Embossing

[DanityDoll]

I am thinking about trying embossing, probably after christmas BUT do I need a heat gun for it? How do you actualy enboss something?

[cw18]

there are 2 types of embossing - one involves pigment ink, embossing powder and a heat gun,

the other involves a light box and brass stencils, or a Fiskars shapeboss

let me know which sort you're looking at and I can try and get some 'idiot guides' together for you. I do both types for card making (but can't personally stand the shapeboss although I do have the small one -- an early 'mistake' purchase!)

[GardenAngel]

You do need a heat gun Vicki - a hairdryer will just blow the powder off without melting it. I'm told you can use a toaster but didn't have much success myself! But you can also use a heatgun for drying things (not your hair! I mean paint and stuff!), melting shrink plastic and other stuff. You stamp using pigment ink (because it dries slower than dye based ink), sprinkle quickly with embossing powder and then heat it. You can also print onto vellum using your computer and emboss that in the same way - brilliant for text! There is also dry embossing with stencils and embossing tools but that's a whole different thing.

Hope this helps!

Kerry x

[lalheg]

Years ago I was too skint to buy a heat gun and successfully heat embossed all of my wedding invites etc over the toaster. I still use it sometimes, particularly when I want an even heat from underneath or doing something without using inks / fluid and want to melt EP

[DanityDoll]

ok i guess i shal be purchasing a heat gun in Janurary as well then!!! think i want to do the heat gun way, seems better!!!

[lalheg]

We posted at the same time!

[DanityDoll]

yup we did!!! I might try the toaster method too - however I also need to get some stamps cause I don't have any!!!

[Helliebabes]

I'm just starting out with both types of embossing.Finding embossing with heat gun a little difficult....but am getting better with practice.Just need more inks n stuff!

Hope all goes well with the search...but i prefer the ink embossing.Although dry embossing is fun,quick and no mess.It's a little boring.

i bought my gun after palcing an ad in the market place.Just asked if anyone was selling a heat gun.I got a great kit....heat gun...4 tubs of embossing powder(xmas colours)..a snowman stamp....and a embossing pen.was great value at £20!!

[cw18]

Have fun...

would also highly recommend an anti-static bag. you rub this over the surface of your card BEFORE stamping the image/text onto it. This way, when you tip/blow off the excess powder you don't have so many stray bits to remove with a dry paintbrush.

Incidentally, I find that if I heat from above I sometimes get little pin-prick bubbles on the surface, but when I heat from behind I don't seem to get the same problem

Two words of caution though...

1) always make sure you've got the correct jar of powder open before tipping the excess back in

2) always make sure all excess is put away and jars sealed BEFORE blowing to get rid of the remaining 'bits'

[Flo]

oh BQD you just have no idea how much fun you are going to have! heat embossing is soooo cool to watch, that and shrink plastic are so much fun to play with.

and HOW have you got this far with no stamps?? not even alphabet stamps? oh my - they take up about half my stash space LOL

[DanityDoll]

i have some REALLY tiny alphabet stamps, i shall probably get some after christmas though!!! oooh it's exciting - i've seen shrink plastic done before and it looked well cool!!!

[lalheg]

Vicky - cheapskate here

use a sock with some talc in it as an anti static bag

stamp with something other than a stamp if you want - prongs of a fork, potato masher, buts of foam.......

use glycerine as an embossing fluid - can't remember how much you have to water it down, but can find out or you can just use it straight - I did for an embossed tongue print (don't ask - and glycerine tastes awful!)

[DanityDoll]

an embossed tongue print??? i have to ask.... why????????????

[Helliebabes]

Now..i call that improvising!!
Well done on the great suggestions.Mind you the glycerine and tongue sounds dodgy!!
Don't forget to let us know about the maesures forthe glycerine...i find that ink and embossing pens don't do it for me.I think i'm just not quick enough!!

As for using stuff other than stamps....the fun could be endless!!

[lalheg]

Nothing awful - I was running a deco swap on the theme of Body Parts - I did my tongue print and got everyone to guess which part of the body I'd stamped with