If you’ve been to CraftTestDummies before, you know that one of my missions is to find the best products for the job at hand. And smooth, non porous surfaces such as glass, plastic, leather, and metal require a very special ink. Up until now, there are have been very few options- but now we’ve got a new COLORFUL one- Surfacez Multi-Surface Ink Pads from ColorBox!
Let’s dive right in!
Sadly, there isn’t much about them on the website. It simply states:
Take your art beyond paper with our new ColorBox Surfacez™ ink! Perfect for all sorts of applications – metal, wood and more! Works great with markers too.
Knowing that it’s a solvent-based ink, I wish there was more information and even some precautions listed.
Let’s take a look at the inkpad itself.
The pads have a large surface- the available inking area is 1.75 inches by 3.25 inches and the pad itself is a dense felted surface.
The nice upraised profile keeps your fingers clean, too. I personally like the tin cases, as well.
The lid has an integrated plastic cover that keeps your pads a bit juicier, too.
Now a word on the smell- there is one. This is a solvent-based ink and so it has a distinctive odor. (Think Sharpie markers, but stronger.) I found it to be rather powerful at times, so I kept a mini-fan by my desk. If you have a strong aversion to smells, this might not be the inkpad for you.
As with most solvent-based ink pads, they have a tendency to be a bit dry- so make sure you pick up an re-inker. (Oh, and those come in handy on their own, too- but we’ll touch on that a bit later.)
I did some swatch testing to see how it performed on multiple surfaces:
From left to right: Manilla tag; Direct-to-metal foil; washi paper; plastic gift card, foil tape; acetate.
As you can see, it beaded up on the foil when applied right from the pad. However, dripping it onto the foil tape using the re-inker worked perfectly.
L-R: Watercolor paper; glass ornament; acrylic shape; Mod Melts; Vellum; metal strainer; craft foam.
All worked brilliantly.
I did a little experiment stamping with Surfacez Multi-Surface Ink Pads and then used marker. They did not react at all with my water-based markers (Distress Markers) and only a little with my alcohol-based ones (Copic and PrismaColor.) I also use some Mod Podge Dimensional Magic on that far-right vase and the ink didn’t lift off with that either.
And this is my stamped image under UV curing epoxy. NO BLEEDING!
And there are twelve colors to choose from, so that’s pretty exciting, too!
Now, remember that is a TRANSPARENT ink- meaning that since it isn’t a pigment-based ink whatever is under it will show through a little. It’s a sheer color and is also not suitable for embossing. It dries too quickly for that.
One other little issue: I was trying to do some direct-to-paper and one of my inkpads fell off:
Kind of a bummer. I haven’t found an adhesive that will hold it in quite yet.
BUT. I’m willing to overlook that considering that you can use this inkpad on so. many. surfaces! And the colors are lovely and vibrant.
I got to playing with the metal tape and couldn’t quite help myself.
And tomorrow I’ll have a post on those foil tape projects!
SO… these pads retail for about $8 each (see affiliate links below) and they have SO many uses you certainly should consider having a few in your crafty tool box!
Disclosure: product provided for review purposes; all opinions are based on my first-hand experience with the product and are my own. No compensation was provided for this review.
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Fancylooks says
I am staring to try a bottle of Rangers ink and I am so curious about all this ink world that is so unfamiliar to me, thanks for all this info.
Debbie says
Speaking of Copic Markers…can anyone recommend a reasonable source for them?
I love the metal tape projects…can’t wait for more info on those!
deniserows says
thanx for all you do for all of us crafters
Darlene says
Hello, I am new to your site. I just saw some pieces that were so beautiful and I’d like to know if you have a tutorial for them. It was titled
“Metal Leaf, Alcohol Inks, and Polymer Clay” I would love to know this is done.
Thank you!
Jenny says
Darlene- thanks for the idea! I’ll pull together a video this weekend. 🙂