Solvent ignorance

So here's the birthday book - 41/2" tags, cut on the Cricut, covered and blah. I've used random number stickers and although the birthdates you currently see are mostly in date order, it won't matter to me if I have to add to a tag and 'break' the order. Two reasons for not minding...this will hang above my desk and provide me a monthly overview, the dates are still logged in my diary - I'm just hoping that this will allow me to find myself ready for a birthday, instead of turning the page of my diary to discover that I've got 12 hours to pull something out my, erm, head! The other reason is the papers I've used - for me, redolent of a less organised and speedy era; hand made annotation and additions would have been perfectly acceptable. So they are. Even Mr. Churchill used hand written additional notes to put across his point. There's the famous paper that carries his pen - marked here and there to show his approval or otherwise of the text. In the margin, against something that the great man clearly disagreed with, he'd written 'small round objects'. How polite!

Gosh, how's that for a digression!

Are you familiar with the hoo-ha about not using solvent inks with Copics and Pro-Markers? Because they are solvent inks themselves and if you marry the two, they run. Horribly.

Did you know that this rule also applies to clear (polymer) stamps? That is, you shouldn't use Stazon ink and cleaner on them? I didn't.

I bought a really nice stamp at the show in February at Farnborough and finally decided to use it last week. (I know, but hoarding unused stash isn't part of today's discussion.) It's a lovely clear stamp, made lovelier by the fact that the image is really visible because it's indexed in black ink. I like that on a stamp and am definitely drawn to this type of 'finish' from a manufacturer. I had a brand new Fuchsia pink Stazon inkpad to play with last week too, and couldn't resist. Imagine my horror to find all the black indexing ink came straight off the stamp onto my pristine pink inkpad! I was incredibly put out. Really. Five and half quid ruined in about 10 seconds of tapping! I was offended by the damage and cross too. Fired off an email to the stamp company I was so put out. Usually I'd suck it up, but the inkpad was brand new and five quid and well, you know. I don't think my email was rude, I wasn't demanding compensation, apology or pistols at dawn, I just wanted them to know how put out I was that their packaging didn't carry a 'clean me first' warning. Their response arrived today, pointing out that they only use Versafine and that the packaging says Stazon is for rubber stamps. And this fascinating fact that we shouldn't be using Stazon (and Stazon cleaner of course) on the polymer stamps. Have I had my head in a bucket since the arrival of clear stamps then - I feel really foolish that I didn't know this - did you?

You may be interested to know that the Stazon label says 'appropriate for all surfaces' and the only reference it makes to rubber stamping is 'Use solvent ink cleaner to clean rubber stamps'. No mention of not using them on polymers, no mention of it on my stamp packaging either. You'll be unsurprised to know that I have had to respond further to the stamp company. The words teeny tiny and loophole appear. I know they don't want to promote negatives, but not advising against something is I think, very different from implying a recommendationfor soemthing else. And all I wanted was to be soothed, even if I am ignorant. Still going to use Stazon on the clear stamps too. I'll just take my chances. Ah, rebel rebel!!