What is the softest, easiest to carve rubber? I have heard a lot of good things about PZKut, is it really soft? And how thick is it? I am looking, maybe, for something that a child could very easily carve, but I am not worried so much about it holding up for a long time or anything like that. Thanks, everyone!
McBoxer

I love the pink stuff. It is definitely soft. I've never carved with PZKut, though I have found stamps carved with it and it seems firmer than Speedy-Stamp. Michael's and Hobby Lobby both sell the pink stuff.

Wild Dreams

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What is the softest, easiest to carve rubber? I have heard a lot of good things about PZKut, is it really soft? And how thick is it? I am looking, maybe, for something that a child could very easily carve, but I am not worried so much about it holding up for a long time or anything like that.

PZ Kut is not soft or easy to carve; it's the firmest stuff we use.

It's difficult to imagine that the amount of muscles needed to move the tip of the cutting tool through the rubber is an issue, though -- even for a child. Maybe your tools need sharpening.

Whatever, if easy to carve is what you're looking for, find a Dollar Tree and buy their white erasers in the pack of 3 for a buck. Very easy to cut.

I use pz cut but its alot stiffer then the pink stuff.if you want soft then get pink stuff

So is speedystamp the pink stuff, is what you are saying? And it is really soft? Does the pink stuff come in any other colors? No, that is not a joke question, I just mean I would prefer it to be a different color thats all. Do any of them COME in various colors? THansk.
McBoxer

In my experience, MasterCarve is the softest.

pre

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In my experience, MasterCarve is the softest.

Ditto (and Hobby Lobby carries it)

~ 3BG

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if you want soft then get pink stuff

Actually, the pink stuff is about medium as firmness goes. Both MasterCarve and Dollar Tree erasers are a lot softer.

Anyone looking to experiment with various carving media might be interested in the Sampler Pack availabe from stampeaz (which is the only place to get PZ cut)

http://www.stampeaz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=315

{Anyone looking to experiment with various carving media might be interested in the Sampler Pack availabe from stampeaz (which is the only place to get PZ cut)}}

stampeaz? Do they have a store near Chicago anywhere? I guess I can look it up online, actually. Thanks! If they are the only ones who have PZcut, do they make it themselves, or do they have an eclusive arrangement with a big manufacturer (like speedycut or mastercarve), and just brand it as their own?
McBoxer

Webfoot could better answer your question. She IS Stampeaz.com! But here's what I can offer. I have tried EVERY carving medium on the market. Mastercarve is the softest, closely followed by the white plastic like erasers by Staedler Mars. Speedy Stamp (aka The Pink Stuff) is similar to medium between Mastercarve and PZ Kut. PZ Kut is still somewhat soft and flexible, but much, much better for carving on. It doesn't give like Mastercarve, so it lasts longer without crumbling, and is the best for doing detailed carving.

I have an 11 year old son. He has been carving since he was 8. I first gave him Mastercarve. He did ok, but as with kids, every accidental slip, and the carving was messed up. Even he prefers PZ Kut, and carves all his stamps from it.

BUT, every carver is different. I would also HIGHLY recommend buying the sampler pack on stampeaz.com and getting the feel of what you like best. Heck, you may like something different from what your kids like. Its a great way to find out.

Stampeaz is on online web store only. They are the exclusive carrier of PZ Kut. Price wise - PZ Kut is also your best value. The sheets are much larger than the other brands and the shipping there is quick and cheap and very reliable. Shipping prices are bundled too! And they take PayPal, which is good in my book!

Hope this helps!

Liz

Thank you Liz (and everyone else, too). THat helps me very, very much!
McBoxer

i have found that maestercarve is very soft, and thick. You can get a pack of three or four different mediums to try from Stampeaz.com

I had some speed ball stuff that was kind of gray looking...it was super soft and easy to carve but I did not like it because it was too soft. I bought it from Hobby lobby when they were out of pink stuff and it was less than half the price of pink. BBG

Mastercarve is probably the easiest, but definitely not the best material (IMO). PZ Kut is firm but I think it is still easy to carve. The firmness definitely lends itself to better detail. Whatever you do, don't get Speedball Speedy Cut. It is kind of a tan color. It is soft, but it completely crumbles to pieces.

On a side note, the Atlas Quest board is only for things directly related to AQ itself. If you go to Boards in menus along the top, click on Categories and then Letterbox Central, you will see a number of very specific boards related to stamp carving, logbooks, tools, etc. Check them out! :)

TG

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Whatever you do, don't get Speedball Speedy Cut. It is kind of a tan color. It is soft, but it completely crumbles to pieces

I bought some when I first started, then read the boards about the quality. I know, I'm bass ackwards sometimes.

