Natural Stamps Part III: Handles

I am thoroughly enjoying the stamp effects of grass seed stems that I gathered near a beach outside of Charleston, South Carolina. Because the stems are only slightly more firm than dried straw, the action of stamping coupled with the squeezing of the stem begins to take a toll on the dried vegetation.

A few months ago I gathered some bamboo with the intent of using segments as handles for pottery tools. The bamboo is narrow, but a perfect fit for these stems. I cut several lengths with a pruner and then sanded down the rough ends with sandpaper.

I inserted the stems into the bamboo, matching the widths of the interior of the bamboo to accommodate the different stems.

The bamboo minimizes the stress on the stems by supporting the stem through the directional force of pressing into the clay. The bamboo handle also eliminates the squeezing of the stem. I had initially planned to use epoxy to set the stems inside the bamboo. But the stems are surprisingly firm set several inches into the bamboo. Through use, I am also learning that the stems will eventually wear out, and being able to switch out a stem and reuse the bamboo handle is so much easier (and less wasteful) than throwing away an epoxy-filled length of bamboo each time.