Some years ago,
Impressart came out with their awesome metal stamp sets and
rocked with their variety of fonts. Until they came along, the choices were very limited and quite frankly, boring. I received their latest release, the upper case Lollipop font metal stamp set for review. The tall and skinny font not only looks fun but was specifically designed to fit on a wide range range of blanks. Jewelry artisans need all the space they can get to squeeze in the words they want!
One big difference with the new stamp set compared to their older ones is the storage case. It is so much larger compared to that of the lower case Jeanie font I received a while ago, (
see my design inspirations in this past review post). The larger case size might be an issue for those with limited space but the redesign was worth it from a functional point as I shall explain.
The general dimensions of the stamps have not changed.
When I tried out the new stamps, the advantages of the new storage unit became very clear. Each stamp now has a specific location in the case. The stamps can be identified not just by the markings on the stamps themselves but also on the case itself.
It's next to impossible to locate the back stamps easily in the old cases. Inevitably, I got the letters mixed up in the Jeanie case simply because I could not be bothered to sort them out properly.
So in the past, I used to dump out all the stamps from the case. Then I laid the chosen ones in order to one side before I started (as shown below). But this was subject to error as the letter stamps might be put down in the wrong order or I would forget to make sure the logo was facing me and the stamped letter got flipped! Common letters like vowels meant a hunt for the right letter from the previous row of stamps. So it really did not speed things up at all.
For the stamped leather bracelet project below, I worked directly from the case, making sure I replaced each stamp correctly. Much better!
Impressart's custom design stamp sets are not cheap - they typically cost $60-$70 but you do get what you pay for. The high quality hardened steel has been plated to a shiny finish which prevents rust. So they do not use oil in the storage case. I've not really used the cheap set I bought a long time ago for this reason - the oil has to be removed before using the stamps. The stamp I am holding below was practically dripping with oil!
The 6 extra design stamps they included also made the stamp set great value for the money.
The StazOn stamping ink I used to test out the font gave me an idea for the funky stamped leather bracelet tutorial using the Lollipop font. It will be out tomorrow.
Disclosure Before You Go: ______________________________
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