So, I gave it as a gift to someone at a gathering.

When I get home from vacation, I'm going to order some PZCut. The stamps I've seen look great. I think (and pray) it will help me carve a better stamp.

Janet, Blooming Flowers (the artistically challenged one)

I also prefer MasterCarve. I like that it is 3/4" thick so don't necessarily have to glue it to a wood backing. Mtn. Wizard

I have some of this dark grey stuff called Softoleum. It's very soft, and I think it would be great for a kid to learn to carve on. One of the neat things about it is that it has a thin dark skin, so you can see exactly where you've carved vs where you haven't.

It's not great for getting fine detail, and it needs to be conditioned with permanent marker to get a good impression, but my son (8) uses it with considerable success. It's also really cheap and comes in a big 12x12 sheet.

I would recommend using a gouge with it rather than a knife.

Here's a link:
http://www.enasco.com/artsandcrafts/Printmaking/Block+Printing/Nasco+&%238220%3BSoftoleum&%238221%3B/

From my experience, if you are carving something really small, I would not use Mastercarve. I carved a mini flower with it to use on a LTC and by the time I was done stamping (it was a repetitive design so I stamped A LOT), the image just barely looked like a flower. The edges did not hold up and it was kinda crumbly. Though I have not had any problems with it on larger carvings so far.

Lilac Butterfly

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The edges did not hold up and it was kinda crumbly

When I read that someone thinks Mastercarve is crumbly I am baffled. I have been using it as my primary carving medium for years, carved tiny flowers, bugs, hearts, letters, etc. I have NEVER had it crumble. I've stamped my signature literally hundreds of times with no degradation of image. The detail that Archimedes Screw puts into her Mastercarve stamps is without equal. I can't help but wonder if the folks with the crumble problem are undercutting their image. Why would theirs crumble? Funhog

I believe that they are confusing Mastercarve which is white with the off-white speedy-cut stuff, not to be confused with speedy stamp which is the pink stuff!
Speedy Cut is the off-white/grey stuff that crumbles like crazy. Mastercarve is wonderful.
-amanda from seattle

I believe that they are confusing Mastercarve which is white with the off-white speedy-cut stuff

No, it was deffinately MasterCarve. I have never bought Speedy-cut and don't plan to. It wasn't really that crumbly, just a tiny bit. Maybe it was how I cut it, I don't know. I haven't had anything like that happen with the larger stamps I carved with Mastercarve though.

I bought Mastercarve from Hobby Lobby and it falls apart as I stamp. I used it for an LTC and it has fallen apart. I sent out one stamp in a postal ring and the edges had crumbled off. Is there some way to condition it or something after you carve it before you use it? I threw a whole piece in the garbage because I didn't want any more images to crumble.
Dawn

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I have some of this dark grey stuff called Softoleum. It's very soft, and I think it would be great for a kid to learn to carve on.

Only if you want him to develop a hatred for carving.

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I would recommend using a gouge with it rather than a knife.

I would recommend throwing it out. I made the mistake of buying some of that cr*p once. It is horrible stuff. It's like trying to carve putty. Speedy-Cut is vastly superior, and it's absolute garbage.

I, too, used MasterCarve for my sig stamp, and with well over 300 stampings it was still just fine...I know that the corners can be broken off if you push on it, but I've never seen it "crumble" and I've used it on smaller stamps too.

Though I have started to use the pink stuff now, just so I can have more detail.
But I still like the mastercarve for it's ease of carving!

Wander Woman
*the boxer formally known as HopeAB*

I like Mastercarve the best. Pink stuff next.

I've never had that problem with mastecarve....are you sure you didn't have speedy carve? Now THAT stuff is trash! You can crumble it between your fingers.

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I am looking, maybe, for something that a child could very easily carve,

I found a plastic eraser at a college bookstore while traveling. I wished I had bought more after creating a stamp. The ink transferred great. It was the Mercur Iraser Eraser. 69 cents. They come in bright colors and smell really good too. Kids would like that. Heck I liked it. I found them later by searching the internet, but decided to place an order for PZCUT. I do love it, but since you asked specifically for a kids' material, I thought of the eraser right off.

Flay Ming Yon

That is stange to have those issues with MasterCarve. I have never had it crumble. Mtn. Wizard

Stranded without any carving material, I have gone to (yuk) Walmart and found three packs of white vinyl erasers, labeled "high ploymer." They are very similar in consistency to Mastercarve, a tad small but for $1.47 they are a good choice. You can also pick up an Xacto knife there in the craft section. Funhog