The Nail Stamping Thread

[Beadshopgirl]

I thought it would be fun to have a thread dedicated to nail stamping. Are you a veteran stamper, or just wanting to get started? Let's share our love of stamped manicures! Post your stamping plate collections, your stamping successes and failures, and favourite polishes to stamp with. 

[Beadshopgirl]

@Anonymous China Glaze has a wide range of colours and is not expensive. 

[Anonymous]

@Beadshopgirl  I need HELP! I'm too embarrassed to write to Debbie again so I'm hoping you'll be kind enough to tell me what I'm doing wrong! I feel like a total failure. The first person in the entire world who can't do nail stamping!!

I got the Big Bling, Konad black and white, and lots of other stuff including pure acetone! My first attempts, the Jelly would not pick up the polish from the plate. NONE. I tried the Konad and some Essie, nothing. Debbie told me to wash the Jelly with soap and water and if that didn't work, prime it with pure acetone. Soap and water made no difference, so today I tried with the acetone.

I cleaned the surface of the Jelly with acetone on a cotton ball, it still wouldn't pick up. Then I started looking at the plate, I cleaned that with acetone. Then I spilled acetone all over the plate and the top of the Big Bling (the Jelly). I finally picked up a tiny flower that I wasn't trying to get, somehow it came up near the edge of the Jelly. I put it on my little finger but it flaked off pretty quick.

I've tried cleaning the plate with the Zoya remover, now I seem to get partial pick-ups. I started wondering about the polish, I thought the Konad was bad. I shook it some more, no change. I put it on the plate, scraped it, and tried to pick up the image with my finger. It wouldn't even stick to my finger, it was already dry! So I tried going faster...sometimes I got part of the image.

I tried thinner polishes - Essie and China Glaze. No joy. I went back to the Konad and tried a different plate. I kept getting partial images, if I got anything. What's happening is that the scraper is taking off the polish in the middle of the image, or half the image, or whatever. I'm holding the scraper at an acute angle to the plate, maybe 20 degrees. I also notice that the edge of the scraper isn't smooth at all, in fact it's very rough. Like micro-serrated.

Can you take a guess or two at what's wrong? I think the scraper is seriously wrong and I should find something with a smooth edge. But can you tell me what I should clean the Jelly with? What to clean the plates with? (I have 4 small plates from CJS) I've done pure acetone and I've done Zoya ... but I'm sure doing something wrong!

Can you please give me some suggestions?

Edited to add @PhysicalChemist and @RGbrown .

[PhysicalChemist]

I would suggest using an old gift card as a scraper, scrape on a 45 degree angle, and as fast as you can, pick up the image with the stamper. You can try painting over the whole image with the polish, then scraping or painting a thick line next to the image and then scrape it over the image. I think the polish you use will determine which way works best because sometimes painting over the image and scraping dries it a little. I would use acetone to clean plate (pure, not Zoya because they add something to it; it smells like lavender) and use a lint roller to clean off the stamper. I had a hard time at first with the clear ones, but after a while you will get the hang of it. 😊

[Anonymous]

@PhysicalChemist 

I really hope I get better at this! I was in tears today. Honestly, nail stamping made me cry!!

All the videos made it look so simple! None of them mentioned all these little tricks.

I tried the card from the Sephora Play! box, that didn't work. A credit card didn't work. Then I sent the picture of the edge of my scraper and found out that it had to be sanded smooth - and that thing is thick and it's made out of really hard plastic. I only did one edge, first I used a Dremel with a metal grinding tip, then I smoothed the sides with an emery board, first the coarse side, then the fine side.

Maybe I'm just too slow for the Konad polish? At one point, I was so frustrated I put the Konad polish on the plate, swiped it quickly with the scraper, and pressed the image with my finger. No polish came off onto my finger! I don't get it, it seemed like the polish left after scraping was so thin that it dried in a heartbeat. Is that possible? But once I got an edge smoothed, I did get a couple images to work...so maybe it is all a scraper problem.

[PhysicalChemist]

I use the scrapers from MoYou London. I bought them in a pack of 6. They are like me a mini credit card, but very hard. If you have a metallic nail polish, try that; they usually stamp good, even though they aren’t stamping polish. But I mainly use MoYou stamping polishes and some regular metallic ones. I never have luck with regular cream nail polishes. Also, if you have the Konad stamper (has a little and big side) you can try that. That is the one I first used. You don’t have to use a clear one, it just helps place the image exactly where you want to on the nail. I have many different stampers, but my all time favorite is the MoYou clear rectangle one. It picks up images nice and is still real squishy.

