ready to use.
=How to Copy a Letter.=--You must write your letter with a special
aniline ink, called _hectograph ink_, and use a new steel pen to do it
with.
While the writing is getting dry take a small clean sponge, wet it with
cold water, squeeze it as dry as you can, wash the face of the gelatine
with it before you try to make an impression or else you will spoil the
pad.
This done, lay the sheet of paper with the written side down on the pad
and gently rub your fingers over every part of it. Let the paper stay
on the pad for a couple of minutes, then grip a corner of it and pull
it slowly and evenly from the pad as shown in Fig. 78. Now you are
ready to make your copies.
To do this lay a clean sheet of paper on the pad, rub it as you did the
original, let it remain for a minute and pull it off. Keep on making
copies until you have as many as you want or the impression gets too
faint.
[Illustration: FIG. 78. PULLING AN IMPRESSION FROM THE COPYGRAPH]
When you get through pulling copies wash the face of the pad with a
moist sponge and let it dry thoroughly before you make a new copy.
=How to Make Hectograph Inks.=--_Black Ink._--Mix 10 parts of _methyl
violet_; 20 parts of _nigrosene_; 30 parts of _glycerine_; 5 parts of
_gum arabic_ and 60 parts of alcohol. Heat it until the anilines are
dissolved and stir until all are thoroughly mixed.
_Red Ink._--Mix 10 parts of _fuchsin_, 10 parts of alcohol; 10 parts of
glycerine and 50 parts of water. Heat and stir as before.
Die Sinking
=How to Make Badges, etc.=--It is fascinating work to sink a name into
a piece of sheet metal with steel dies and yet it is very easy if you
have the tools and you can make some money out of it too, for every boy
wants a badge or a medal.
[Illustration:
_SHEET OF GERMAN SILVER OR BRASS WITH SHIELD MARKED ON IT_
_THE SHIELD CUT OUT_
FIG. 79A, B. FIRST STEPS IN MAKING A BADGE]
Badges can be made of any kind of sheet metal ¹⁄₆₄ inch thick or more
but _German silver_[78] makes mighty pretty ones for it takes a high
polish and remains bright a long time. To cut out a shield, a star or
any kind of a badge get a ¹⁄₄ and a ¹⁄₂ inch straight cold chisel and
a ¹⁄₄ and a ¹⁄₂ inch curved cold chisel,[79] also a block of hard wood
one side of which must be nice and smooth.[80]
[78] You can buy German silver in any quantity and thickness of
Patterson Bros., Park Row, N. Y.
[79] The P. F. Smith Co., 325 West 42nd St., N. Y. C, make these
chisels.
[80] You can make it so by scraping it with a piece of glass.
Draw the outline of the badge you intend to make on a sheet of metal;
lay the latter on the block of wood and then cut it out with your
chisels and hammer as shown at A and B in Fig. 79. When you have it cut
out, file off the rough edges.
=How to Sink the Letters.=--For this part of the work you will need a
set of ¹⁄₈ inch _steel letters_[81] as shown in Fig. 80 and they will
cost in the neighborhood of $3.00.
[81] Can be had of Hammacher, Schlemmer and Co., Fourth Ave. and 13th
Street, New York.
[Illustration: FIG. 79C. THE BADGE ON A FLAT-IRON IN A VISE. D. SINKING
IN THE LETTERS]
Mark the lines on the badge on which the letters are to be sunk with a
very soft lead pencil, or, better, wax the surface all over by tapping
it with your finger on which you have rubbed some white wax and then
mark the lines with a sharp pointed piece of bone. Otherwise you will
have trouble in getting the lines out.
Now lay the badge on a perfectly smooth piece of iron--a flat-iron
screwed in a vise, see C, is good. Then take the middle letter of the
name you are going to stamp and hold it with the notched side toward
you and with the _serifs_[82] on the lower edge of the letter exactly
on the middle of the line you have drawn as shown at D.
[82] See Chapter VII, on Printing.
[Illustration: FIG. 80. STEEL LETTERS AND FIGURES FOR DIE SINKING]
Hold the steel letter perfectly straight and give it a goodly blow
with the hammer when the die will sink into the metal and leave the
impression of the letter below the surface. Finish stamping the name by
working both ways from the middle letter, for this is the way to get
the name on the badge evenly.
