Has my kneaded eraser gone bad?

[Alfieri]

I bought a Prismacolor Kneaded Eraser from Amazon on July 4th and I got it today on July 10th. It was brand new and sealed in plastic wrap. I open it up and mold it around so I can begin erasing, and it erases, however it becomes very brittle. Almost like it's tearing away and leaving behind eraser shavings like a regular rubber eraser. Did the eraser go bad during the shipping?

A kneaded eraser shouldn't be making the paper feel rough or tear apart like this:

Spoiler:

 

[Fayriee]

Those kinds of erasers are best used for things like charcoal, so when used on standard 8x12 printer paper, it tends to shred. My suggestion is that you tear off a small piece of the easer and use a lighter touch when erasing.


That will also happen when you try to erase too fast. Slow down and take your time with it. As tempting as it is, this isn't the kind of eraser you press into your lines and scrub away with all your might. It takes a deft hand. Plus, that way, you'll be able to conserve materials overall. :)

 

[ShivaDF]

Sometimes if you leave a kneaded eraser out in the open it can dry out and start crumbling. It's annoying, but I found that if you knead it a ton it will go back to normal.

 

[Alfieri]

Those kinds of erasers are best used for things like charcoal, so when used on standard 8x12 printer paper, it tends to shred. My suggestion is that you tear off a small piece of the easer and use a lighter touch when erasing.


That will also happen when you try to erase too fast. Slow down and take your time with it. As tempting as it is, this isn't the kind of eraser you press into your lines and scrub away with all your might. It takes a deft hand. Plus, that way, you'll be able to conserve materials overall. :)

It's strange though because the last Prismacolor kneaded eraser I used (on a Blick sketchbook and Bristol board) worked normally even if I applied a lot of pressure or erased fast. I guess they're all made differently, even from the same brand. Or it got fried during the shipping.

 

[Abnegation]

Those kinds of erasers are always pretty rough and ready. So you can expect it to break off in bits. You can get bad ones though, if they're super brittle or hard it's a sign that they're not the best. It's a good idea to always keep them stored in some dry place and don't leave them sitting on the table or fall onto carpets or anything like that. I tend to buy a few at once, and only throw them out if they're really not working well any more.