Baren Digest Sunday, 22 December 2002 Volume 21 : Number 2069 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mike Lyon Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2002 10:36:49 -0600 Subject: [Baren 20199] Re: Registration and Puzzle Charles Morgan wrote: >Sorry to hear that you did not have good success with ink jet and water >transfer. It just seems like such a natural. For the ink that does not >seem to transfer easily with water alone, I wonder if the addition of a >small amount of ammonia or alcohol would dissolve the inks more readily. Thanks for the iron-on information, Charles! I'll try it once again (maybe I'll try to locate a hotter iron next time). You may have mis-understood me, about the water transfers of ink-jet prints, I think. I have made some TERRIFIC stuff (and had great success!) using ink-jet water-transfers to paper and wood. But because the solvent/vehicle is water, the paper on which the image is printed softens and expands during pressing (and from my experience, I do NOT think the transfers could be done at all effectively by hand -- which is how I conducted my original experiments in this direction). These transfers also 'feather' out a bit compared to the original prints. I did try printing on film, but was unable to effectively transfer the image that way. My lacquer thinner transfers are very effective, but there _is_ some 'feathering' during transfer although not nearly as much as with water transfers. So I am unable to transfer, say, a 50% gray printed at 600 dpi - -- it just transfers an even wash of black toner. But I can usually transfer it if printed at 100 dpi -- only the dots 'grow' so that they cover more space and the 50% gray becomes about 75% gray. Hair-lines, however, transfer very nicely even if they thicken a bit (maybe 1/150th of an inch?) and to my 50-something-year-old eyes, they appear sharp and clear whether printed on paper, wood, litho stone, or litho plates! I originally developed the toner transfer technique I practice for transferring toner to stone (and later adapted the technique to transfer to aluminum and zinc). In litho, the toner can be surface printed immediately but it is too fragile to survive very many impressions, so I would treat it exactly as if it were traditional oily marks except that instead of washing out the drawing through the gum rub-up with lithotene or mineral spirits, I used lacquer thinner)... Works GREAT. When I started making woodcuts, it was even easier to transfer the toner to the wood since the wood is quite absorbent compared to the metal litho plates I'd been using. :-) Eventually I learned that others had developed similar methods (and long before I did), so I think the basic techniques are very widely practiced. I use blotter paper to contain an even dose of my vehicle/solvent (water or lacquer thinner). The blotter can't be 'soaking' but has to have been dampened 'just enough' so that the transfer takes place without having a lot of loose vehicle/solvent flowing across the block/paper/whatever during pressing. I use a relatively light pressure in my press, and I conceive of it as "squeezing a small amount of the vehicle/solvent from the blotter, through the image, and into the receiver (paper or block or plate). From start to finish, including set-up, I transfer from paper to wood in about a minute. It's easy, certain, fast... What more could a person want? How about HEALTHY !! There's a 'better' method than the one I practice for toner transfer, though... You disconnect the heat fuser in your copier/printer so that the toner powder just clings to the paper via the electrical charge difference applied by the machine and doesn't get melted onto it (you can smear the image if you touch it). Then the paper with toner is carefully pressed face down against the wood block (or metal or whatever) which is to receive the image. If it smears, you just dust if off and begin again until you are satisfied. The paper is discarded. The block (or whatever) is then placed into an air-tight box which contains solvent (lacquer thinner) soaked batting held so that it doesn't directly contact the block. After sufficient time, the toner will have dissolved and be 'stuck' to the receiving surface. I Haven't done this, but I am told it makes a perfect transfer and since the dangerous solvents are not allowed into the work area, it is safer and healthier than my method. Maybe someone who has actually done this sort of transfer might step in to describe it correctly? Thanks, Mike Mike Lyon mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com http://www.mlyon.com ------------------------------ From: Jack Reisland Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2002 08:42:07 -1000 Subject: [Baren 20200] Re: Registration and Puzzle Has anyone tried the ink jet iron-on transfer paper made for transferring designs to T-shirts. I wonder if it would transfer to wood? Maybe I'll give it a try and post the results. Jack R. ------------------------------ From: Barbara Mason Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2002 12:16:41 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Baren 20201] transfer