Unmounting stamps from wooden blocks

I'm going to. I started collecting stamps (OMG! Was it REALLY 32 years ago?) a long time ago and have amassed a large collection. I need to weed through them and get rid of some, but even after I do that what I have left will take up way more space than I want to devote to it. The only logical solution is to unmount most of them to make them easier to store and easier to catalog and find. There will be a few special exceptions that I will leave intact, like the stamps I bought at Stampa Barbara back in the day and some others that came in little wooden boxed sets. Everything else is fair game. I figure if I can't find them I can't use them, and then what's the point in keeping them?

I did this a year or two ago, and it not only freed up space, but I am able to look through my huge collection of stamps in just a few minutes now. Considering that I now have an estimated four thousand stamps and possibly more (been collecting them a long time), that is saying a lot. I find what I want so much easier, they take up far less space, and when we finally move in a year or two, they won't weigh nearly as much!

Most of my stamps peeled off the blocks fairly easy. I chose to take them off the foam, too, which wasn't quite as easy. I did not use any products to do this, and I was reluctant to use the microwave, either, another method some folks use. I used an adhesive eraser to get off the stubborn parts.    The reason I wanted them down to the rubber and without the foam was not just about storage space, but because I stamp on a foam mat and don't need that foam layer on the stamp itself.

I had about 2,000 rubber stamps to unmount, which I did a little at a time over a long period of time. The rest of my collection are clear or cling stamps, which just needed to be moved to my storage. If you want to know more about what I did and how I store them now, here is a link:

My method of unmounting rubber stamps and storing them

I did this too.  I think it was the thing to do at the time.  I was limited on space and it really helped.  I have my stamps stored in CD cases now.  Maybe it's just my imagination but I think they stamp better/crisper on wooden blocks.

I really need to consider this and organize and purge the ones from long ago that I probably won't use again. Great ideas here!

I do know that the ones that I never mounted from about 15 or more years ago (yikes! ) that have Aleene's Tack-It-Over-and-Over need to have it re-applied. The stickiness eventually dries out enough that they won't stay clinging to page protectors.

I've been thinking of doing that, but I have noticed that I always reach for a mounted stamp before going to the unmounted. Maybe I'd better leave them alone.

I did this about a year ago and have no regrets. Most of my stamps are sets from SU so I was able to really free up space. I researched all of my options (maybe over researched) and decided to go with the Alene's method because it made economical sense for me. Too many stamps for ez-mount to be economical. I reuse the SU boxes since I can fit about 3 sets in one box by utilizing the inside of the lid. Good Luck!

I did this a few years ago & loved it for when I went to crops. Now that I don't go anymore, I wish I hadn't done it. I've become the "sight out of mind" scrapper. I always forget to look thru my binders.

I thought, but this is just me thinking, that when you used the Aleene's tacky glue, you were supposed to use it on the back of the rubber, not the foam.  The foam I had to put on my red rubber already had a surface that would stick to the acrylic blocks.  Could be why your having problems. 

I know this may be old news, but when you unmount the stamps, how do you use them to stamp on projects??

You use a clear acrylic block, just like you use for clear stamps.  Once the rubber stamps have been unmounted and converted to a cling stamp, it's not really any different than using them on a wood block, except you can see where you are stamping more easily.

There should be no foam.... Only the rubber for this method.  I do use a foam pad under my paper.... But the Allene's goes directly on the rubber