I plan on locking my self inking stamp and using it as I would a normal wooden handled one.

Good point, I forgot to mention that. I did jam my self-inker open to do the tests. However, the stamp does not extend beyond the base of the holder very far. This means that ink WILL get on the rim of the holder and leave a thin line on the note.

So for me at least, jamming the stamper open is a temporary measure until I get the stamp modified. I guess another option would be to cut a cm. off the bottom, but this seems rather destructive, as the stamper can always be re-used. I use an old one for a return address on envelopes. (and it comes in handy for filling out tickets, entry forms, etc.!)