Carving Orange Stuff

With the current shortage on White PZ Kut, I decided that it was time to develop the character quality of flexibility (rather than whining) and start practicing carving on other medium (media? mediums?). Since "the orange stuff" seems to run a close second in popularity to the white, I thought I'd try that first. The image was a little tricky to transfer at first, until I realized that none of the traditional methods like xylene, ironing or burnishing would be work. A simple, firm hand tracing technique proved most effective. Also, this was the first time ever that I have had better luck with gouges over the whole image. "The orange stuff" seems much softer than the white and I just didn't have the control over the depth of the cut with the exacto that I'm used to. The surface wasn't as smooth or flat, and I found it necessary to keep a paper towel handy to wipe off the image occasionally. I was unaware that "the orange stuff" weeps a clear, sticky fluid as you carve. On the other hand, it is significantly cheaper than the PZ Kut grade A that I customarily purchase. It remains to be seen how the orange will hold up to multiple inking and stamping sessions, and I have serious doubts about it's longevity during our cold, wet winters. Perhaps I can convince Kirbert to run some comparison tests. With practice, it could make a fair substitute, but all in all, I miss my PZ white.