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By Robert De Rooy Vulcanized Rubber Stamps The traditional red rubber stamp that everybody is familiar with will have been manufactured in a vulcanizing press. The first rubber stamp vulcanizing press was patented in 1890 by Charles Schultze in New Orleans USA. Vulcanizing is today one of the most cost effective methods of making rubber stamps for mass produced stamps. Each batch of stamps is produced using a mould. This method of manufacture is more suited to stamp making where the same moulds are used over and over again. Making custom made stamps with a vulcanizing press requiring ‘once only’ moulds will drive the cost of manufacture up significantly. Making the mould - before a mould can be made you must have a master plate manufactured from metal or polymer, the master plate has the necessary relief (the artwork is raised) to make an impression in the mould. Having a master plate made each time a mould is required is what drives up the cost of manufacture for vulcanized stamps. Pressing the master plate into a Matrix board creates the mould that will accept the rubber. Heat and pressure is applied to the master plate and matrix board inside a Vulcanizing press. The Matrix follows the shape of the relief provided by the master plate, this then hardens on cooling. Making Rubber Stamps - Creating stamps is a simple process once the mould is made. Raw rubber stamp gum is placed on top of the mould and then placed inside the stamp press. Hydraulic pressure is placed upon the rubber and the mould from within the stamp press causing the rubber to melt into the areas of the mould that contain the images and text, curing and hardening takes about 10 minutes. Once cured the sheet of rubber is pulled away from the mould and cut up into individual stamps to be affixed to mounts. Cost of a vulcanizing system is approximately $12,000 AUD Advantages - Low cost of production for mass produced stamps, good ink transfer. Disadvantages - Cost of producing master plates and moulds for custom made stamps. Laser Engraved Rubber Stamps The traditional raw rubber used for vulcanizing stamp dies is quite unacceptable for the production of laser stamp dies, the laser process requires a very even thickness and blemish free surface to produce an acceptable printed image from a stamp die. The rubber must also be subjected to a specific curing process before it can be exposed to the elevated temperature of a laser beam. The depth of the engraving is determined by the laser speed, its wattage and the density of the rubber. For example, a 50 or 100W engraver will engrave the rubber deeper and faster than a 25W machine, which may require a second pass to achieve a similar result. Usually supplied in an A4 size sheet form, a good quality laser rubber is required for engraving stamp dies and must also have suitable compression strength and ink transfer properties. To assist the engraving process, it is necessary to remove the excess dust which is constantly created by the laser cutting action with an efficient exhaust filtration system. As very few, if any, CO2 laser engraving machines were initially purpose built for engraving and cutting rubber, installing and maintaining an effective dust extraction system pays long term dividends. Mirrors, lenses and any exposed bearing surfaces should be cleaned thoroughly as part of a regular maintenance program. Any neglect in this area will be detrimental to overall trouble free laser operation, as the build up of dust and residue will affect running efficiency and the quality of the finished stamp die. Lasers are controlled directly from a computer, the software drivers supplied with lasers work with many graphic programs such as CorelDraw. Approximate cost of a 25 watt Laser suitable for stamp making is $40,000 Advantages - Production is computer controlled, custom made stamps can be made easily Disadvantages - High capital investment, maintenance costs and running will be much higher than vulcanizing or polymer methods of manufacture. Liquid Polymer Rubber Stamps Converting rubber stamp polymer from a liquid into a solid to make stamps is quite fascinating. Polymer stamps are manufactured between two sheets of glass using precision controlled UV light which passes through a negative containing the stamp artwork solidifying the polymer. Negative production has been simplified with the introduction of water based negative technology, photographic chemicals for producing negatives are now a thing of the past. The first step in making polymer rubber stamps is to print your images, clipart or text onto Vellum, an almost transparent paper like film. To produce quality stamp artwork you must use a laser printer, inks from bubble jet printers are translucent allowing UV light to pass where it should not. Water based negatives are easily washed out after being exposed for a few minutes in a UV exposure stamp machine. Polymer contained in a sachet is now replacing the older cumbersome method of using foam tape to create a dam and pouring of rubber stamp polymers, the sachets have also addressed the age old problem of removing air bubbles from the poured polymer. The negative of your artwork and polymer sachet is sandwiched between two sheets of glass spaced 2-3mm apart which is then exposed in the machine for a few minutes. Once you have completed the exposure it is a simple process of cutting open the sachet and washing away the excess unexposed polymer before returning the stamp die back to the machine for a 10 minute curing. Once the stamps are cured they can be cut up individually. Polymer sachets are available in a range of sizes up to A4 size. Processing time is about 30 minutes for a batch of polymer stamps. Cost of polymer stamp making machines range from $3,500 AUD for an Australian made unit designed specifically for stamp making up to high end imported units with computer controlled washout for $15,000 AUD. Advantages - Lower capital investment, polymers make almost clear stamps making them ideal for scrapbooking and card making. Stamp relief can be easily controlled during exposure. Disadvantages - Early polymers did not accept inks as well as polymers available today, this along with being new technology caused initial resistance to polymer stamps. Summary Most large stamp manufacturers have a mix of the above equipment. The unmounted rubber stamp dies produced with any of these manufacturing methods can be cut up and affixed to simple hand stamps, dater stamps or self inking stamps. Craft stamps are usually affixed to wooden blocks or in the case of polymer stamps affixed to clear acrylic blocks with adhesives or InstaGrip mounting mat. Various manufactures produces stamp mounts. Astron Industries in Australia manufacturer the clear hand stamp ‘Vuestamp’ and also distribute the Ideal range of self inking mounts. Other brands of self inking mounts are Trodat, Colop and Shiny. Robert de Rooy is based in Australia and has been involved with the rubber stamp industry in the Pacific region for over ten years, he has provided consultation to the development of http://www.stampsearch.com.au and operates http://www.instastamp.com.au a web site about making rubber stamps. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_De_Rooy http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Make-Rubber-Stamps:-Comparing-Methods-of-Manufacture&id=198663 sba loan processing cash-out fha loan cash advances with savings accounts really bad credit personal loans

