Rubber stamp "decaling"

[Ralph]

Wow, I haven't thought abut this thread for some time! Fun to see it again. I should make it clear that all of my experimentation was on cheapie Tyco flea market specials. You can see the talgo trucks in the photos. I'm planning to convert the best of them with KD couplers and metal wheels, but haven't yet.

[nachoman]

Here's my results: I tried stamping on decal paper - and that really didn't work as well as I hoped. So then I tried stamping directly on a model - and bingo! With a little practice I got it to look good enough. I then tried on a couple of HOn3 flat cars I am finishing up:
   
   

I didn't get the "crisp" edges like I would with a decal or dry transfer, but I think this is good enough for a rickety old piece of narrow gauge equipment. With a little weathering, I think it will look good.

[Tyson Rayles]

Looks nice! Don't know why you considered stamping it on decal paper, to me the idea of the stamp is to not have to use decal paper.

[Ralph]

That'll work!!! I learned that I got the best results by not pressing too hard on the stamp.

[MountainMan]

Looks nice! Don't know why you considered stamping it on decal paper, to me the idea of the stamp is to not have to use decal paper.

Uh...that would be the "crisp edges"...

[nachoman]

I figured it may be easier to stamp on a flat, uniform surface like decal paper than on a potentially uneven surface like the side of a model. And it certainly is easier to stamp on the decal paper. But because the decal paper isn't as porous as the paint on a model, the ink tended to "ooze" more on the decal paper.