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When you prepare to carve your
stamp, first invest in a set of linoleum block carving tools.
Speedball makes a set for under $10 - get spare #1 blades
(package of 2, $2), as you will use this the most (it can also
be carefully sharpened with a hand stone).
The Carving
Consortium has several pages devoted to carving technique.
Above all, enjoy yourself. The art will follow!
A word about stamp pads: avoid
the ones sold for business use (Sanford, et al, black and red
only). Rather, go to an art or hobby-craft store and get pads
made for hobby stampers (dye based ink), which come in luscious
colors!
This is the "log-book" that you
leave in the Letterbox for visitors to stamp into. Get a good quality
artist sketch book, acid-free (not news-print like) if you want
them to last a lifetime. Size is important - you don't want it too
big for the container, also, having lots of pages leaves lots of
space for many visitors. Strathmore makes some that are 3.5" x 5",
which I think is a good size. #350-3 has 100 sheets, is nice and
white, and good quality. Cost under $2. Put on a label with the
Letterbox name, the date installed, and perhaps, your name and tel
# (optional). I also add the Letterbox stamp on the first page,
just for good measure.
Assuming that you will also look
for others' boxes, get yourself a similar notebook. I think a slightly
larger size is better here, but its up to you. Folding flat
for stamping is a nice feature to look for.
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