I apologize if this is a redundant question, but what are the pros and con's of the different ways to "fix" poor carving material. I know that one of them involves rubbing it down with acetone and another suggests using sandpaper. Do you prefer one method over another? I haven't had to "resurface" any of my blocks yet but I recently purchased some two-tone thin material from blick art store (their own brand, but I can't find it on their website) but it is so shiny that the ink comes out splotchy and it picks up "fuzz" when sitting out. I use wintergreen oil for my transfers if that matters.

Also, I know how much everyone loves their lock n locks- I recently found an entire lock n lock display at my local marshalls, small/medium ones started at $1.99. They looked at me funny when I bought like 15 of them but for that price how could I not!!

Thanks everyone!!
p.s. I know it's a low priority but if anyone affected by Harvey or Irma needs help recarving any of their stamps let me know!

I do an acetone rub (soaked rag wrapped around a small wood block) before the actual wintergreen oil transfer, and have been very happy with the results.

Acetone scrub works best. Soak a cotton rag with acetone, wrap it around a wooden block, and rub the surface of the material with it. It should end up flat. If you just dip 'n dab acetone around on it, you're going to end up with an uneven surface. Acetone removes material.

You'll need to let it dry after applying acetone, but just a few minutes seems to be enough. You can tell with a sniff test. If the surface still smells like acetone, it's not dry yet.

There are a precious few materials that are impervious to acetone. For those, you'll need to resort to sandpaper. The finer grit the better; 600 is great, 1200 is still good.

I use wintergreen also, and I agree with a previous statement. Acetone "scrub" before transfer/carve. I will just use a rag with pure acetone I get from one of the home improvement stores until I no longer see any sheen. Once the surface has sat long enough to "re-cure" I'm good to go!