Stamp story: November 2009

What is Decorative Concrete and What Applications Are There For It?

While decorative concrete may sound like an oxymoron to many, the reality is everyone has seen this type of product somewhere at some point. Concrete is mostly known for its strength but with some engineering can actually be made to look beautiful in its own right or can be made to mimic other materials such as stone, marble or granite. While it retains all the strength that makes it the choice for roads, overpasses and bridges, it can be used for many different purposes including many inside the average home.

In many homes across the country, concrete is poured to form the foundation of the home. Typically, this concrete is then covered up with carpet, vinyl or tile. However, the concrete itself can be transformed into a thing of beauty very easily.

There are companies that sell stains and finishing kits for concrete transforming a dull gray slab into decorative concrete. These stains penetrate the concrete and can transform it into any color or color combination imaginable. Imagine concrete being made to look like one single piece of dyed red marble floor for a dining room; matching perfectly with the wood of the dining table.

Instead of simply staining and sealing a concrete floor, another option is to apply an engineered concrete overlay to the existing floor. This is an especially good choice for a concrete structure that has surface cracks or wasn't completely smoothed when the slab was poured. These systems offer even more flexibility and options, including the look of true marble, granite or with the use of stencils, they can take on the look of a slate or tile floor.

The question that many ask at this point though is why go through the time and expense to put a layer of concrete down rather than the real surface? The answer is a simple two part answer. First of all, concrete staining or overlays are incredibly competitive in price compared to some of the other options and quite a bit cheaper than some of the other options.

On top of this, the concrete option is incredibly durable and offers huge benefits from being so strong and resilient. For example, a heavy pot dropped on a tile floor in a kitchen can easily crack the tile it lands on. Repairing that tile takes time and is almost a built in cost with owning a tile floor.

In contrast, a decorative concrete floor will simply absorb the blow dealt by that same pot. No repair needed. Even if the concrete were to chip, the repair would take minutes and be incredibly cheap, compared to the tile flooring repair.

We are your concrete repair and decorative concrete experts. Give us a call and see what we can do for you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathon_Hardcastle

The History of Rubber Stamps

The first documented mention of it comes in 1736 when the French scientist Charles Marie de la Condamine sent a sample of this substance back to France.

The scientist Sir Joseph Priestley was the first to comment that this bouncy substance was efficient at removing pencil marks from paper. This was in 1770, and the name "rubber" was born because it could "rub out" marks. However, rubber was not commonly used for many years because of its tendency to become smelly and rotten when the temperature changed.

Charles Goodyear was the man that solved this problem. He was obsessed with finding a way to make rubber work, so he would spend hours in the kitchen mixing rubber with various household items, such as pepper, salt, and castor oil. One day, he accidentally dropped rubber mixed with sulfur onto a hot stove, and the rubber was "cured". There were no longer any sticky messes to deal with, and the many uses of rubber started to be realized.

No one is quite sure who invented the rubber stamp. One commonly believed inventor is a man named L.F. Witherell, who claimed that he created the rubber stamp in 1866 by cutting thick stencils out of thick rubber packaging then placing the rubber on the back of a bedpost. However, Witherell could not produce this bedpost stamp when asked, claiming that it had been stolen. Another possible candidate is a man named James Woodruff. In between the years 1864 and 1866, James Woodruff visited a manufacturer of patent bathtubs that had identifying information in thin rubber letters place on a wooden block that measured 4 inches by 6 inches. Woodruff reportedly had the idea that if these letters were created as molds, then placed on a wooden backing, a more rubber stamp could be made, and would be cheaper and more efficient than metal-printing stamps. However, when he went to produce these stamps, the only ink available at the time ruined them, making them useless. So there is still debate to this day as to who the real first inventor of rubber stamps truly was.

After the kinks were worked out, rubber stamping started becoming a common way to mark manufactured products and packages. Stamping companies gained more and more steam through the Industrial Revolution and even more so through the World Wars. However, it wasn't until the 1970's that rubber stamping industry really took off, with corporations using them for their correspondence, and when people took up stamping as an artistic hobby.

Nowadays there are companies that make custom made and self inking rubber stamps which are used for the home, office, and classroom. Though we now see them all the time, it is important to remember that stamps, just like every man-made product in our world, have a unique and wonderful history.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Verost

Tips For the Amateur Postage Stamp Collector on Soaking Stamps

Here are tips for the amateur postage stamp collector on soaking the stamps:

1. Before soaking your stamp, separate stamps that are on any colored paper, stamps having colored cancellations, particularly those with purple or red ink, stamps of very dark in color, stamps that are on poor paper quality, or those with unidentified inks that could liquefy in the basin of water and can stain other stamps. Any "unusual" stamps should be separated and handled one by one.

2. Trim the paper of the envelope that surrounds stamp, being extra careful as not to scratch or slice the edges of the stamp.

3. When soaking the stamp, take a shallow container with lukewarm water and float in the stamps having the pictures side facing you. Make certain that there is enough room for the stamps to float not to stick to each other. Avoid soaking too many stamps all at one time.

4. Leave the stamps to float until such time that the adhesive dissolves so that the stamps easily slides off the piece of paper. Paper can rip easily so handle the stamp carefully and just allow the water to work on it.

5. Rinse off gently the stamps back in fresh clean water to so that all the adhesive is taken off.

6. Position the stamps in a manner that they are not touching each other on top of paper towels to dry, or old newspapers.

7. Leave the stamps to dry. When they should curl afterwards, place them in another dry piece of paper and place a heavy book on them.

Ryu is a stamp enthusiast, knowing and searching information about postage stamp is the ultimate hobby. If you need information about stamp, find at World Stamps Pictures

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryu_Sanaga