of originals The traditional way of cutting the key block with kento, printing it and transferring it to the next block works so well, as does Dave's method of using a photo copy on special paper he glues down. Both these processes are chemical free and so easy. Seems like we are making a very simple process hard.....or maybe you guys just have something against glue! I used a fairly opaque paper, the sumi paper, not as clear as tracing paper, but it worked and I could see well enough to carve through it. Dave suggested using a bit of oil if it was not clear enough, as the oil would make the paper transparent. We will see, maybe my #15 will be all over the place...but so far seems ok... Multnomah falls looks reasonably like a waterfall and the bridge is in the right place on all the blocks...wahoo! Best to all, Barbara ------------------------------ From: Mike Lyon Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2002 15:42:08 -0600 Subject: [Baren 20202] Re: Registration and Puzzle Jack Reisland wrote: >Has anyone tried the ink jet iron-on transfer paper made for >transferring designs to T-shirts. I wonder if it would transfer to >wood? Maybe I'll give it a try and post the results. You print onto receptive plastic-like sheet which is sort of like hot-melt glue -- it gets gooey when hot and that's what makes it stick to the fabric - -- It doesn't transfer the ink, it transfers a whole layer of hot-melt plastic stuff. Might be OK for oily work, but my sense is (without actually trying it, of course) that it wouldn't be too good for hanga... Let me know how it turns out! Mike Mike Lyon mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com http://www.mlyon.com ------------------------------ From: "Maria Diener (aka Arango)" Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2002 14:02:57 -0800 Subject: [Baren 20203] registration fears I don't think we are trying to make this too complicated. I think some of us oily people are used to doing things one way and are wondering if the way we do things will be compatible with the moku-hanga method. In terms of registration, I (like Gayle) work from a carved key/guide block, thus eliminating the "am I carving every block exactly the same from these puny lines" variable. I wouldn't have it any other way; in my way of working, I modify the design as I carve and let the process of carving have a "voice" in the final print. To ask me to begin with a drawing is nonsensical and crippling; I don't reproduce drawings with the woodcut method (which is essentially what the old Japanese masters did), instead, I make original woodcut prints. There is a huge difference in process and approach. So it is very good news that I can carve a key/guide block and then transfer that to other blocks. Perfect (or p'tty near purrfect) registration is a matter of eliminating or controlling variables. Cutting the color blocks from a _carved_ rather than a drawn design means eliminating one additional variable. There are enough other things to fret about. Anyhow, just adding to the ongoing conversation. There have been some excellent points and methods mentioned, wide and varied knowledge. Thanks all, Maria <||><||><||><||><||><||> HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Maria Arango Las Vegas Nevada USA www.1000woodcuts.com <||><||><||><||><||><||> ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez#walgreens.com Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2002 17:28:38 -0600 Subject: [Baren 20204] Re: old goats, sheeps....final call !!!! 12/21/2002 05:34:33 PM Today is the last day for signup to the New Year cards exchange....for those that are reading this a day late via the digest...I will extend the deadline till Monday morning.... After I add Ray Hudson & Liz Horton to the list we will up to 52 participants. That's the number of cards you should be aiming to make. Please make sure you wait till Monday 12/23 to print a final version of the list....... http://www.skokienet.org/bandits/jcrstuff/blacksheep/ thanks for participating and playing along....Julio Rodriguez ------------------------------ From: FurryPressII#aol.com Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2002 20:22:54 EST Subject: [Baren 20205] Re: transfer of originals Liqueur thinner works but is toxic (do it out side or with a lot of ventilation and rubber gloves) a non toxic method of Xerox transfer is to print it like a litho. better detail than liqueur thinner but it does take time for the ink to dry. What you need a. Xerox b. gum Arabic c. soft sponge d. oil based printers ink e. brayer\ f. two glass or plexie inking slabs Process take gum Arabic and spread it evenly on the back of the zero put it evenly on the glass then spread the gum arabic on the front even it out. Then take damp sponge and whip the Xerox. Roll up the Xerox with oil based printers ink (make sure it is not tacky). Whip it with the wet sponge and repeat. Carefully take the damp Xerox and place it on your block. Print it on the block and let it dry if you are impatient put some whiting on the damp ink. ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V21 #2069 *****************************