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Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #181817 by McBoxer
Feb 1, 2008 1:02am
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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
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #181817 by McBoxer
Feb 1, 2008 6:19am
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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. 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/
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #181925 by Fiddleheads
Feb 1, 2008 8:08am
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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
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #181982 by Lilac Butterfly
Feb 1, 2008 9:04am
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Quote 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
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #182010 by Funhog
Feb 1, 2008 9:11am
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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
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #182011 by Amanda from Seattle
Feb 1, 2008 9:19am
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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.
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #182010 by Funhog
Feb 1, 2008 9:37am
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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
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #181925 by Fiddleheads
Feb 1, 2008 11:05am
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote 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.

Quote 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.
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #182010 by Funhog
Feb 1, 2008 1:02pm
Thread (disabled) Board
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*
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #181817 by McBoxer
Feb 1, 2008 8:25pm
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I like Mastercarve the best. Pink stuff next.
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #182024 by the Dawg Pound
Feb 1, 2008 8:30pm
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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.
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #181817 by McBoxer
Feb 1, 2008 9:17pm
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Quote 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
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #181817 by McBoxer
Feb 2, 2008 2:36am
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That is stange to have those issues with MasterCarve. I have never had it crumble. Mtn. Wizard
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #181817 by McBoxer
Feb 2, 2008 8:19am
Thread (disabled) Board
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
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #182320 by Idhunna
Feb 2, 2008 8:29am
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are you sure you didn't have speedy carve? Now THAT stuff is trash!


I bet a doughnut (no cop jokes, people) that you meant to say that Speedy Cut is trash. If that is what you meant (the tan stuff by Speedball) then I agree with you whole-heartedly! Speedy Carve is the new name for the pink stuff, formerly known as Speedy Stamp, and ever and always my medium of choice.

}8>
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #182419 by Big Ox
Feb 2, 2008 8:54am
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Yup! I meant speedy cut! Dh went out and bought me some medium recently, and that's what he got...We were both surpirsed at how yucky it was. (And he is a noxer!) So he wen tout the next day and bought me two sheets of pink stuff and a small sheet of mastercarve....what a great guy!
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #182418 by Funhog
Feb 2, 2008 1:50pm
Thread (disabled) Board
[quote: (yuk) Walmart ]

double Yuk

[quote: white vinyl erasers, labeled "high ploymer."]

I just bought some of these. they worked really well. I actually got 3 stamps out of one.
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #182519 by Suzy Lou
Feb 3, 2008 7:37am
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote I actually got 3 stamps out of one


RUUUUUUN! COOOOOOOTIEEEEEEEEEES!!!!
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #181817 by McBoxer
Feb 20, 2008 5:59am
Thread (disabled) Board
McB,
Welcome to the obsession...sorry to hear that you work for the single corporation in America that is to blame for the fattening of American Youths...but hey it pays the bill$...I personally think that the stuff from Statesville NC is the best for what you are asking...
Be Safe...
BR1
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #188571 by BigRedOne
Feb 20, 2008 10:12am
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote ...sorry to hear that you work for the single corporation in America that is to blame for the fattening of American Youths...


When it comes to fattening children, the actions of any single corporation in America pale in comparison to the actions of the FDA!
Re: Carving Material
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #188656 by Kirbert
Feb 20, 2008 10:26am
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Happy Cake day Kirbert =o)

Cheers!
Rhea