How to Prepare a Nail Stamper

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

Using a nail stamper is an easy way to transform simple polished nails into fun pieces of fingernail art! To get the stamps to apply smoothly and evenly, though, good preparation is critical. Take the time to clean and prep your stamper head and stamping plate the right way so you can get the nail stamp results you’re looking for.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Cleaning a Clear Gel Stamper

PDF download Download Article
  1. The soft, clear gel stamper head should pop right out of the clear plastic cylinder with minimal effort. Use your fingernail to get under the edge of the stamper head if necessary, but be careful not to slice into it with your nail. [1]
    • Clear gel stampers are increasingly popular because they let you look straight down through the cylinder and see where you’re stamping on your fingernail!
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Prepare a Nail Stamper
    Place the stamper head in a bowl of clean water mixed with a squirt of dish soap. Gently but thoroughly rub all surfaces of the stamper head with your fingers. [2]
    • New stamper heads usually have an oily residue on them due to the manufacturing process. If you don’t clean off this residue, your stamps won’t transfer to your nails properly.
    • Do not clean clear gel stamper heads with pure acetone. The clear gel will get cloudy and start to break down. Soapy water is fine for the first cleaning, while alcohol and acetone-free nail polish remover work well to clean off polish residue after use.
    Advertisement
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Prepare a Nail Stamper
    One option is to dunk the stamper head in a separate bowl of clean water and rub it with your fingers. The other alternative is to hold it under running water for 5-10 seconds. [3]
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Prepare a Nail Stamper
    Use a cloth or paper towel to lightly dab the stamper head and remove all surface moisture. Once it’s fully dry, the stamper head is ready for use—just pop it back into the cylinder! [4]
    • If you chose the wrong drying cloth and got lint stuck all over the stamper head, rinse the lint away under clean water and dry the stamper head with a different cloth.
    5. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Cleaning a Non-Gel Stamper

PDF download Download Article
  1. Watermark wikiHow to Prepare a Nail Stamper
    Hold the stamper’s cylinder and keep the stamper head in place. Buff the stamper head gently with your nail buffer, using back-and-forth strokes. If you’re creating more than a very small amount of powdery residue, you’re buffing too hard! [5]
    • Lightly buffing the rubbery stamper surface removes oils left behind during the manufacturing process.
    • Traditional, “squishy” stamper heads are not see-through like the newer clear gel heads. They can be a little tougher to get the hang of using at first, but they’re just as effective and more durable than clear gel stampers.
  2. Pour about a capful of 100% acetone into a small bowl—make your best estimate of the amount it will take to fully saturate a single cotton ball. Drop in the cotton ball and let it soak up as much of the acetone as it can hold. [6]
    • Use 100% acetone here, not nail polish remover that contains some amount (and perhaps no amount) of acetone. Look for pure acetone for sale alongside nail polish removers.
    • Acetone is very flammable, so keep it well away from any open flames. Do not inhale more of the acetone fumes than is necessary to complete your task.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Prepare a Nail Stamper
    Pick up the acetone-soaked cotton ball and use it to wipe away any powdery residue and excess oil on the stamper head. The stamper is ready for use as soon as the acetone dries, which doesn’t take long at all. [7]
    4. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Loading the Stamper Plate

PDF download Download Article
  1. Watermark wikiHow to Prepare a Nail Stamper
    Add about a capful of 100% acetone to a small bowl and soak it up with a cotton ball. Use the saturated cotton ball to clean the plate, focusing especially on the “nooks and crannies” where dried polish may have collected. Let the stamper plate dry for 30-60 seconds before using it. [8]
    • Do this before each use, including the first time you use the plate.
    • Nail stamper plates have 4 or more stamp patterns (things like stripes, balloons, hearts, and so on) etched into their surface. To get a clean stamp on your fingernail, you need to remove any dried polish from these etchings.
    • Good-quality nail stamper plates are made of metal and can stand up to regular cleanings with pure acetone. However, check your nail stamper kit’s product guide for specific cleaning instructions, especially if you have a non-metal stamper plate.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Prepare a Nail Stamper
    Add enough stamping polish to the plate so that it completely fills in the etching of the stamp pattern you want to use, and also covers the flat surface of the plate surrounding your chosen etching. You don’t need to cover the entire plate and all the etchings, though—just the one you’re going to use right now! [9]
    • Stamping polish, which (as the name indicates) is specifically designed for nail stamping, offers the best results here. Alternatively, you can use a trial-and-error approach with other polishes, including gel polishes. Generally speaking, thicker polishes that provide single-coat coverage work best. In fact, old polish that has started to thicken can work here!
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Prepare a Nail Stamper
    Use the scraper that comes with the kit or an old gift/credit card (which some nail stamping enthusiasts actually prefer). Hold it at a 45-degree angle to the plate surface and scrape it firmly across the plate with a single swipe. The goal is to leave behind all the polish in the etching and wipe away all the polish on the flat surface of the plate.
    • Wipe off the edge of your scraper with a cotton ball and make another scraping pass if there’s still some polish on the plate’s surface.
    • Move on to loading the stamper head and applying the stamp to your fingernail right away. Don’t allow the polish to start drying in the etching, or it will be really tough to clean out when you’re done!
    4. Advertisement
Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Applying a Stamp

