Distress Ink VS. Clear Stamps

Confession: I've been a "lurker" on these forums for a really long time.
Anyway…
I love my Distress Inks so much that I use them as much as possible, the colors aren't found anywhere else, neither are their properties.
I have searched forums, YouTube, blogs, articles... seems like the whole internet... but I can't find a resolution. I have clear stamps from numerous companies (hero arts, studio G, Inkadinkado, ect.) and for the life of me I can't get even a close to clear image using Distress Ink to stamp.
I actually went through all my stamps last night, and I took two from each package/manufacturer and used the same color distress ink, different kinds and colors of cardstock, and stamped each one before I escalated the steps that I have found online that seem to work for others.

**With each and every one of these steps I did various forms of pressure, as well as an acrylic block and the Fiskars stamp press thingy. Yes this was time consuming. I was so determined that I gave it 5 hours before I gave up.**
1: Regular Stamping
2. Versamark first, and then Distress Ink (Ranger Archival didn't help either)
3. The various methods of getting "film" that I heard of off of the stamps like an old t-shirt, old eraser, new eraser, stamping a lot. You name it. I took special care to the ones I have used a lot for pigment inks (which were that frosty kind of worn in-not stained-) to see if they would work better with Distress Inks since they had been used.
Like I said, I've tried ALL different kinds of clear stamps, they all bead up and splotch.

I've heard many say that the Distress Inks aren't designed to give a crisp, clear image, but I've seen others do just that, and also have no problem with it, or they did one of these suggestions and it fixed their problem.
Any suggestions, is there something I missed?
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this :-)

(The products I listed below were what I could find in the products list)

You might not want to do this but I found this tip: http://kim-becrafty.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/one-of-best-tips-ive-ever-been-given.html

I have never been successful with distress and clear combo. either.

I've had the same issue with Distress Ink, as well as SU inks on acrylic stamps. Thanks for posting that link - I'm going to give it a try!!

Thanks for the tip I have tried a course nail file but not fine sand paper

I personally don't use distressing inks for stamping, I use them for distressing edges or creating background colors. I love the colors but will agree, I have never had crisp images that I liked with distressing inks.

I find that rubber gives a better image than clear stamps, generically speaking. I tend to only buy clear stamps now when they're either a really good sale or very unique. Which I know doesn't help with your current collection, but it's a thought for the future perhaps.

In my experience with Distress and clear stamps, the more detailed the stamp is the less successful my image.

• SuperAllyFan Said:

That link is awesome, thank you. Just what I was looking for, a side by side. You rock! I am scared to do that to my stamps, especially my more detailed ones... maybe some day I will just bite the bullet and do it...what that blog said was almost word for word what I was asking. That's just amazing that you found that though, in a good way! :-)

Yeah originally I was just going to do the backgrounds too, and then I used my most favorite stamp (a woodblock one with script handwritten letter)with Black Soot, because I didn't have a black pigment ink at the time, and I absolutely loved the effect it gave, especially since the stamp kinda fades in and out like a very old handwritten letter.

I don't use my Distress inks for stamping either. I went thru this whole trial about a yr and a half ago. I prefer good, thick coverage though. So I have since settled on my Amuse pigment inks for stamping, and Distress for all other things.

• stick Said:

You bring up a really great point with the more detailed the less clear, I was wondering why my non-detailed $1 bin acrylic stamp looked almost perfect! A few months ago I decided that I was going to avoid clear stamps as much as possible (Inkadinkado had a "Thank You" set of 20 clear pcs, what I was looking for does not come in rubber so I kinda had to), but when I find an absolutely beautiful intricate design, especially on sale, I try to walk away... then I keep coming back to it while getting supplies haha. This one stamp I have is Inkadinkado, and it is stunningly beautiful acrylic stamp. I thought that it was just a pretty butterfly, and then when I stamped with it I realized there was fairies and flowers intertwined making up the whole stamp, and the whole set of 5 looks like that. It doesn't have a name but it has a hummingbird on the top left corner and the number in the top right is 99121.

Thank you for taking the time! Definitely helped!

• AtlantisAngel98 Said:

No problem - I just googled it and it came up

I have sanded my clear stamps with a four-sided manicure block - the ones that have four different grits to them. I start with the finest grit side, try the stamp, and move up to a coarser grit if needed. I'm too afraid to put sand paper to my stamps and while I don't know if there's any real difference between sand paper and the stuff on the manicure block, this has worked for me and quells my anxiety about sanding my clear stamps.

A

I read the following tip somewhere and copied it to my "hints". Sorry can't remember where I found it so I can't give credit. I have to admit that I haven't tried it yet; but, I thought I'd pass it on.

"oh and here's another tip if you stamp with clear stamps and distress ink: if you ink your stamp with permanent ink first (like archival) and LET IT DRY on the stamp, this primes the polymer and gives you a better stamped image with dye ink since the ink won't bead up anymore on the polymer (plus you can see what your stamping)."

• AtlantisAngel98 Said:

One tip re: crispness of designs, especially on acrylics - the ones made in China tend to be not good but if you can find one made in USA there is a big difference.
Try a Technique Tuesday for example and one from China - you will see a difference.

• anorviel Said:

I did try with a semi fine grit nail file which didn't help at all, but I will definitely look into that manicure block you were talking about. I'm too much of a wuss to use sandpaper.

• oilbrat Said:

I did find that on Tim Holtz' website, he recommended the Ranger Archival, and it did not work for me. I even let it dry for a few hours (set it aside while I was trying every other technique) and it was unsuccessful.

• GMFTS Said:

For some reason it didn't seem to make a difference in my stamps too much. It was probably the stamp design itself though. I'm pretty sure that the $1 studio G stamps are made overseas, and one of them worked way better than a Hero Arts or Inkadinkado stamp.