With a set of steel letters and figures you can also stamp key checks,
jewelers’ checks, baggage checks and name plates and also sink names
on wood, metal, leather, etc.
=Finishing Up the Badge.=--The next thing to do is to solder a pin on
the back of the badge as shown at E in Fig. 79. Scrape the back up and
down the middle bright and clean; put a small safety pin on the badge
and hold them together with a pair of tweezers. Then put on a couple of
drops of _soldering fluid_.[83]
[83] See page 31.
[Illustration:
THE BACK WITH PIN SOLDERED ON
READY TO WEAR
FIG. 79E, F. LAST STEPS IN MAKING A BADGE]
Hold the badge with the pin on top of it in the flame of your alcohol
lamp or Bunsen burner and when the soldering fluid begins to sizzle
touch the pin with a piece of wire solder. When the solder runs let it
cool and the pin will be on securely enough for all ordinary purposes.
Next polish up the badge by rubbing it with powdered _rottenstone_
mixed with a little machine oil and then finish it off with some
_crocus_. If you have a lathe of any kind get a _felt wheel_[84] and
use the rottenstone and oil on it and then the crocus.
[84] F. W. Gesswein Co., Inc., 16 John St., sells engravers’,
opticians’, platers’ and polishers’ supplies.
Heat the stamped surface of the pin just a little and put some _black
enamel_, which you can get at the hardware store, into the letters; rub
off all that sticks to the surface but leave all that is in the sunk
letters. Put it away and let the enamel dry thoroughly when you will
have a regular badge as shown at F.
Burning Brands
A burning brand is useful to mark the handles of tools, boxes or
anything made of wood by burning a name or a design into them.
=How to Make a Burning Brand.=--To make a burning brand, say with your
initials on it, make a cardboard box ³⁄₄ inch wide, 1 inch high and 3
inches long and without a top.
Mix up some plaster of Paris, fill the box with it and let it set. When
it is perfectly hard and dry tear the cardboard box away from it, and
on the narrow side of it, that is the one that is ³⁄₄ inch wide, mark
out your initials, reversing the letters just as they are on type.
Take a sharp pocket knife and cut away the plaster from around the
letters to a depth of ³⁄₈ inch, thus leaving the letters standing out
in relief like type letters as shown at A in Fig. 81. Give it a couple
of coats of _shellac varnish_[85] which not only protects the plaster
to a certain extent but prevents it from sticking to the mold.
[85] You can make this varnish by dissolving yellow gum shellac in
alcohol or you can buy it at a paint store.
[Illustration:
_A PLASTER OF PARIS PATTERN FOR A BURNING BRAND_
_THE BURNING BRAND COMPLETE_
FIG. 81. A BURNING BRAND OF IRON OR COPPER]
Now take this pattern to a brass foundry and have a brass casting made
of it. When you get it file it up nice and smooth and be careful to
keep the surface of the letters perfectly flat. This done, drill a ³⁄₁₆
inch hole in the center of the back of the brand to a depth of ¹⁄₂ an
inch and thread it with a ³⁄₁₆ inch tap.
The next and last thing to do is to get an iron rod ¹⁄₄ inch in
diameter, and 12 inches long, bend a ring on one end, thread the other
end with a ³⁄₁₆ inch die and screw it into the brand, when it will look
like B.
_How to Use the Burning Brand._--To use the burning brand put it in a
fire and when it is about red hot, take it out and press it firmly on
the wood you want to mark and your initials will be left on the wood
as long as the wood lasts, nearly.
Stencils
A stencil is a piece of heavy paper or thin sheet of metal in which
letters or a design are cut through with broken lines, and it is used
for marking the letters or design on any smooth surface by daubing a
color on it through the open spaces with a brush or sponge.
There are two kinds of stencils, namely (1) those used for practical
work and (2) those used for decorative purposes.
=How to Cut Stencils.=--You can cut your stencils in either (a) _oil
board_,[86] or (b) in thin _sheet brass_ or _copper_. _Paper stencils_,
as those cut in oil board are called, are much easier to make than
those cut in sheet metal and as they are quite durable they will
probably serve your every need.
