Erasing pencil from canvas -- Magic Eraser?

I would use a brand new one, very barely damp, and try it on an unobtrusive spot first. I think it could work - IF you used a new one and were very, very careful.

Sorry, I just *love* these Magic Erasers, so I have to respond:

1 - I went through their uses and several people mentioned using it on carpet.

2 - From the website:

"A recent television broadcast may have raised concerns about an ingredient in Magic Eraser. Be assured Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is completely safe when used according to directions, and poses no health risks or safety concerns. Here are some facts about the ingredients used in Magic Eraser:

The ingredients in Magic Eraser have been safely and commonly used for many years in a wide range of household products.

Formaldehyde is not and has never been an ingredient in Magic Eraser. One ingredient in Magic Eraser (formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer) contains the word "formaldehyde" in its chemical name. However, this ingredient is not formaldehyde and poses no health or safety risks. (Think of this name like "sodium chloride", which is table salt. Sodium by itself can be dangerous, but sodium chloride - salt - is safe.).

Magic Eraser is considered non-toxic. As with any sponge-like product, when swallowed this product may block the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, we do advise to keep this product out of the reach of children and pets to avoid accidental ingestion - it is not a toy.

It is possible that formaldehyde may be present in minute, trace amounts as a result of the manufacturing process. Even then, the amount present is significantly lower than standards established by governmental agencies and trade associations, and is actually less than what is found in indoor air.

In fact, no ingredients in Magic Eraser are subject to any health-related labeling laws in North America or in the European Union."

"Michelle" ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

If the designer instructed you to use it, are you sure it won't be covered by the surface embroidery ?

I know I had a crewel teacher who loved pencil, I found it smudged, didn't come out and was generally a pain. One of those pens which disappear with a spritz of water is far better.

Good luck!

"lewmew" ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

Now that last sentence including the European Union is reassuring. I recently watched an excellent show driven by a good Canadian journalist, Wendy Mesley, who had breast cancer and wanted to know why there seemed to be an outbreak of breast cancer and once she felt a bit better, put her talents towards enquiring.

One of the things she challenged was the inclusion in laundry detergent in north America of a certain ingredient which has been banned in Europe for about eight years, since it is a known carcinogen. The man interviewed from Proctor and Gamble (though they aren't the only ones using it) could not justify it, it didn't make the laundry whiter, brighter or do anything significant and he just looked non plussed when she asked him why they left it in, knowing it was banned in Europe.

I realize this is not much to do with the subject in hand, but it will make you look at your laundry detergent in a different light. However you can't avoid the ingredient over here!

If you want to be really conservative, you could always use the old white bread trick. You take fresh white bread, roll it into a ball, and rub it over the pencil marks. Works a treat on wallpaper (the real paper kind). If you are concerned about residual grease in the bread, you might want to try french bread which has none.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

Ordinary pencil eraser works.

Joyce in RSA.

That was the first thing I tried (i.e. the other end of the same pencil ^_^)...it got most of the mark off but there is a noticeable smudge.

I'll try the art erasers...might be one around the house. I just thought the Magic Erasers were neat after a bathroom cleaning session with one of them!

The stitching does cover the grid, but not the guide letters/numbers in the margins. I may stitch some sort of border around the edges if nothing else works.

Thanks everyone for the advice!

Joyce wrote:

Have you tried using a kneaded eraser?

I use pencil to draw light guidelines on mono canvas before painting.......you can find these erasers at art supply sections of some chain stores but full service art supply stores will carry them in all sizes and may have suggestions for you as there are many types of erasers on the market now.

Kneaded erasers are a made of a rubbery soft eraser material that eventually becomes kneaded through use. One uses the eraser by pressing it on top of drawn lines to "lift" some of the pencil, chalk or charcoal material or pigment that has been drawn to create more sensitive lines.......the drawn lines will have a thick & thin look. These erasers don't smudge drawn lines unless one wants to create a smudged effect.

Going back to the use of this eraser on canvas.........I use it to "lift" some of my pencil guidelines.

H pencil to mark canvas.......the harder the pencil, the lighter the mark. HB pencils will give a darker line depending on how much pressure is applied when drawing......the line may be harder to lift completely out but can be lightened quite a bit with the use of the kneaded eraser.

snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net said

Welcome home, Lula. What painting, stitching, embellishing, and/or designing projects are keeping you busy?