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Keith_Rickwood]Keith Rickwood Integrating the best of technology and design, Nokia launches its much awaited N80. The slide-up phone is the first quadband device designed to work on 3G, and also is the pioneer to assimilate UPnP (Universal Plug and Play), for seamless home media networking. Weighing only 134 grams, this compact phone not only boasts of great ergonomics of image capture but also offers excellent musical experience with its enhanced Mp3 player. N80 helps you to translate work into pleasure. And thus, it offers a choice of 4 GSM bands for connectivity. This means no matter where you are, you can enable instant broadband access. In addition to it, Nokia N80 supports the new Nokia web browser with zoom-out mini map, for overall view of the web page. The users can avoid scrolling and simply navigate to the part of the page he wants. To further heightened the excitement, N80 has a high resolution screen display. This incorporates 90% more pixels than the conventional displays found in smartphones and PDAs. Nokia N80 aptly taps into the digital home network, through its UPnP technology. This acts as a remote control, whereby the users can get an secure and convenient access to compatible PCs, audio devices and TVs. To capture, collect and share those memorable moments, the phone comes along with a 3 Megapixels camera with capture key. The key helps in fast and stable camera activation. Additionally, the phone has a dedicated close-up mode switch, CIF video capture with in-built video stabilisation, and good memory power. It has an internal memory of 40 MB, which can be further expanded to 2 GB. Further more as a part of Nokia Xpress device range, N80 supports a wide range of music format, and comes with an FM radio and support for visual video radio. [http://www.mobilerainbow.co.uk/ ]Mobile Phones [http://www.mobilerainbow.co.uk/alldeals.asp?id=263 ]Nokia N80 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_Rickwood http://EzineArticles.com/?Nokia-N80—Offering-State-Of-The-Art-Technology&id=476852 private money lenders for real estate in colorado where to get bank loan with bad credit quick loan with bad credit deceased employees last paycheck

By Lisa Workman Studies have made the news again regarding television and our children. What are they saying? Too much television is not good for our kids. The very presence of a television in your childs room can be a determining factor in how well your kids do academically. Kids today are continuing to be plugged in. What is the solution? Limit television viewing. Move the TV out of you kids rooms. Be involved in what they are watching. Okay. We move the television into a common and give our kids time limits. Now what? A comment I hear often when people ask me about the Tokens for TV program is what do my kids do now? Our kids are so used to being plugged in they dont know what to do. Theyre bored. It doesnt matter if your children are 6 or 16, the answer is the same. Its time to teach our kids how to play again. Having a time for quiet and play are important life skills. How else will their imagination start working on its own again? Start with the following ideas to help your kids in their unplugged play: Play a game. Dig out your board games. Checkers, Chess, Monopoly and Sorry! are all great games. Dig out the playing cards. Go Fish, Old Maid, War There are even other specific card games such as Uno out there. You can also teach your children how to play solitaire. Be a bookworm. Go to the library in your home or your community. Scour the thrift shops and yard sales. Be a part of a book exchange. There are also some great audio books available at the library. You can also purchase audio books at thrift stores, department stores and online. Hands-on fun. Bring out the clay or play dough. Your teenagers may roll their eyes at this one too, but you would be surprised at how they will sit down and keep themselves entertained with this one. (And you dont have to go out and buy your dough have them help you make a batch. A recipe is included below.) Build something. LEGOs, Lincoln Logs and Knex. How many of our kids still have these in the back of their closet? Dont have these construction pieces? Try creating structures using toothpicks and connecting them together with green peas. Sounds funny, but it works! As the structures dry they become sturdier and you can keep them around for awhile. Go outdoors. Outdoor games like marbles, jacks, hopscotch not only occupy your kids, they will also strengthen coordination skills. Too hot or cold out? The garage, basement and/or kitchen floors will work fine too. Become an outdoor artist. Buy a tub of colored chalk from the local discount store and give your kids a theme to create their own masterpieces on your front or back sidewalks. Take pictures of them for your family album. Are these new ideas? Of course not. But when our kids are given a choice of any of these offline activities or the chance to plug in to their TV or games, what are they going to choose? When you unplug your kids, they will learn how to play again simply because they have nothing else to do. They will find other activities to keep themselves entertained. Be prepared for a little bit of whining or frustration on your kids part. Its normal. Its so much easier to sit in front of a screen with mindless entertainment. It wont take long and your kids will be able to find other things to do instead of plugging in and tuning the world out. * * * * * * * There are many variations of homemade play dough. The Internet or any kids craft book are great resources if you would like more ideas. There are edible versions as well (less clean up!). The following recipe contains items commonly found in most kitchens. UNCOOKED SALT DOUGH Ingredients: 3 cups of flour 1/4 cup of salt 1 tablespoon of cooking oil 1 cup of water food coloring (liquid is best) Instructions: 1. Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl. 2. Add water and oil slowly. 3. Add desired amount of food coloring. 4. Store dough in air tight container. Add water (a little at a time) if dough is too stiff. If dough is too sticky, add more flour. Lisa Workman is the author of Tokens for TV: A Sensible Approach to Balancing Television, Video Game and Computer Activities. How much time does your child spend plugged in to some sort of electronic device? Get your FREE worksheet at http://www.tvtokens.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Workman http://EzineArticles.com/?Life-After-Television:-Teaching-Our-Children-to-Play-Again&id=50832 payday loans payday loan legal nc sba 504 loan for self storage uk personal car loan