PDF download Download Article
  1. Watermark wikiHow to Prepare a Nail Stamper
    Hold the stamper by the cylinder so that the stamper head is at about a 45-degree angle to the surface of the plate. Touch the edge of the stamper head to the plate just to the side of the etched, polish-filled stamp pattern. Press the stamper head down onto the pattern and lift it off with a single rolling motion—picture the feet of a rocking chair making contact with the floor while you rock forward.
    • Don’t press straight down and pull straight up—the stamp pattern will smear on the stamper head.
    • You may have to practice this move a few times before you get it right—and that’s okay!
  2. If you’re using a clear gel stamper, simply look down through the clear cylinder. With a traditional stamper, flip it over and take a look at the transferred pattern on the head. If it looks right, you’re good to go! [10]
    • If the pattern didn’t transfer well, skip ahead a few steps to the instructions for cleaning off the stamper head. Then try again!
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Prepare a Nail Stamper
    Line up the stamp over your nail, once again holding the stamper at a 45-degree angle. Slowly press and roll the stamp over your nail. Admire your new nail stamp after you lift the stamper away!
    • While you can apply stamps to bare nails, you’ll get the best results by first applying a clear base coat and 1-2 coats of polish to your nails . Make sure to allow each of these coats to dry before proceeding.
    • If the stamp doesn’t look right, quickly wipe it away with a damp cotton ball and try again.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Prepare a Nail Stamper
    Wait a couple of minutes until the stamp has fully dried, then brush on the top coat as normal. Once it dries, you’ll almost be ready to show off your stamped nails—after you do some quick cleanup! [11]
  5. Rip off a strip of packing tape, stick it to a lint-free cloth, and pull it off to reduce its stickiness a bit. Press the stamper down firmly onto the tape and pull it away. This should remove all the nail polish from the stamper head.
    • Instead of packing tape, try a lint roller that uses tear-away strips of tape—you don’t need to “de-stick” these any beforehand!
    • If you can’t get all the polish off of the stamper head, wipe it with a cotton ball dipped in a bit of rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover. Do not use 100% acetone on a clear gel stamper head.
  6. When you’re all done stamping, soak a cotton ball in pure acetone and use it to wipe off all the polish residue on the stamping plate. Don’t allow the polish to harden in the pattern etchings, or it will be really tough to remove! [12]
    7. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      Warnings

      • To be extra safe, hold your used, acetone-soaked cotton balls under running water for a few seconds. Squeeze them out and throw them in the trash.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      Advertisement

      Things You’ll Need

      • Nail stamper kit
      • Cotton balls
      • Lint-free cloth or paper towel
      • Pure acetone (100%)
      • Nail polish remover
      • Rubbing alcohol (optional)
      • Dish soap
      • Nail buffer
      • Stamper polish or thick nail polish
      • Packing tape or sticky lint roller
      • Pre-polished nails (recommended)

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Clean Toe Nails
      Pro Tips For Cutting Your Nails
      How to
      File Your Nails Safely and Get Perfect Results
      How to
      Get Good Looking Nails Fast: Expert Tips
      How to
      Clean Your Fingernails
      How to
      Buff Your Nails
      How to
      Stop Itchy Cuticles
      How to
      Cure Onycholysis
      How to
      Use Nail Clippers
      How to
      Push Back Your Cuticles
      How to
      Care for Your Nails
      A Complete Guide to Cleaning & Disinfecting Your Nail Clippers at Home
      How to
      Cut Acrylic Nails
      How to
      Fix Nail Clippers
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/XB1ygCuuJ1Y?t=90
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/XpT1SEGYJ9c?t=40
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/XpT1SEGYJ9c?t=40
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/XB1ygCuuJ1Y?t=90
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/XB1ygCuuJ1Y?t=40
      6. ↑ https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/nails/a31930661/how-to-remove-gel-nail-polish/
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/XB1ygCuuJ1Y?t=40
      8. ↑ https://easynailtech.com/clean-stampers-plates/
      9. ↑ https://www.raegunramblings.com/how-to-stamp-nails-tips-and-tricks-for-success/
      1. ↑ https://www.raegunramblings.com/how-to-stamp-nails-tips-and-tricks-for-success/
      2. ↑ https://www.raegunramblings.com/how-to-stamp-nails-tips-and-tricks-for-success/
      3. ↑ https://easynailtech.com/clean-stampers-plates/

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 26,238 times.

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement