I'll have to agree with Nisha. I started out using this stuff and it
was pretty forgiving. I tried some of the "EZ-Cut" and it definately
was crumbly, so I shied away from it. Once I got the hang of how to
mak ethinner lines and became more patient with creating stamps, I've
become less abstract in my designs. As Nisha says, the stuff is
INexpensive, which makes errors less painful.

Lightnin' Bug


--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "nishakamada"
wrote:
> In reading about people searching for carving material I just need
to
> throw in my two cents.
> So far the best and cheapest carving material I have found comes
from
> Dick Blick Art Supplies. I know that that they have store fronts
> somewhere but I order through the web at dickblick.com
> The carving material that I like is called Soft-Kut. It is about 1/4
> inch thick grey rubber material that cuts really nice. Other stuff
> that I have tried is too crumbly, except Speedball's pink stuff
which
> isn't bad but pricey. Soft-kut costs $1.29 for a 4x6 block or
$7.69
> for a 12x18 block. Dick Blick also sells carving tools, I prefer
> speedball's wooden handle over the big industrial red one. The wood
> seems a nicer size for carving small soft things like letterbox
stamps.
> Also my favorite book on the subject is, The Weekend Crafter: Rubber
> Stamp Carving: Techniques, Designs & Projects
> by Luann Udell
> Happy Carving!
> Nisha