today's post is a little different...
I had a few questions, so I thought I'd talk about one of my favorite subjects today...
inks!
over the last 2 or 3 weeks, I've gotten some similar questions that I think originated in an on-line class or a discussion board...
***this is important...***
my answers all refer to Ranger's inks...
they are the inks I know & love
& use exclusively...
I don't have other brands,
so I'll be addressing the questions,
based on what I know about Ranger inks...
specifically distress, archival & pigment inks...
the email below pretty much summed up the questions I got...
Can you clarify the use of inks? As a newcomer to the stamping world I'm confused. After reviewing the information, can you confirm that I understand this correctly. This is the summary of information we received.
Dye inks dry, are water based, which when the water evaporates, is why they dry.
Pigment inks are used for embossing because they never dry without being heat embossed.
Distress inks blend. But my question, can they also be used for stamping?
And lastly, what is the preferred storage for inks? Upside down to keep the ink at the top?
***my answer...*** you really can't make a blanket statement to describe dye inks...
both distress inks and archival inks are dye inks... here's the BIG difference...
distress is a dye ink, that is water based...
archival inks are also a dye ink, but they are oil based...
distress inks are specifically designed to work with & be activated by water...
a unique feature is that the distress ink color stays true when water is added...
on the other hand, archival inks are formulated to be permanent & waterproof when dry...
so in the end, the "base" of the dye inks makes a huge difference...
they can either react with water or be waterproof...
both inks can be used for stamping and stenciling as long as you know how they will or won't react & what your desired outcome is...
this also explains why distress and archival inks work so well together...
if you think about a bottle of salad dressing, the oil & water don't mix...they will always separate...
so, if I stencil with archival ink, once it's dry, I know I can add distress over the top of it or mist it with water or perfect pearls mist (any water based product) & my archival image will not smear or bleed...
and it works just the opposite too...
if I'm stamping/stenciling with archival OVER a distress ink background, they won't mix...
the archival image is crisp & clear...
the distress background isn't bothered by the archival ink...
to clean up distress inks, water does the trick...
to remove archival inks from a stencil, since it's an oil based ink, water won't work...
but...
cheapo rubbing alcohol works like a charm & removes the archival ink very easily...
also keep in mind that for techniques using distress ink, you'll use water or water based products...(like perfect pearls mists)...
for techniques using archival inks, rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol is the fluid of choice...
now for the other part of that question...
Dye inks dry, are water based, which is why they dry.
***my answer*** that's not 100% accurate either...
it will depend on the surface the ink is applied to...
and if the DYE ink is distress or archival...
distress is designed to be used on porous surfaces...
surfaces that allow the ink to soak in...
that would be surfaces like cardstock, patterned papers, art parts, magic mat board, chipboard, grungeboard etc...
distress inks will air dry on those surfaces...
however, when they are used on a non porous surface, they will not dry and they will sit on the surface & wipe right off...
so distress inks CAN NOT be used on glass, metal, clearly for art or plastic...
archival inks can be used on the same porous surfaces as distress, but they can also be used on non porous surfaces, but they need to be blasted with the heat tool to dry them...
so, archival inks will work to color resin or metal embellishments, glass, clearly for art & plastics, but they need to be heat set to dry them...
archival inks can also be used over the gold metallic embossing paste and the silver metallic embossing paste to tint it & alter the metallic colors...just use the blending tool right over the dry pastes...magic!
next part of the question...
Pigment inks are used for embossing because they don't dry without being heat embossed.
***my answer*** yes, pigment inks can be used with embossing powders, but so can distress and archival...all 3 work very well...
as for "not drying", that depends...
if I stamp an image with glacier white ink onto a kraft tag, it will take some time, but it will eventually dry...
the drying time will be determined by the amount of ink I add, plus the humidity where you live...
in Arizona, drying will be quicker...
in HUMID Illinois in August...it will take lots longer...
other considerations...
is it a fine line image or a bold stamp that adds lots of the white pigment ink? that also makes a big difference in the drying time...
more ink = more time...
remember that you can always blast it with the heat tool to speed up the drying time of any of the inks...
next question...
What category do archival inks fall into? Those were not mentioned.
again...they are a dye ink, that's oil based...
and another...
Distress inks blend. But my question, can they also be used for stamping?
absolutely...YES! but keep in mind the info I provided above...
they can also be used for stenciling...
and the last question...
***my answer*** it does not matter...
whatever fits your storage system best is fine...
Ranger's ink pads are saturated with ink...so...
right side up is ok
upside down is ok too...
on the side...sure!
since we're talking about storage...
Ranger has awesome FREE printable labels...they are perfectly sized for your products...
it makes organizing a snap...
I hope I've clarified the basic "scoop" about DYE inks...
now if you stuck with me this far...
how about a GIVEAWAY?
I have a
and the new borders stencil
to share...
just leave a comment...
or if you prefer...
feel free to ask a question...
simple...
Rick will draw the winner
Monday morning...
I'm off to unpack & organize
a TON of class supplies...
it's super fun stuff we will need to...
make art!
wendy
ps...
is really fun to stamp several times & layer...
I like to stamp it on clearly for art that I covered with newsprint...
using my MOST fav...
paper adhesive in the WORLD...
then plant the marigold
in a mat mini flower pot...
