Refill Non-Refillable Gel Rubber Roller Stamp

Pre-inked stamps can be helpful for several reasons, but once they run out of ink, there’s nothing left to do but throw them away and buy a new one… Or is there? Today I’ll show you how to refill pre-inked rubber roller stamps that aren’t necessarily intended to be refillable.

For today’s purposes, you need to know about two types of stamps: pre-inked stamps and self-inking stamps. The self-inking stamps, the ones you add ink to manually, tend to use more water-based inks, whereas the pre-inked stamps tend to use more oil-based inks. That said, you should always check what kind of ink is best for the kind of stamp you’re using.

What is a pre-ink stamp?

Let’s start by taking a look at the anatomy of pre-ink stamps. First, there’s the base, a sponge that serves as an ink reservoir. Beneath that, we have a layer of gel that absorbs the ink, and a layer of rubber that will either print or serve as an oil pad for the stamp. Our goal today is to add ink to that sponge, not to the rubber. The sponge’s sole purpose is to absorb and hold ink, while the rubber can only hold a small amount at a time and takes quite a while to absorb it.

For demonstration purposes, we’ll be using the 20 mL bottle of BCH brand ink available on my website, BCHTechnologies.com. To use this ink, you’ll need to unscrew the top cover, remove the seal, and cut off the refill tip. We will also use BCH 30 mL ink which also comes with a precision ink adapter that you don’t have to cut the tip from.

Single-use ink stamps

Next, we’ll look at a single-use gel ink stamp pad that claims not to need refills. What they mean by this is that you can’t refill it. After cutting off the corner of the ink pad, it’s plain to see that there’s no sponge underneath to hold the ink. We added ink to the bottom of the pad, but it will take a day or two for the pad to absorb the ink.

Next, we’ll look at a 2,000-plus pre-inked stamp with a non-refillable ink pad. There are buttons on each side. If you pinch these buttons on both sides while sliding down the stamp, it will get stuck halfway down. This will allow you to take the plate out. Adding a few drops on the pad and letting it absorb overnight should work, but the best way is to lift the corner and add a few drops of ink to the sponge/foam underneath the rubber pad.

Removable cartridge stamps

Lastly, we’ll look at a stamp that has a removable cartridge. I think this is the best kind, so I saved it for last. The cartridge is not intended to be refillable and buying a new one would cost $8. If you cut the stamp core open, you’ll see a sponge cylinder underneath. A layer of rubber covers this sponge.

To refill this roller, we must first remove its cover. There are two different ways that you can do this. The rod comes out in two pieces, so the first method is to remove the part with the more extended rod and fill the space left behind with ink. Then you’ll have to let it sit for a day or two.

The second method uses a rotary tool to drill two holes through the sponge and then fill it with ink using the precision ink tip I mentioned earlier. This method lets the sponge absorb the ink immediately, so you can use it immediately after putting the stamp back together. It will take three to six hours for the ink to spread, but you don’t have to wait for that before you start using it.

I hope this blog helped! For more DIY printer tips and tricks, follow me on YouTube at Kevin at BCH. You watch a video version of this blog post by clicking here. Happy printing!