In Lorenzo’s case, he and his son use a carving and cutting tools for a precise cut-out design from the carving block. The paper will be laid facing down the rubber and rub its back with a small piece of cloth soaked in a solvent to deposit a mirror copy of the image. The rubber stamp making process starts with printing a copy of the desired image on paper and transferred onto the surface of the rubber (usually the one used for making shoe sole). Making the Mark Photo by Shara Balce/Inside Manila “Mayroong nagpapagawa mga taga iba’t ibang lugar pero Metro Manila din. He is receiving works-custom-made stamps with signature, simple text, and logos-from people around Metro Manila who usually drops by his stall in Makati and people from provinces whom he connects with online. He started his own business which he has always dreamt of. From settling bills to sending his children to school. Lorenzo eventually became passionate about stamp-making, it became his primary source of income. Renzo has been helping him for almost two years. Two of his five children are living with him-one is his daughter in first-year college and the other one is his son, Renzo who helps him in the business. The 44-year-old stamp maker from Nueva Ecija started a business in Manila even if the consequences include him being away from his wife and children. Tapos sinama lang niya ako, ” Lorenzo shared in an exclusive interview with Inside Manila. Siya talaga iyong may business na ganito, saka iyong tito niya.
Never did he know he would be involved in stamp making until his brother-in-law taught him how to carve letters and symbols on rubber. He got a vocational course certificate in Electronics Engineering in Cabanatuan. Named after his son, Renzo, the dry seal and rubber stamp business is situated near the footbridge in front Makati Central Post Office, carving different logos and names on rubbers.įor 20 years, Lorenzo used to work and make stamps under a private employer. Lorenzo mounted a small wooden kiosk along Gil Puyat Avenue in Makati City for his startup stamp-making business. Starting Small Photo by Shara Balce/Inside Manila Among those striving to make a mark (literally) in rubber stamp-making is Lorenzo Hernando. Despite the looming death of print and rise of digital imprints, the rubber stamp industry still continues to flourish. In the Philippines, the industry of customized hand-carved rubber stamps is continually gearing up along with other local handicraft businesses. Commercial stamps were mainly used for enclosing paper documents or letters, dating, and numbering until it eventually evolved into decorative purposes. But before becoming popular to both in the art and communal world, the origin of the first-ever rubber stamp dates back to 1844. Our first encounter with stamps was probably through our preschool teachers who inked us with stars on the back of our hands for a job well done-a literal stamp of approval.