I have a history of splitting and creating cards for myself, anf for the professional use of the local pro's in my area. i will say, while card splitting is a good skill to have, to create a blank face card is alot easier than all that! and you needn't use chemicals. A fine grain sandpaper, and even a normal pencil eraser will take the design from the face of the card. The one thing to watch out for (which is something i'm sure ALL gaff makers experience) is getting halfway through erasing a card with a rubber eraser, then the card buckles under the rubbing, leaving a horrible big fold in the card, rendering it useless! It's horrible to have to start over again!
CL