Rant

Today I am going to rant. I love to carve my own rubber stamps and have used the Master Carve "cuts like butter" blocks by Staedtler for years. Super high quality, they don't crumble and are easy to carve. Alas and alack- Staedtler apparently no longer makes these blocks. I searched for a replacement and decided to give Moo Carve a try. The packaging is almost identical but the similarity stops there. (Note- not to be confused with Moo Cards - those super cute little business cards)

I ordered 7 large Moo Carve blocks from an online art store for a project. I waited with anticipation, checking the tracking daily. Last night, THEY ARRIVED. I couldn't wait to start carving my first stamp. When I unwrapped the block (came in a plastic bag, just like my old favorites) I noticed something was amiss. What are these lines all over the rubber? There were raised striations across the whole block. I sat down to carve anyway. I carved my first image - a heart entwined with leaves. The carving part was ok although not quite as easy as the Staedtler Master Carve blocks. But then I printed my image. Such disappointment. Those pesky striations were showing up in my image. NOT what I had in mind (in case you're wondering, the two final images are about the same size stamp).

I tried to email the maker of Moo Carve but the email bounced back. Hmmmm. 6 Moo Carve blocks are going back to whence they came. I have to pay the postage (each of the 4" x 6" blocks weighs a hefty 1.1 lbs!) and will be charged a 15% re-stocking fee but to me, it will be worth it. Now I just have to find another alternative. I know, I know...I'll bombard Staedtler with emails BEGGING for the return of Master Carve!