[Anonymous]

@PhysicalChemist

You wrote that the latex (?) stuff that they make to put around your nails, so you can just peel it off along with the excess polish didn't smell good. When I got back into doing my nails, I think the first thing I saw online was a girl who used Elmer's Glue! I even bought some but haven't tried it yet. She wasn't doing nail stamping, she was just using it to do a perfect manicure without getting any polish on her cuticles. She made it look easy. And I don't think Elmer's Glue smells bad. (I just remembered you wrote about that, I was going to get the stuff but now that I've remembered, maybe I'll try the glue!)

I just got interested in this when @Beadshopgirl started this conversation. I was trying to find my way into nail art, with the brushes and the dotters, but I had doubts that I would be able to do that. I'm not an artistic type (I'm a techy type). So when BSG started this I thought it was something that I'd really enjoy. Then I bought the Big Bling and it was looking like I wasn't going to be able to do this! 

I'm looking at MoYou, how do you ever decide what to get? There's too much and it's all so pretty! But anyway, is there any trick to their clear stamper? I wanted a clear one because I like the individual images that you want to place in the center of a nail and I know I wouldn't be able to do that if I couldn't see through the stamper. I started looking at their "minimalist" plates...someone should stop me!

Edit: Why would you buy 6 scrapers? Do they break or ... ?

[Beadshopgirl]

Hi @Anonymous I was at work, and am just seeing this now. I had good luck prepping my jelly stamper head by very very gently going over it with super fine sandpaper. It gave it just enough texture to make it grab better. I see from your posts below that you seem to have it working better now. Do not use acetone or any polish remover on your clear jelly stamper. It will break down the silicone. 

[Anonymous]

Hi @Beadshopgirl , Debbie (Clear Jelly Stamper) told me to prime it with acetone and to do that every now and then! I'm paraphrasing the instructions she sent: if it doesn't work, first try washing it with soap and water. If it still doesn't work, prime it with nail polish remover or pure acetone. Use acetone ONLY to prime because it can cloud the Jelly. Never use any abrasive on it.

And she says the Jelly works best with the CJS polish.

Then she says to clean the plate and stamper between each design with remover that has acetone in it. And make sure the Jelly isn't too close to your light source, because if it gets too warm it won't pick up. And she has to replace hers after 3-4 months (but she uses it all day).

You see why I had so much trouble? Especially if you read the whole conversation I had with @RGbrown ? My plates are scratched from the scraper.

I'm looking at the Caption Young Nails kits now (the one @RGbrown got, I just love the patterns she did!). It took me all day today to get a little bit to work (after making some attempts when I first got the Big Bling - then I had to wait for the acetone to get here). It looked so easy in the videos! 

How do you clean yours? Mine still doesn't work reliably, I think I'd rather try your method. Do you remember what grit sandpaper you used?

[Beadshopgirl]

@Anonymous I think I used 800 grit sandpaper. I know Debbie says not to use abrasives on her stamping heads, but that's the only way I'm able to get them to pick up.  I just do it the one time, and it's good to go for the rest of its lifetime. Some of Debbie's plates are very shallowly etched. I find I have to use a thinner, more flexible card to scrape with, and to scrape very lightly.  Please don't be discouraged. Know that you are starting with the most finicky of stamping heads, and not the easiest plates for a beginner.  Just keep practicing scraping and picking up the image. Use a lint roller to clean off the stamping head.  Konad stamping polish actually dries much slower than normal polish, so it's good to use while you're practicing your technique. I've never tried any other stamping polish, but I've had excellent results with normal polishes in my collection. It's a matter of testing them out to see what ones show up. 

[Anonymous]

@Beadshopgirl

I don't have any 800 grit, of course, but I have an idea. I do have the Deborah Lippmann Smooth Operator nail buffer. It has four sections, the first is for filing your nails, second and third smooth nails for polish, fourth smooths to go without polish. Do you think the third might be a reasonable substitute for 800 grit? If it doesn't do enough, I could go to second, if I ruin the Jelly, oh well..

[Beadshopgirl]

Good plan @Anonymous. Try out the buffing block. Use a light hand to just glide over the surface of the stamper head; don't press down. 

[Anonymous]

@Beadshopgirl

I swear, this is the FIRST time you haven't said "I tried that, it doesn't work." LOL!! I really, really appreciate all the failures that you've saved me from, but it's funny that I finally had a good idea!

I've found at least six cards, of various thicknesses and flexibility. Some need a little filing, but very little. Nothing is as rough as the CJS one, nor as thick. They range from laminated (very flexible, thinnest) to credit card (but not one of the new thicker, stiffer ones).

