Rubber stamps have an interesting history for those who don't know that they might have been inspired by dentures. Yes, it's true: dental dentures! But first off, Charles Goodyear had to discover the secret to vulcanization. This is the process of "curing" rubber such that it can be molded as needed. Before Goodyear's discovery, rubber -- in its natural state -- was not very practical to work with. It is sticky but would not stay set in any one particular shape. With vulcanization, rubber, once cooled, would hold the shape in which it had been molded.
Many applications were thus found for rubber (poor Mr. Goodyear, incidentally, did not benefit financially from his invention, however, though he was publicly recognized by the Emperor of France and decorated with highly prestigious medals). One of these was dentures. Rubber was found to be a most welcome replacement for the dentures of that era, which were often made out of metal or even wood! Dentists were making their own dentures, and one of these dentists, it eventually turned out, had a curious nephew who started manufacturing rubber stamps for the U.S. Postal Service. This nephew, James Woodruff, is credited with inventing the quality rubber stamp we have come to know. There are numerous, in fact, numerous origins claimed of rubber stamps, and depending on how a rubber stamp is to be defined such geneses could even stretch back to Mayan civilization! The version just presented here is among the most widely accepted ones for those marking devices which we today would most immediately recognize as being rubber stamps.
Another very popular and widely accepted contender for the title of Inventor of The Rubber Stamp was L.F. Witherell, who went so far as to compose a document with the name of "How I Came to Discover the Rubber Stamp". He claimed to have gotten inspiration from his time as a foreman at a manufacturing facility of wooden pumps. Apparently, there was an identification marking problem of some kind where the paint would run, creating blotches on these pumps. Witherell hit upon the idea of creating stencils out of thin sheets of rubber packing. But while making the stencil, he thought to simply create thick letters out of the rubber, then gluing them to a backing of wood, with which he could make repeated impressions of his own initials.
The candidate considered least likely to be the inventor of rubber stamps, Henry C. Leland, was actually championed, ironically, at the time by no other than in an issue of the "Stamp Trade News" from a manufacturer of rubber stamps. But no matter the actual origins, there is no doubt that the rubber stamp itself has made quite an impression on history.
Many applications were thus found for rubber (poor Mr. Goodyear, incidentally, did not benefit financially from his invention, however, though he was publicly recognized by the Emperor of France and decorated with highly prestigious medals). One of these was dentures. Rubber was found to be a most welcome replacement for the dentures of that era, which were often made out of metal or even wood! Dentists were making their own dentures, and one of these dentists, it eventually turned out, had a curious nephew who started manufacturing rubber stamps for the U.S. Postal Service. This nephew, James Woodruff, is credited with inventing the quality rubber stamp we have come to know. There are numerous, in fact, numerous origins claimed of rubber stamps, and depending on how a rubber stamp is to be defined such geneses could even stretch back to Mayan civilization! The version just presented here is among the most widely accepted ones for those marking devices which we today would most immediately recognize as being rubber stamps.
Another very popular and widely accepted contender for the title of Inventor of The Rubber Stamp was L.F. Witherell, who went so far as to compose a document with the name of "How I Came to Discover the Rubber Stamp". He claimed to have gotten inspiration from his time as a foreman at a manufacturing facility of wooden pumps. Apparently, there was an identification marking problem of some kind where the paint would run, creating blotches on these pumps. Witherell hit upon the idea of creating stencils out of thin sheets of rubber packing. But while making the stencil, he thought to simply create thick letters out of the rubber, then gluing them to a backing of wood, with which he could make repeated impressions of his own initials.
The candidate considered least likely to be the inventor of rubber stamps, Henry C. Leland, was actually championed, ironically, at the time by no other than in an issue of the "Stamp Trade News" from a manufacturer of rubber stamps. But no matter the actual origins, there is no doubt that the rubber stamp itself has made quite an impression on history.
Article by Paul Wise, who has done extensive research on Rubber Stamps. If you need a pre-inked or Self Inking Stamp, visit IdealStampShop.com.
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