One of the things I wish I had for illustrations (graphite, various lead choices) is an eraser that can cut down to the finest line. My drawings are on thick white paper. Sort of a “.3mm” eraser. I would guess it must be very hard, like erasing with a stone or something.
Does anyone know where I can find a hard eraser (no drink jokes please) 
I seem to remember there being eraser ‘leads’ for the old-style propelling pencils (not the ultra-fine ones, there used to be clutch pencils that took a lead roughly the same diameter as an ordinary pencil) Did I imagine these?
Drink jokes? Nah - I was wondering whether in Britain you would go shopping for the tightest rubber, though.
Go to an art supply store and get an “eraser shield” – it looks like a very thin aluminum template with circles and lines and triangles and stuff cut in it.
Use it as a mask to block the lines and edges you don’t want to erase.
This has been a standard piece of drawing equipment invented shortly after the invention of the drawing pencil.
You don’t want to use a very hard eraser, but one of the pliable white “magic rub” drafting erasers. Staetler and Sanford are two common manufacturers of these. These work like a miracle, removing pencil lince cleanly and without smudging.
Here: This is a page describing drafting tools, and this is an Office Max page for the eraser I like.
“Lince?”
I don’t know how I got “lince” when I meant lines.
Carry on.
bughunter is exactly right. You can also cut those white drafting erasers down pretty thin and I always thought they took the lead off better than the pink ones. If you try something that is really hard it will just destroy the texture of your paper.
criminalcatalog,
I agree with bughunter.
If you can’t find an erasing sheild, drop me a line. I have, it seems, a million of them.
You don’t want a hard eraser because it can destroy the tooth of your paper.
If you are indeed wanting a hard eraser, there are some manufactured with pumice in them. Proceed with caution.
Magic erasers are my favorite. Pink ones are fine for letter writing, IMO, not art. I have seen some that leave pink stains on the paper.
My next favorite eraser is a kneaded eraser. These are better for softer media, such as charcoal and pastel.
two other options:
Staedler makes, IIRC, ‘mechanical pencil’ style erasers that are very thin. I have one that is rectangular and one that is round. These can be hard to find.
Another option is to use an electric eraser. Again, you have to use with a soft eraser and practice using the eraser first. If you bear down too hard on the paper, the tooth will be ruined.
This sounds like what I’m looking for. I need the ability to erase fine lines through my artwork, or points. The best thing would be to go to a digital format, but I haven’t bonded closely with my tablet yet. It’s hard to get used to, after paper.
How exactly would you plot your locations before and after in an expanding universe?
criminy, wrong thread :smack:
I’d use a mapped eraser , which can also be cut with a razor. I tend to think of erasers as very disposeable objects-- my students live to destroy them (it’s some sort of odd natural instinct teenagers have.) I cut my erasers into points all the time.