Japanese carving block

So everywhere I looked for carving material to review I came across compared to Japanese carving block.  So what was this stuff?  It is very expensive!  I wanted know know what all the hype was.

Here it is.  Just under 4x6 inches.  Kind of cute!  The outside pictures represent the images on a sheet of paper inside.  It also come with a tracing sheet for a pencil transfer.  This little block cost me 21.99 with shipping.  Wow- lots.

You can see there is a thin yellow layer on top, the back is completely white.  Almost opaque.  You can carve the white, but it is harder!

I told my son I'd let him pick an image-  here is a choo choo.  I could not get it to transfer.  It has been years since I had a transferring issue.  Btw- I did no prep work to the block.  So I dug in my pile to find some simple darker images.  They all worked just fine.  So a disappointed little guy, but I will carve him a little choo choo later.

Here is my transferred image.  I got the same results with all transfer methods except pencil, which I don't like. 

So I began with a gouge- I am not a gouge carver, I hesitate some with a gouge.  Look closely at the image above and you can see scare marks on the carving image.

So to the side I wanted to show you: these are gouge marks with a 1v.  Both.  The one on the left if holding the gouge like I hold a pen. The mark on the right is made holding the gouge like a paint brush.  This material is aweful for me and a gouge!

A bit disappointed I grabbed my box cutter- only because that is what I have seen others cutting this material with.

Night and day results.  

Wanted to show some gouge marks so I did some on the face.

Showing the thickness of the block.

The first stamping.  It holds ink well, very well.  The inking is an ink pad issue. I need to get a new ink pad or add ink to this one.

Cleaned up stamp.

This is an awesome product for knife cutters, I don't know about the gouge as it is. Not my tool of choice.

The opaque nature of this material allows for you to see you blade through the material making clean cuts.

I won't be buying this again as other materials are much more versatile.  However, when it is being compared to other products it is truly for the smoothness of the material.  Cuts nice.

2 inch squares

So this product was recommended by a vendor. So I decided to try it.  

This package came with 5 2x2 pieces.  Very good quality rubber.  I had a hard time finding images that I wanted to use.  I really want images that have straight lines, angles, and curves. 

Look how tiny- find an image to carve.

Found one.

Transferred with acetone.

Image transferred.

Knife cuts and gouge cuts.

The carved stamp- you can see deep grooves on the right.  I wanted  to check the consistence of the material.  Completely smooth all the way through.

Trimmed down and inked up

The first stamped image.

Summary-

Great in heat

Transfers well

Cuts smoothly

This was expensive material,but the quality of block is fantastic.  I had to get a level out because I really thought that the block was thinner around the edges.  It was an optical illusion.

Spoiler- corset LTC

So I carved a stamp with a box cutter.   The entire stamp, no knives, gouges, nope only a box cutter. 

Here is the stamped image.  It is for girls just want to have fun.  I wanted to do a card with a corset on it with a skirt on it, make it more modest.  Since all girls like to feel and look thin - I thought it was a good choice.  

Could not make it work, tried it with tulle, ribbons, etc to have an feminine elegance to it.  After days and days I gave up and am settling with a card that I don't care much for.  

Here is the unsatisfactory card, but since I want to use the stamp as it is my first box cutter.  

Candy block from etsy 8.90 plus shipping

Another layer block 6x4.

There is impressions on the top from the plastic, but that does not affect the carving at all.

This carving block came from etsy - it is the same product as the previous candy colored carving block that I carved Abe Lincoln in.   So I tried a darkened image.  This car not the best way to start.

Because the image I was starting with was darkened I knew the transfer would be too.

Ready to carve.

Started with a general outline cut

This material is bright yellow in the middle.  If you look closely you can see I made deep cuts with both knife and gouge to see how steady the material was- no,problem.

Triming up the carve.

Finished- quick 15 min stamp. 

Dollar Tree eraser - review

I was generously sent this eraser and asked to do an honest review of it.  It came from dollar tree (cost $1.00).  Apparently it comes in many different designs. This one happens to be a sweet cake of some kind.

Close up of the front

This is the back of the eraser.  As you can see it will need work before carving.

I used Acetone to remove the writing - the painted cake is on the other side.  You can see eraser left overs from rubbing the material.  I was hoping this was just from treating the material with acetone to remove the writing. That was not the case.  I dealt with those the entire carve.

To finally get a smooth crumb free area.  I took a rag with acetone and laid it over the top and gently wiped the material. This took a few minutes.

After letting the material sit until it was no longer wet or tacky (30 min.) I transferred an image using acetone.  I did not dare try anything else as I finally have a clean area.

Ready to carve

I started off with a 1v gouge around the outside.  It was a "getting a feel for the material."  I also started with an exacto knife.  The knife did not cut this material well at all.  The eraser does not have a constant consistency to it.  I found hard areas in the block. You can see on the picture that there are jagged cuts where the blade went around something in the material.

I grabbed the gouge.  I tried to show some markings in the material.  In some areas the gouge slid right through, but in others it skipped. 

Here is the printed stamp.  It you can really see the jump marks and issues right away.

Personally this is a terrible carve for me and I am embarrassed that I could not get a cleaned cut not matter how hard I tried.  It is extremely rubbery.

Summary:

You can carve this material.  This would be a great block to learn your tools on as long as you eventually move to aother.  I have been carving both wood and rubber for over 10 years and struggled to get clean lines.  My fear would be that if someone stayed on this material they might get discouraged that their carvings are not getting better.

This material will hold up well in the heat.


This material might be good to make background shadows for LTCs as it hold ink well.

1 PC Multicolor Color Layer Rubber Stamp Carving Blocks For DIY Own Stamps - review

Here is where I purchased the block:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/360720685534?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&var=630151075442&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

The block is approximately 4x6

Transferred an image easily with acetone.

The outer layers are thin. Here is a simple cut with a bit more pressure and you can see the yellow layer.

Here is knife cutting.  The center is soft - I poked at it with the tip of my blade.  A few pokes and it chewed up the center quickly.

Used a box cutter on the outer edges.

Finished cutting the image down.

Final stamp

I did not like this for knife cutting at first. Felt like the blade would grab and the material pull.  It did not do that to the rubber.  Felt like it had a "bubbling" as I put pressure on the blade to slice.   However, for a gouge cutter slide easily.  After a few minutes- I was able to carve easily with both tools.  I only carved a quick simple image with lines and angles.   

Definitely better than the pink stuff.