Stampbord Frequently Asked Questions
-What is so special/unique about Stampbord?
-Is Stampbord only for Scenic Stamping?
-Can I cut Stampbord into various sizes?
-What sizes do Stampbord come in and what do you do with them?
-What are Stampbord tools and which ones do I need?
-Does Stampbord come in larger sizes?
-What stamping inks work on Stampbord?
-How do you apply ink to the bords?
-What media besides inks can I use with Stampbord?
-Explain the clay surface.
-Does any medium not work well on Stampbord?
-Do you seal the Stampbord with something to protect it?
-How do you mount Stampbord to cards?
-How do I make pins and magnets?
-Is Stampbord easy to use?
-What bords and tools should I start with?
-What Stampbord items do you carry?
-How can I order Stampbord?
-Do you have an instructional book or video for Stampbord?
-Do you wholesale Stampbord?

What is so special/unique about Stampbord?

The thing that I love about Stampbord is that it's a versatile museum quality art panel that is perfect for rubber stampers and their supplies. I see new fad surfaces in stamping that are unconventional art/craft surfaces that require specialized inks and media to stick to them, but Stampbord is a surface that accepts many different existing supplies beautifully. Stampbord works with dry, water-based, and oil-based pigments. Another great aspect to Stampbord is that its smooth, soft, and white clay surface is dense enough to get crisp, stamped impressions every time and will allow you to do subtractive marks into its surface. This subtractive process is also nice because if you make a mistake you can just sand it off and start over again providing some clay coating remains.

Is Stampbord only for Scenic Stamping?

Absolutely not. This dynamic material can be used for any of your stamping, arts and crafts projects/needs.

Can I cut Stampbord into various sizes?

The thickness of the bord is similar to a masonite clipboard. These hard board panels are a high quality and dense material. It isn't recommended that one try and cut the bords with a matte knife or art blade. However, if you have appropriate power tools (e.g. band saw), you could cut the bords into smaller sizes. Just be careful not to chip the clay surface on the edges. Because Stampbord comes in a variety of sizes, one would not need to do much resizing.

What sizes do Stampbord come in, and what do you do with them?

See the individual sizes in our information section for more details, but the gist of the sizing is this:

Stampbord sizes have been configured for card making, for the most part. The 3.5" x 5" size is perfect for stamping compositions that can be mounted on colored paper which fit into standard envelopes.

The 3.5" x 3.5" size is great for card making. They also fit nicely in the 5" x 5" Stampbord Box as a coaster box set. If used as coasters, seal the bords with a polyurethane coating (or the like) to waterproof and protect them.

The Assorted .5 lb bag of Stampbord contains the sizes of 1" x 1", 1" x 2", 2" x 2", and 1.25" x 2.5". This is a fun pack of bords that can be used for embellishments or for the central subject matter of a card. See the minibords section of the Stampbord Gallery for examples and ideas.

The Standard .5 lb bag of Stampbord contains 1.25" x 2.5" bords. This size is perfect for refrigerator magnets, pins, card embellishments, etc. Three of these together make great triptychs. See the minibords section of the Stampbord Gallery for examples.

The 5" x 5" Stampbord Box is a great gift idea and can be combined with the 3.5" x 3.5" bords to become a creative coaster holder.

The 5" x 7" Stampbord Box is another great gift idea. Same as the 5" x 5" but slightly larger.

Does Stampbord come in larger sizes?

It doesn't come in larger sizes under the name of Stampbord, but you can find larger Stampbord pieces under the name of Claybord Smooth from Ampersand Art.

What are Stampbord tools and which ones do I need?

See the individual tools section in our information section for pointers on tools.

Stampbord Tools are designed for adding texture into one's artwork by way of the subtractive process. In other words, you can scratch, sand, and scrape lines, textures and patterns into the bords by selectively removing media that has been applied. Want to highlight a branch? Make something more three dimensional looking? It's simple with Stampbord. Just scratch it right into the soft clay surface of the bords. One need not always scratch into the bords, but this subtractive ability can be a formidable technique in whatever project you might have. Other tools that can be used are hobby knives, razor blades, etching tools, sand paper, steel wool, or electric erasers.

What stamping inks work on Stampbord?

So far, from what I can tell, Stampbord takes them all. Dye-based, pigment, metallic, and chalk pads seem to have no problems with this surface. Pens also work well on Stampbord.

How do you apply ink to the bords?

