Home › Forums › Explore Media › Drawing and Sketching › Help! Kneaded Erasure Question!!
- This topic has 17 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 23 years ago by bigbadja.
-
AuthorPosts
-
November 8, 2001 at 12:29 am #982917
A friend sent this email….
Here’s a minor-seeming, but expensive item I’d like help with. I teach children to sketch in charcoal–and sketch in charcoal constantly myself. The most consumable item seems to be those grey kneaded erasers. We do everything to keep them soft and pliable, but they end up–even in little closed plastic jars–turning hard and useless. Of course the kids don’t knead them, as they should, they just want ready-use, no- effort. Anyone have an idea how to keep kneaded erasers usable.? I even thought of a second or two in the microwave. Maybe not. It’s not as if they have used them enough to have them saturated with charcoal; usually the first coat of it is still on the surface of the eraser-wad. Anyone? Thanks–sorry it’s so mundane, but this group will tackle anything! Charlotte
Can anyone help me with an answer??
carlyNovember 8, 2001 at 2:00 am #999229Well, you could always buy them packages of handi tack to use instead of the more expensive kneaded erasers…works almost as well, it’s great for lifting highlights, and tis much cheaper . The reason why I say handi tak is…I’ve got a package still from college…which I bought oh maybe 8 years ago…still very pliable. I always make sure to get the white kind though, not the colored kind…the colored kind has oils in it that seep thru things very bad. Good luck!
November 8, 2001 at 4:21 am #999228My current kneadable eraser (the only one I’ve ever owned) seems as though it will never dry! A few years ago I stuck it in a draw and forgot about it which happened to be in the hottest room of the house. It must have become so heated at times because it is so soft. When I twist it into a point, and touch it to paper, it instantly goes blunt at the end (which is probably not a good thing) but least it stays soft all the time, I’m certain it will never dry out.
And the moral of this rambling story is… I think the Microwave is not a bad idea (as long as it doesn’t explode)November 8, 2001 at 11:05 am #999238I’ve been using the same eraser for many months. I use hot water to revive it (and clean it too).
a bientot, Le Gaulois
November 8, 2001 at 5:25 pm #999224Well, I never knew until now that they had that problem. I’ve never had that happen to any of mine. Maybe I lose them before they have a chance to get hard? Good luck!
Aurora
ps….little kids and charcoal, huh? I can imagine the smudged little faces, hands, and clothes….LOL!Well, that's like hypnotising chickens.
[/i]~ Iggy PopNovember 9, 2001 at 4:24 pm #999233Carly I think this might be a brand/type issue as like sherville I have had the same one for years – probably bought it in ’83 – and it is still pretty much exactly the same as when I bought it. Admittedly I use it very seldom but if anything it is slightly stickier than it once was, certainly not dry.
Mine is light blue (for the life of me I can’t remember the brand, sorry) but it seems to be a completely different type than the one I see most often in stores – I have poked and prodded the grey type numerous times over the years and they very often have become quite hard and brittle-feeling even on the shelf.
Einion
Do you know if your colour is off in hue, value, chroma... or all three?
Colour Theory & Mixing forum WetCanvas Glossary Search Tips Advanced Search Acrylics forum Acrylics - Information Kiosk
November 9, 2001 at 8:25 pm #999225Mine’s grey….Or, at least, it was when I bought it….
AuroraWell, that's like hypnotising chickens.
[/i]~ Iggy PopNovember 9, 2001 at 10:08 pm #999231I also have ahd mine for a long time and it is still soft. Might be the brand. I would give the micro a try what do yu have to loose.
"Canon 1dMK4" "Canon 1dMK2" "Canon 20D"
"24-70mm f 2.8" * "70-200 f 2.8 IS" "180 f 3.5 macro" "300 f2.8 IS"
"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter." ~Ansel AdamsNovember 10, 2001 at 1:12 am #999226Hey, I use the what you call Handi Tac, Here in NZ its Blu tac. I use the full package and this gives me a large sausage shape which also helps to keep the hands clean. Must check if we can get it in white here.
BillygPaint like a Millionaire
Oh come along with me to my little corner of the world, and dream a dream with me.
November 10, 2001 at 1:46 am #999227Well, well, billyg, didn’t know you could use blue-tak for that!
I have no probs with my kneaded erasers either, but I do replace them as they get really clogged eventually, depending on what I’ve erased;). The brand I use is Faber Castell, and it is a blue-grey colour:)
Lulu
Proud to be Kiwi!
November 10, 2001 at 3:21 am #999240What do y’all think about using Silly Putty…instead? I don’t know if it would be stiff enough to do the job, but, since it’s a
polymer, like Handi-tak and the others, it might work…give it a try. The only difference I see between these and the regular kneaded eraser is that the kneaded eraser is made of rubber, while the others are polymers. Even if S.P. doesn’t work, well, you still have something fun to play with between drawing sessions, huh?Cya!
Ace"When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college - that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared at me, incredulous, and said, 'You mean they forget?'" ~Howard Ikemoto
November 11, 2001 at 9:34 pm #999234I have heard of Silly Putty being used in this way, supposed to work great. And from what I remember that stuff lasts forever!
[i]Originally posted by Ace Harddrive [/i]
[B]Even if S.P. doesn’t work, well, you still have something fun to play with between drawing sessions, huh?[/B]Hehe
Einion
Do you know if your colour is off in hue, value, chroma... or all three?
Colour Theory & Mixing forum WetCanvas Glossary Search Tips Advanced Search Acrylics forum Acrylics - Information Kiosk
November 12, 2001 at 6:00 pm #999235I’ve used Blue Tac …it actually does work very well (and it’s cheap, ideal for kids!)
I probably shouldn’t admit to this …but what the hell, no one here knows me To keep my kneedable erasers pliable and soft while I’m drawing (without having to constantly kneed them) I keep mine down my bra:o it’s an ideal place, warm and out of the way (lol, I can hear you all screaming out TOO MUCH INFORMATION THANK YOU VERY MUCH:D) The only think you have to remember is to take it out before you go shoping …or it does look very odd!!!
Bec
www.rebeccasimmonds.com
Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?November 12, 2001 at 7:51 pm #999232Wow! I have been holding them in my hand to keep them warm! Must try the bra thing…:D
I am still using my original eraser and it sat for almost two years untouched. Still very flexible. I suspect that it is a brand thing. Mine is Faber Castell as well, but I have seen the cheaper ones go hard. Some people squeeze fruit, I squeeze erasers!:p
Do all you can with what you have, in the time you have, in the place you are. -Nkosi Johnson Twelve-year-old Zulu boy, living with AIDS
Illegitimi Non CarborundumNovember 12, 2001 at 8:44 pm #999237Oh, to be reincarnated as a kneaded eraser.
Max -
AuthorPosts
- The topic ‘Help! Kneaded Erasure Question!!’ is closed to new replies.
Register For This Site
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Search