Stamping Head Cleaning
Clean your stamper head using any sticky tape (lint roller, masking tape, Scotch tape) between uses. Do not use pure acetone or nail polish remover to clean stamper head. When you first receive your stamper it should work ideally right from opening the package but in the event it has trouble picking up stamping images you may try washing stamper head in warm soapy water and let it air dry or use acetone to prime the stamper head. Priming is using good quality acetone on a cotton pad and lightly rubbing the stamper head. Please note that some cheaper brands acetone have been known to make the stamper head cloudy. We've used Onyx Professional 100% Acetone with good results but we do receive complaints about some cheaper brands of acetone making the stamper head cloudy including Beauty Secrets brand from Sally Beauty and CVS Pharmacy generic acetone.
Stamper Body Cleaning
Never use pure acetone on the stamper body as the stamper body can become cloudy when cleaned with acetone. We recommend a gentle non-acetone remover like ZOYA Remove+ Nail Polish Remover when cleaning the stamper body.
How To Stamp
If you still have problems picking up stamping image, please check our tips & tricks about stamping:
- Remove your new stamping plate from its packaging and remove the plastic protective film from over the metal. When you first receive your plate and after every use wipe clean your plate with acetone or non-acetone nail polish remover without oils. Сlean your stamper with tape by using the sticky side to remove dry polish.
- Quickly apply a thick layer of stamping nail polish in a few strokes over the design you wish to stamp.
- Hold a plastic card firmly at a 45 degree angle and lightly scrape across the plate to remove excess polish. Try to only scrape once, do not push card to plate too hard and work as quickly as possible to avoid drying.
- Immediately after scraping, quickly transfer the design to your stamper by lightly rolling once across the design from one side to the other or pushing once straight into the design.
- If your image does not transfer you may need to work faster, scrape differently (less pressure or new angle), prime your stamper (with acetone or gentle nail file/buffer) or try another opaque nail polish that doesn’t dry very fast.
- Quickly transfer the image from the stamper onto a nail with an oil free and completely dry base color. With a squishier stamper push the stamper straight to the nail, with other stamper heads it might work better to roll it once from side to side to transfer image. Remove excess nail polish from your skin and cuticles by using a flat brush or cotton swab dipped in acetone or nail polish remover, you could use tape to lift excess polish from your skin as well.
- When design is completely dry on your nail, apply a layer of fresh top coat with as few strokes as possible. Place a big drop at the cuticle and hold brush parallel to the nail while applying trying not to touch the nail with the bristles, this helps prevents smearing.