I really should do some work but it's Sunday, I'm going to do my nails instead! I hope you and everybody else are having a relaxing day!

[Anonymous]

Thanks @Beadshopgirl !

I should have checked with you before I launched into this today, it would have saved me a lot of grief! I get upset when I fail at something and today was fail-fail-fail !

Debbie seems really nice and I didn't want to tell her that I'd failed yet again. And really, how would I ever know that I'm supposed to file the scraper? She never mentioned that! So I got more upset. LOL!

The 800 grit sanding didn't cloud the surface of the Jelly? I bought a kit that was supposed to have a replacement Jelly but it didn't, so I will be getting another one, I can experiment with this one. It's a wonder I haven't ruined it already, all the stuff I've done to it!

You said "thinner, more flexible card" - where'd you get it or what is it?

Thank you !!

[Beadshopgirl]

I have a collection of old gift cards or expired membership cards, and some of them are thinner than others. I use different ones for different plates. Try to avoid using the images with a large blank area for now while you're just starting out. Those are the hardest images to pick up, because there is a tendency to scrape out too much of the image. 

Technically, you're not supposed to file the stamper, but that's what has worked for me whenever I have a stamper that doesn't want to pick up. Be careful though; I don't want you to wreck your stamper. It didn't cloud my stamper, although it did give it a very slight matte sheen if that makes sense. It hasn't interfered with my using it. 

@Anonymous

[Anonymous]

@Beadshopgirl

I have to look on and in my desk ... I'll probably find some things I can use. I really try to keep the clutter down but there's got to be something. Should look in my wallet, too. How about a business card, would that work? Use once, throw it away? (I think I have 500 business cards somewhere)

I was trying to stick to the large open images because I couldn't get anything to pick up from the little lines! Because my Jelly has a phobia about nail polish! And it doesn't matter if I ruin it because she owes me another one, I bought a kit that was supposed to have two. And what good is it if it doesn't work? I'm at the point where I'm willing to risk ruining it because I can't use it, you know what I mean? Yeah, I understand what you meant about the matte finish, I can live with that! 

I'd sand it lightly, use the lint roller to clean away any debris, test its ability to pick up. If it doesn't pick up, repeat. Right?

[Beadshopgirl]

Yes, exactly @Anonymous. A cardboard business card won't work. I tried that when I first started stamping. Be patient. It's a skill that needs to be practiced. Clear stampers are awesome, but harder for a beginner. You'll get there!

[RGbrown]

@Anonymous

I think I'm too new at this myself to be able to clearly diagnose the problem, but it sounds like maybe a bad plate?

Grab a gift card or even a CC out of your wallet to try as a scraper, maybe that will do better, but if not I'm at a loss as to what else it could be other than the plate. The set that I snagged from Ulta was super easy right out of the box, so I haven't had to diagnose much other than my own user error so far. Zoya remover was all I used for cleaning the plates, and tape for cleaning my stamper. I'm so sorry! 😞

[Anonymous]

@RGbrown  I really appreciate the reply, I'm sitting here trying not to cry! I know it's stupid but I don't like to give up on a failure, you know?

I have four plates. I bought a kit from Clear Jelly Stamper, so I got the Big Bling, Scraper, and four of their small plates. I'm pretty sure the Scraper is bad because I could see that it was taking the polish right out of the images, and it's all uneven. I tried the Sephora Play! card but that's too thin and I tried a credit card but that didn't work well either, too inflexible, I think. But I've never actually seen one so I don't know.

I'll try another day. Today I'll just make a mess! Yours are so gorgeous...and after you thought you wouldn't be able to do it! LOL!!

[RGbrown]

@Anonymous

The scraper that came with my set is just a piece of plastic like a blank cc/gc. Heck if I know what's going on with yours though...I totally understand the frustration! :Hugs: 

I'm a little worried that I just had a stupendous round of beginner's luck and will never be able to do it right again 😋

[Anonymous]

@RGbrown  No, that's not beginner's luck, you just have a real talent for it! I just think it's so funny, you didn't think your hands would be steady enough and you did a stunning job right out of the gate! Maybe you and @Beadshopgirl should get together on making videos! You'd have both perspectives, the beginner and the expert, should make for very good instructional videos.

I took a picture of the edge of my scraper, the CJS lady told me to file it with my nail file. I don't want to ruin my file on it! I wish I could get the picture small enough to post, do you know what the filesize limit is here?

[Anonymous]

Scraper edge@RGbrown - here's the edge of my scraper, does yours look like this?