Do you have to heat chalk pads?

[Loulabelle.]

Hello
I have seen some chalk pads that look like ink pads. I think they will give a soft colour. I have read somewhere that you have to heat them to make them permanent but can't find that info now.
My query is do you have to heat them? I would like to use them for card making and gift tags rather scrap booking so they would probably not be kept for ever, but would be around for a while. Possibly months or a year.
Do you think they would smudge? When I heat card stock it often warps and is also an extra step I am lazy enough to want to avoid!
Thanks very much,
L :)

[simplyme]

Are you just stamping sentiments with them or do you intend on colouring in an image? For sentiments I think they should be fine, just leave them a sec to try if you plan on cutting the sentiment in your trimmer.

If you plan on colouring you would be safer to use a Stazon or a Versafine pad.

[Loulabelle.]

I plan on using them mainly on stamps, I have discovered the rubber stamp tapestry mini floral stamps and thought the soft look would be great as well as to edge card. So more for outlines rather than colouring in a bigger image.

[leanie]

I've used them for inking edges and stamping motifs, and never heat-set them or had them smudge; wouldn't try and colour them in though :)

[angelfish]

I mainly use mine for edging and find they dry really quickly. No need to heat set:)

[Kron]

Am I right in thinking I have read somewhere that you can "set" them with hairspray?

[angelfish]

I'm not sure why you would need to 'set' them really:unsure:

I find they dry very quickly and I've never had a problem with smudging:)

[CraftyPrincess]

You don't need to set chalk inkpads they're just a chalk effect ink. I think it's the fabric ink pads you might be thinking of, you used to have to heat set them with an iron. Or sometimes ppl say to quickly dry pigment ink use a heat gun. Pigment ink keeps wet longer so you can manipulate it, (soften it or smudge it with cotton wool or add water to it to blur or soften edges it or use embossing powder with it). Then there's the dye based pads those are the quick drying ones to use to make outlines to colour or when stamping sentiments/fonts.

[EmilyLovedHim]

Chalks are set with hairspray - have read somewhere too about heat setting the ink ones though and found that the colour changes a bit too if you do.

[Loulabelle.]

Thank you all for coming back to me.
It sounds as if I don't need to heat set them which is great.
What lovely helpful people :)

[Loulabelle.]

I have just seen another thread where a person says she has heat set chalk on fabric so I think that must be what was spoken about and I got the wrong end of the stick.
I don't want to spend much on the chalks (can't right now really) so am off to peruse colours and chop and change my mind as many times as I can.
Thanks again for the opinions......does anyone know which chalk inks are best for the money?
I have seen wheels and little ones, lots of choice...

ponder...
ponder.......:)

[angelfish]

I have some Catseyes, Chestnut Roan and Charcoal are probably my most used colours. I also like the Dewdrop ones and have a selection of 'pretty' colours in those.

Have fun choosing:)

[Gayle36]

When I did my art foundation course (about 18 years ago now) we were always taught to set chalk pastels with a special setting spray OR hairspray - which does the job just as well. But I have never had any problems with scrapbooking chalks setting so have never had the need. Essentially they are different to chalk pastels brought in an art shop which it is always best to set and can, I guess, be used for scrapbook but are, again I'm guessing, slightly messier for scrapbooking.