Got a couple of bundles of new 5s today, and I am impressed/disappointed.
Disappointed because my stamps are now useless. The ink does in fact smudge off VERY easily, even after 10 minutes of drying. The initial stamp is also very light. There is a VERY narrow strip to the left of the metallic band that might hold one small line of print.
Impressed because it's a good looking note and may have a longer life. And the the BoC has come up with a way of foiling the stampers among us.
Solutions? I haven't heard of any yet, but I will be looking in the next few days to get these new notes out on the street!
in addressing this new five stamp issue i am thinking of getting an old corporate seal embosser changed to read as a cmt stamp. i know it will work on the bills i am just concerned that it may violate the law as defacing the bill?
do we have any legal guys or gals on site who might render a legal view.
i wonder if one of the reasons they coated the bills was to attempt to kill the money tracking stamp issue or was it to simply to give longer life to the bills…or both???
There are no laws concerning the 'defacing' of notes. The only law concerns the mutiltion of notes, which renders the note unreadable.
I was thinking of an embosser as well. But how long will it last, and is it really noticeable? And would it lower the life expectantcy of the note?
well would give the blind a real challenge and bill life well we might start causing holes in bills which could land us in hot water. readable i am not sure. i tell ya what pooga i will take one of my old corp. stamps in to get it changed and you supply the first hundred bills which you entered under your name and i will embross them for you and then we will see what happens. i will of course return the bills to you after marking them less two one for me and one to send dr. so when we get rath over it he knows what is happening.
I was considering the embossing solution as well. The bills already have the braille stamps in the top right hand corner ( I assume the new 5's have it as well) so embossing has already been done to the bills. We are enhancing not defacing!
I have tried to cut through the coating with methyl hydrate, isopropyl (rubbing alcohol), varsol (solvent) and paint thinner. No luck, the coating is still there. This is going to be one tough note to crack!
Will see what else I can use when I get back to the lab at work on Monday.
One of the other sites (WW) have been having an ongoing discussion on this issue and it sounds like StazOn "may" be the the first line of defense.
After doing a little hunting I managed to find some StazOn refill ink (31 Jet Black). Primarily I use a Colop self-inking stamp so I found an old dried out inking pad and gave it a try on various surfaces including plastic and glass and the results are encouraging. StazOn (solvent based ink) actually gave me a solid black coverage on a freezer bag, the regular (water based ink) turned a very light gray roughly 10% compared to the StazOn. The rub test (after a 5 min wait) completely removed the water based ink and I had to rub a number of times to remove the StazOn. On hard plastic surface the water base failed again and the StazOn took a bit of work to remove it. Of course I did not have a new 5 to test it on and not sure what the results would be over time.
For those that are interested in trying this product check with your local scrap booking suppliers, office supplies, craft stores, and stamp suppliers.
I sourced my ink from Just Scrap It The Scrapbook Shop - 108 103rd ST E - 955-4850 - Saskatoon . They carry the ink pads and refills. Call ahead to ensure they are in stock.
Not sure this will work but it's worth a try.
I'm not having any problems with the new $5's….but then I just write on them with my blue ball-point pen. The old-fashioned way is sometimes the best. LOL
I tried to wet the 5, got it good and saturated, stamped the 5 let dry for 2 hrs - it looked great and the stamp rubbed off immediately - anyone know if there is a way to brand or burn in a light impression
a way to brand or burn in a light impression.
That's why BC is going to try embossing. I'm going to try to see if I can pick up a solvent based ink today, and if that doesn't work, run a few notes through the lab tomorrow.
And of course, Ultra Fine Point Sharpies still work.
OK, I picked up two pads of Stazon, one 'Midnight Blue' and the other 'Blazing Red'. After some experimenting, I give it the CMT Seal of Approval. It really does stay on everything (you should see my fingers!). It also works on the old 'normal' notes, with even less bleed through. From one press in the pad, I was able to stamp three notes. Lightly on the first, normal weight on the second and firmly on the third. The ink dries decently and does not smudge once dried, a matter of a few seconds.
I got them at "Yesterday's Memories", a scrapbooking store. For those of you in Saskatoon, it's on 8th Street, across from the Burger King at Circle Centre. They have a limited selection of colours, but can get more in. A pad costs $12.
Now the info you need: You can't use your self-inking stampers. Solvent based ink will dry out within a few hours in the air. My plan is to go to Rose's and have them remove the stamp and place it on a regular manual stamp handle or block of wood. The scrapbook ladies also recommended that the stamp be raised with a layer of rubber. If you're at the store, you can see their stamps for an example. Now this ink MAY also start to build up on the stamp. If this happens, they do have Stazon Cleaner to clean the stamp of dried ink. Finally, when your pad does go dry, they also carry refill inks for the pads. I can't remember what the price was on these. However if enough of us do purchase at this shop, I believe that they will carry an adequate selection of pads and refills for our needs.
This solvent-based ink may be our stamping solution until somebody finds another method.
I found the same results as Pooga and that you have to be careful not to move the stamp or else it will slide, smudging the imprint slightly.
I plan on locking my self inking stamp and using it as I would a normal wooden handled one. I can see that eventulally I will have to purchase the cleaner to remove buildup on both stamps.
In the meantime keep marking the old $5s and remainder of the Journey Series as you normally would if you can't afford the cost of switching over.
Good Luck!
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.!)
My fine tip Sharpie seemed to be fine after some drying. Maybe I will be sad later to find ot it smdged off? lol
Had my stamps changed to the old fashioned wood, with extra padding.
Not as handy a self-inker, but it does work well. And the warning to stamp straight! A little side motion, and you have a smear.
So has anybody else gone to Stazon yet?
Yep I went today now just gotta order a new stamp…. or take my older one in…. :)
I'd say mesmerize has got the best idea so far. When my stamp wouldn't stick, a ball point pen worked perfectly!
best idea so far … a ball point pen worked perfectly
Doesn't work perfectly when you gave 200 notes to stamp ASAP!
I am using StazOn ink in a self-inking Colop stamper. When I am finished stamping I pull the pad out and put the plastic cover on to avoid evaporation.
Will try it eventually. For now I've got some fine point Sharpies. I'll give them a try once I come across another new style $5.
Was in a 'Michaels' which is a craft store, in Edmonton, AB last night and they have STAZON. It is $13.49 for the pad full of ink. They do not carry the ink bottles. Michaels is located across Canada in the bigger cities and every week they have a 40% off coupon that is in their flyer and sometimes in the paper. So with the coupon the cost is $8.09 plus the tax.
Also I find too that the pen that is used to mark on CDs works great.
Thanks,
simpson105378
thanks simpson105378 i went their today and picked up a red pad. thanks for the heads up about the 40% off coupon in the flyer. now i just have to wait for my new stamp to arrive. i also ordered a embossing stamp also which will be in next week.
Anyone tried inkjet or laser printer yet?
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