[86] Oil board can be bought of C. B. Hewitt and Bros., 48 Beekman
St., New York.
_Cutting Paper Stencils._--All you need to cut paper stencils with is
a sheet of oil board and a pen-knife with a good, sharp-pointed blade.
A stencil alphabet is shown at A in Fig. 82 and by taking a look at it
you will see exactly where the lines must be broken to hold the letters
together.
First mark out with a pencil the size of the sheet you want the stencil
to be and then draw a line down through the middle to divide it into
equal parts. For every line of letters you want draw a pair of lines
across the oil board and have the space between them whatever you want
the height of the letters to be.
When you mark in the name or word start with the middle letter and
draw it on the middle line of the board and then draw in the rest of
the letters to the right and to the left; by lettering the oil board
or metal this way you will get the whole name or word exactly in the
middle of the sheet.
[Illustration: FIG. 82. STENCIL LETTERS AND STENCILS
A. How stencil letters are cut.
B. A stencil for marking boxes.
C. Decorative stencil for wall borders.]
To cut the stencil lay it on a smooth board and hold your knife just as
you do a pen when you write but with your fingers a little closer to
the point. Start at the top of each line if it is a vertical one, or
on the left hand side if it is horizontal; hold the knife at a slight
angle so that all the lines you cut will slant in toward the center of
the letter and so bevel the paper. In cutting the stencil you can turn
the sheet around to bring the lines into the best position for cutting.
It does not take much pressure to cut through the board but press down
hard enough on the blade to make the first cut go clear through and
never cut over the same line twice and also make the cuts run right up
sharp into the corners. It takes very small skill to cut stencils but
the chief part of the art lies in drawing the letters or the designs on
the paper or metal.
_Cutting Brass Stencils._--To cut sheet metal stencils use
_annealed_[87] sheet metal about No. 25 _Brown and Sharpe gauge_;[88]
mark out the letters or design as for paper stencils and then cut them
with _stencil chisels_. When you have the stencil all cut file the
_burr_ off of the edges of the letters or design with a fine file and
file them at an angle so that all the edges are sharp. A practical
stencil is shown at B.
[87] Patterson Bros., Park Row, New York, carry sheet brass and
copper in stock for stencils.
[88] The Brown and Sharpe Wire Gage is also used for measuring the
thickness of sheet metal.
_How to Use Practical Stencils._--A short, stubby brush, called a
_stencil brush_ and made especially for the purpose is the best kind
to use to stencil with. Dampen it a little and rub it on a cake of
_stencil ink_;[89] hold the stencil down tight to the surface you are
to mark and then _dab_--not paint--the spaces in it with the brush.
[89] Nearly every stationery store carries stencil ink and brushes
in stock, or you can get them of Hammacher, Schlemmer and Co., Cor.
Fourth Ave. and 13th Street, N. Y. C.
_How to Make Stencil Inks._--Dissolve 4 ounces of shellac and 1 part of
borax in a little boiling water and put in enough logwood to make it
red if this is the color you want it, or blue carmine if you want it to
be blue. Then add enough hot water to make it about as thick as cream.
=How to Use Decorative Stencils.=--Art stencils can be used with good
effect for certain kinds of decorative work, but it is especially
adapted for putting borders on kalsomined walls. You can cut these
stencils, see C in Fig. 82, after your own design or you can buy them
already cut.[90]
[90] Write to the Frost and Adams Co., Cornhill, Boston, Mass., for
a catalogue of their _Art Cut Stencils_. Also to Sears, Roebuck and
Co., Chicago, Ills., for a list of their decorative stencils.
_Mixing Colors for Stenciling Borders._--To make the colors for
decorative stencils stir a very little _moresco stenciling color_[91]
with some hot water; be careful not to use too much color or the effect
on the kalsomined or frescoed wall will be too contrasting. Beautiful
colors in half-a-dozen tints can be had for this work.
[91] Made by Benjamin H. Moore and Son’s Co., 180 William St., N. Y.,
and sold by paint dealers generally.