Traditional stamping application sponges work well. My favorite way of applying ink to Stampbord is using Colorbox Stylus Tools. I like using the white leaf and oval shaped sponge tips . Consider the absorbency factor of clay when applying inks. Clay absorbs very quickly so the chance of getting prominent sponge edge marks is high if one uses too much pressure when applying the ink. Use a lighter touch on Stampbord. Another trick I like to do when using dye-based inks is to apply a layer of Ranger Industries Sea Shell Ink on the bords before applying darker color inks. The Sea Shell inks seem to be thicker and more slippery thus making other inks applied on top of them easier to spread. Other applicators can be simple things such as paper towels and brushes. Another technique that works well on the Stampbord is to brayer inks straight onto the bords. Rainbow pads, such as Big N' Juicy pads by Ranger, look great on the bords and roll onto the clay surface beautifully. But I can go on and on here. The main point of the bords is that you can use just about any technique on them that you want. The bords are just a blank canvas for many techniques traditional to other media such as card stocks.

What media besides inks can I use with Stampbord?

Paints work great on Stampbord. Watercolor, acrylics, oils and oil sticks, airbrush and spraypaints, Aquella Pencils and Crayons, egg tempera, casein, graphite and colored pencils, printing, and encaustic all apply nicely on the surface. I've even used furniture/wood stains on the bord to give an antiqued look to a scene and that worked out well.

Explain the clay surface.

The first thing to state here is that this clay doesn't have anything to do with typical ceramics. Ampersand Art can explain the chemistry of the Stampbord surface better than I can, but in practical stamping terms, this clay is a pure neutral white smooth surface. The surface is something that is as smooth as hot press paper but more absorbent.

Does any medium not work well on Stampbord?

Pigments that need texture to grab on to such as pastels and chalks wouldn't be good for Stampbord unless the surface was sanded beforehand. Stampbord is very smooth so it would be like trying to apply chalks to glass. Ampersand Art has Pastelbord should you wish to have a Stampbord-like panel but for this media.

Do you seal the Stampbord with something to protect it?

For a great glass-like finish, try a Minwax (brand) Polyurethane spray. Apply a really thick coat over your Stampbord pieces, and you'll have a finished art piece that feels like it's been fire glazed. Or you can use a spray fixitive or an acrylic spray such as Krylon (brand) Crystal Clear acrylic spray. I like the way the Stampbord feels with this spray. It not only seals and protects but it seems to saturate the colors even more, making the inks darker and richer. If you don't want to alter the colors, and you like the satin-like finish of the non-sealed bord but you want the protection, just lightly spray your pieces.

How do you mount Stampbord to cards?

You can mount Stampbords to cards with almost anything. Photo stickers work great and are convenient double stick adhesives tabs in the perfect sizes. Double stick tape and glues work but probably not as well as photo stickers. Glue dots work great too. If you want to add little dimension to your cards you can mount and raise your bords with Pop Dots or double stick foam cushion.

How do I make pins and magnets?

Double stick foam pin backings easily stick to Stampbord pieces to make great pins. Thin, adhesive-backed, magnetic stripping can be cut to size with scissors and adhered to the back of the Stampbord to make a nice refrigerator magnet. These items can be found at rubber stamp, arts, and craft stores.

Is Stampbord easy to use?

Yes. Just use it as you would normal cardstock, and utilize the dimensional aspect of it to create projects that might benefit from a raised surface. Play around with the subtractive ability of the bords by adding in texture and highlights to objects. This subtractive process is something that is probably new to most people but is easy to learn and will be a dynamic process in your repertoire. Don't fear this surface. It's the most forgiving surface on the market because you can sand off what you don't like, and use the bords again.

What bords and tools should I start with?

A good choice to start with is either one of the 1/2 lb bags in the assorted or standard sizes and the basic scratch tool.

What Stampbord items do you carry?

We carry all the configurations of Stampbord (bords, 1/2 lb bags, boxes and all tools).

How can I order Stampbord?

You can order online using our virtual shopping cart system, phone (562*695*5065 most of the time M-F 9am-5pm PST), fax, email, or mail orders to Stampscapes. We accept checks, money orders, cashier's checks, credit cards (visa or m/c), or Paypal (orders@stampscapes.com).

Do you have an instructional book or video for Stampbord?

We have the website lessons right now and will be adding more in the future. Lessons can be downloaded or printed out for offline viewing. We're looking into printed instructional options and a video in the future.

Do you wholesale Stampbord?

Yes. We are a distributor for Stampbord and offer it in a limited capacity at dealer pricing for retail storefronts. While we're a distributor for Stampbord, we would encourage storefronts to contact Ampersand Art to order it directly from the manufacturer.