Speedball Speedy-Carve Blocks

CONTEXT We wanted to get some shirts and dresses printed for our wedding, but when we got the quote from our local printers, it was insane and not worth it. I had already planned to do block printing on some shirts we purchased and had a little bit of practice, so I figured this would be the perfect time to do it. PROS - Very smooth and easy AF to carve. - This is large! One block of this can make a nice, large print on a dress or shirt. CONS - It is quite flimsy, so you'll have to be careful when actually block printing... especially if you make a large print like I did. OVERALL I love Speedball carving blocks! They are very easy to use, even for first-timers.

I bought this because I needed something longer. Good texture and easy to carve. Good value if you are serious about your work.

works well for hand printing of many copies. stable, can be saved for years. great “carvability.”

I like this because it is fast to carve, but I don’t like that material tears really easily. It’s hard to explain, but I had already tried to carve on the other material. I don’t know what that’s called. I have to look it up, but it’s a harder surface. It’s not wood. It’s a different laminate type material anyways that one seemed to have worked better this one I do like that you don’t have to push his hard so I guess if you’re practicing it’s a great piece to practice on especially if you’re trying to hurry up see if it’s for a gift or something like that like I did. I liked it for that purpose. I bought an extra piece because I thought that I would use it again, but I didn’t rush back into it like I thought I would’ve.

Still supple after all of these years! I wrote the below review 10 years ago, and figure there might be some people wondering how long this product will last, especially given how much love and work goes into carving your own stamps. So, just for that reason, I've pulled out my old stamps to see how they are doing. They're doing WONDERFULLY! Even after 10 years, the material is still the same consistency--firm enough to hold its shape very well, yet desirably soft and pliable with no breakdown. The unused product can still be carved just as if it were brand new. The carved stamps from 10 years ago take the ink as if they were brand new. (I've attached 3 new photos showing the stamps after 10 years, and showing some stamps I attached to wood 10 years ago.) About attaching stamps to wood: In my experience (I only create smaller stamps, up to about 3 inches), attaching stamps to wood isn't necessary, but it can make using the stamps easier. Small stamps can be directly attached to wood. Larger stamps can be directly attached to wood, or could benefit from being attached with a simple piece of craft foam cut to shape and glued in between the wood and the stamping material (adding foam could allow "give" that makes the large stamps stamp more evenly.) The stamps that I attached to wood scraps were glued to the wood with Aleene's Craft Glue 10 years ago, and that glue still holds the stamps securely to the wood. (Simply sand the wood blocks with a 150grit-or-so sandpaper, wipe the blocks down with a very lightly moist cloth to remove the dust from the sanding, let dry thoroughly, create a stamp impression on one side, attach the stamp to the wood with Aleene's Craft Glue, let dry thoroughly---then, viola!) End 2025 update. --------------- Original review from 2015: I can carve very fine details with great success I use this product all the time to create intricately detailed hand-carved stamps. The material is rigid enough to hold its form, yet flexible enough to allow for even image stamping. I find that the material doesn't crumble while carving, and maintains its shape after it has been carved. I can carve very fine details with great success. Every time I use this product, I find no problems in using it; making stamp carving a very relaxing and enjoyable process. With a 6x12 sheet I can make many many stamps!

I have just done my first block printing. It was easy to carve. Definitely will buy more.

My favorite carving rubber. Perfect for smooth and easy cuts.

This is my new favorite linocut material. It's way easier to carve than typical linoleum (much gentler on my hands!) but firmer and less stretchy/rubbery than other block printing material styled "easy." I've used several products including Speedball's other line (Speedy-Cut), Utrecht's Soft-Kut, and Sax Safe N E-Z Printmaker's Rubber Blocks from Amazon, and this one beats them all in everything except (sadly) price. The pink Speedy Carve holds really fine, sharp lines with no drag on the blade and no flex to the rubber to warp the cut, which was a particular problem for the Utrecht and Sax Safe. It also feels a lot more durable than the other brands, though I haven't really pushed them to their limits. I wish the price were a bit lower, but it's by far the most pleasant material to work with and allows for a lot more precision and detail.

It's very small size , very disappointed:(

Perfect and easy carving. Way better than when we were kids and actually used linoleum

Expensive but very good for rubber stamps.

Cuts cleanly and easily with no crumbling. Will order more.

Das mit Abstand beste Stempelgummi zum Schnitzen von Stempeln, das es gibt! Leicht zu schneiden, aber es bröselt nicht und hält sich auch viel besser als andere Marken, sodass man lange etwas von seinen Stempeln hat. Es lassen sich sehr feine Motive schneiden und die Oberfläche ist fest und dicht. Schade, dass es das nicht in Deutschland zu kaufen gibt. Versand aus GB ging aber sehr schnell. Der Block war nach 3 Tagen da.