Embossing - what is it? Hot embossing

To remove a stressful situation or nervous tension, everyone tries in their own way. A wonderful way - needlework. No matter what you do, the main thing that painstaking and creative work enthralls, takes thought, distracts from the burdens of everyday life. Many types of manual work require skill, patience, skill, but there are some that you can handle without having the serious skill of small-scale work. These include embossing, sometimes called scrapbooking. So, embossing - what is it?

Features of technology

In translation from English, embossing is embossing, the technique of constructing a three-dimensional drawing. By means of improvised means on the basis, the prepared drawing is embossed.

According to the technique of execution and materials, dry and wet stamping are distinguished. The resulting relief image will decorate the house and give uniqueness to your favorite trinkets.

Required materials for dry stamping

Dry embossing involves the creation of convex patterns on paper, foil or other materials. To perform the work, you need:

• Heavy paper for the substrate. It is advisable to choose not more than 100 g / m ³ . Too thick cardboard does not give a three-dimensional effect, because it is very difficult to perform embossing on paper - the drawing is hardly visible.
• Stencils made of metal or plastic.
• A metal rod at the end of which a ball is attached - a stylus. Styluses are distinguished by the size of the ball-shaped working part. The smaller the detail of the drawing, the smaller the tip is used in the work. The styluses are supplied with comfortable handles, since during the constant pressure the hand is tired.

Consumables for wet embossing

Wet embossing is somewhat different in its complexity. The technique requires more devices and materials. The mechanisms necessary in this case are more intricate, the materials are specialized, but the costs are worth it:

• Base: paper, leather, fabric;
• A set of dies made of rubber, silicone (with the use of silicone dies, you may need an acrylic block);
• A multi-colored powder applied to the substrate using special transparent ink;
• A working pad filled with ink should be a soft, absorbent moisture;
• A set of brushes to brush off excess powder, and possibly an antistatic pad;
• A special hairdryer, because to create a sufficiently high temperature and low-speed air flow, you do not need to use a conventional hairdryer.

Dry stamping technique

Revealing the question "Embossing - what is it?", It is worth turning to the technique of its implementation. To create relief embossing on paper, you can use special stencils. Acquiring them in our time is not a problem, but you can create them yourself. When embossing on paper, the main thing is to create the correct lighting. Backlight is usually done from the bottom. Used photostol or a lamp with glass. Backlighting is necessary because the paper is attached to the stencil from above.

It is better to fix the paper with two-sided scotch tape. Having arranged a combination on the glass, with a stylus ball, gently squeeze the pattern along the stencil. It is necessary to act extremely cautiously in order not to break through the base.

Performing wet embossing

Wet, or hot, embossing begins with the application of ink on the substrate with a special stamp. To avoid spreading the ink on the substrate, they fill the ink pad. This is how the ink is evenly applied to the stamp. The print is done on paper. Thin paper can be deformed and break through under the moisture of the ink, so you should choose the base more tightly. So, the ink is applied to the substrate, powdered from above. The embossing powder has different colors and a special texture. For some time it is worth waiting for the powder to adhere to the adhesive basis. In the next stage, the excess powder is smeared with a soft brush. Sometimes the brush is not enough, so use an antistatic tampon or a pad.

We proceed to warming up. For this, a special hair dryer is used. At a distance of 5-7 cm the pattern is evenly heated, the molten powder forms a relief. When the drawing cools down, it can be carefully cut and attached to the product for which it was created. They say, speaking about embossing, that this is an original decoration, which makes the product refined and unique. Both ink and powder can be either transparent or colored. Various combinations of these materials on colored paper give extraordinary effects.

Powder Types

Features of different powders are so interesting that it is impossible to stop them.

Distinguish:

• Homogeneous (golden, silver, matte, glossy);
• With the effect of volume;
• With sequins.

When heated, the colored powder melts and spreads uniformly over the substrate, creating the original pattern. The mixture can contain glitters of different sizes and shades, which create an interesting texture.

It looks wonderful matte or pearl white powder. A gentle drawing looks best on wedding or children's things. The effect of a velvet surface is created by volumetric powder. Rainbow coloring of the relief pattern will provide a transparent powder with glitter. The effect depends on the concentration of sequins in the composition.

Most often, transparent powder, creating the effect of smooth convex relief, is used on a color basis.

The technique of applying relief applications is sometimes called scrapbooking. The use of convex, relief applications gives originality to any product. Embossing in scrapbooking is almost nothing from them.

Decoration in this technique is often used to decorate caskets, boxes and other hard surfaces. Sometimes it is used to create a skin effect (for example, crocodile).

Answering the question "Embossing - what is it?", It should be noted that the technique of applying or creating a relief image does not require special skills and is available to any master. The effect of its use does not leave indifferent even the most ardent opponents of manual work.