Wednesday, February 3, 2010

How I Store Ink Pads and other Products!

Hi Guys ~

Several people have asked about how I store my ink pads and other products (stickles, dabbers, markers, etc.) so I thought I'd share how I store my supplies.

Ink Pads - I know there is a great and constant debate on how to store various types of ink pads depending on the type of ink. There are all sorts of opinions out there...some say all should be stored upright; other say dye ink one way, pigments another; etc... It's a never ending struggle to know what to do.

I will tell you here and now I store all of my ink pads.....dye, pigment, hybrid, embossing, Staz-On, etc. upside down. I have for years and I have never EVER.... had any ink "drip" out of the pad (be it felt, foam, etc.) into the lid. I use at least 2-3 types of inks every day and my ink is always at the top of the pad and ready to go when I need it.

Re-Inkers - Soooo many people have asked if it's really economical to buy re-inkers instead of new ink pads.

YES, YES, YES!! I very rarely buy a new ink pad unless it's a new color or type of ink. Most of my ink pads have lasted through the years with proper care and a bit of new ink added periodically. The only type of ink pad I buy occasionally is my Walnut Stain Distress Ink pad and that's because I'm pretty rough on the little devil. I ink everything from paper, chipboard, game boards, wood, leather, MDF, etc. with that thing and it takes a beating. Those pads weren't meant to stand up to all I put them through ;)

And the best thing about re-inkers is you can use them for so many cool techniques other than reviving your ink pad ;)

Adirondack Acrylic Dabbers - My vote ~ Upside Down! I know alot of people say not to store these upside down but I do and have since Ranger introduced them. The paint is so thick that you really have to work getting it to the dabber end if you store them right side up. This way the paint is always at the dabber and it's easy to see the individual colors as well!

Stickles Glitter Glue - Again, Upside Down! I would classify this as a medium to thick consistency which again makes it more difficult to get it to the cap end of the bottle so I store all but new bottles of my Stickles Glitter Glue upside down. I have never had any trouble with the glue seeping out the little applicator tip or filling the cap with glue or anything. The glue is always at the dispensing end ready to be used.

This goes for all of the glitter glue EXCEPT Distress Stickles - the tip for this ink is much larger than regular Stickles. I wait to store my Distress Stickles upside down until it is 1/2 empty. By then it doesn't seep out when it's left upside down.

Adirondack Pigment Pens & Various Double Tip Markers - Always on their sides. I have a drawer where I keep all of my makers and pigment pens so they are always on their sides for two very different reasons.

The Adirondack Pigment pens must be stored on their sides so the inks don't seperate in the barrel. If stored upright the pigment in the ink will settle to the bottom and you'll end up with a funky colored fluid...not good trust me. Storing them on their side doesn't give the inks a chance to seperate since the barrel is so shallow.

Double tipped markers....I can't tell you how many people have told me they hate "X" brand pen/marker because one end always dries up. It only goes to reason that if you have a double end marker and it's stored upright one end is going to be inky while the other dries out! Store it on it's side and the ink will be evenly distributed between both ends allowing each tip to be inky!

Aleene's Super Thick Tacky Glue - Always upside down. This stuff is so thick it's almost impossible to squeeze it out unless it is stored upside down. It is by far my favorite liquid adhesive so it gets used constantly. I can't imagine having to try to squeeze this stuff out of the bottle if it was stored upright....I'd look like Popeye if I did!

Accents - Glossy, Sepia, Crackle, etc. - I store these products various ways depending on how much is in the bottle...upright for new bottles, on their sides when they are about 1/2 empty but never on it's end. This glue is thin enough that it will seep out the little applicator tip and yes, it does fill up the cap ;) Trust me on this...been there, done that!

I hope this help clear up some of the confusion on how to store various crafty products! And remember, this is just my humble opinion...it's worked for me for several years and I hope it works for you as well!

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the awesome tips! I store all my ink pads upside down with the exception on Stampabilities pigment ink pads and that is because I had 2 ink pads that the ink ran out and covered everything. WHAT A MESS!
    Thanks for all the tips!

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  2. Thanks for posting this! I store all my inks upside down too! But I never thought to put the stickles that way! Oh and I agree with the tacky glue...pain in the butt if not stores upside down!

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  3. Hi Roni -

    Great tips! I do store all my ink pads, pad down. I ALWAYS buy a reinker to match a pad. This is one of the first things Mary Jo McGraw told me when I took a class with her a few years ago. My stickles and daubers are upside down as well. But thanks for the tip on the Distress Stickles. I didn't know they should be stored right side up. I will have to change these. Don't want to lose any of that glittery goodness - LOL!

    Ok - so how do you store all your embellishments, by color, by material and what do you store them in? Also, how do you store your stamps, both mounted and unmounted? I'm very curious and looking for ideas because I FINALLY have started to organize my studio. It's only been a year since I moved everything up there, but sadly, things have just been added and not organized - so it is getting difficult to move around - and the room is NOT that tiny! Have been so busy that it was hard to get time to do and also, I would walk in and look at the overwhelming quantity and mess and walk out! I finally have started organizing, started by sifting through things and collecting all embossing folders, all my dies and putting them in one place. I've been trying to get in there a least 2 evenings a week and spend an hour in there. So far so good. So I am open to any ideas for storing and organizing: paper, stamps, inks, embellishments, markers, you name it - I probably have it!
    Sorry for running on Roni - but you opened a can of worms for me - LOL!

    Elaine Allen

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  4. Thanks for the info, your explanations make sense and your opinion is valuable.

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  5. You have no idea what a blessing it was to find your page.... I just began buying my supplies and no one tells the direction how to store them. Up Down Sideways... Its much easier to design storage if ya know what direction they are stored.... Yup its 2015.... so glad the sight is still here. Many Thanks :) Anita Scott

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  6. AWESOMMME .. its 2015 :) Just began buying supplies for stamping cards. You are the only one who actually tells up down sideways.. When I put in HOW to store ink pads it always gave organization info. Thank you so much for posting this. Now I can design storage in the direction it will best save the ink :) YAY.

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Thanks for your thoughts and comments!