Baren Digest               Thursday, 6 March 2003       Volume 22 : Number 2150


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From: Mike Lyon <mikelyon#mlyon.com>
Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2003 13:34:50 -0600
Subject: [Baren 20919] Spencer Museum to exhibit #15 !! 

WOW !! Congratulations to all !!!

Cori Sherman, Assistant Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Spencer 
Museum of Art in Lawrence, Kansas http://www.ku.edu/~sma/ is putting 
together a special exhibition called, "Inspired by Japan" (opening April 19 
and running through June 29).  The exhibition will show off nice japonisme 
examples from the Spencer's collection.  The prints from Baren's all-hanga 
exchange #15 will be prominently displayed, spread out in a showcase in the 
middle of the exhibition gallery.

Our visit to the Spencer during the BAREN SUMMIT June 14-22 should be 
thrilling -- not only because of "Inspired by Japan" which includes some of 
our own prints...   We'll also visit the Spencer's "print study" room in 
which all our archived exchange portfolios will be available for viewing 
(and hopefully some of the Spencer's other woodcut prints as well)...

If you'd like to join John Amoss, Maria Arango, Carole Baker, David Bull, 
John Center, Jeanne Chase, Colleen Corradi, Ray Hudson, Kent Kirkpatrick, 
Sharri LaPierre, Mike Lyon, Carol Lyons, Barbara Mason, Mary McCarthy, 
Wanda Robertson, Julio Rodriguez, Sue Salsbury, Richard Stockham, Gayle 
Wohlken, and certainly others as well at the BAREN SUMMIT for a week of 
moku-hanga intensity, you can learn more and Register at 
http://www.barenforum.org/summit -- it's going to be pretty wonderful and 
loads of fun!

- -- Mike

PS  If you'd like to volunteer to demonstrate traditional Japanese 
woodblock carving and printing techniques during the April 19 -- June 29 
exhibition, contact Cori Sherman off-list at: mailto:csherman#ku.edu


Mike Lyon
mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com
http://www.mlyon.com  



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From: Mike Lyon <mikelyon#mlyon.com>
Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2003 14:25:23 -0600
Subject: [Baren 20921] Re: Alert for #16 exchange participants 

As published at 
http://www.barenforum.org/exchange/exchange_16/exchange_16.html -- the size 
for #16 is chuban, "about 10 x 7.5 inches"...  If the prints are within 
one-half inch of that dimension they should be OK.

Mike Lyon
Baren Exchange Manager (kow-tow all yea who approacheth me!  :-)



At 01:17 PM 3/5/2003 -0700, you wrote:


>So, what size did we decide that chuban is?  8.5 x 10.5 inches or 7.5 x 
>10.5 inches?  Exchange 16 participants are dying to know...soon!
>
><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^>
>Kristine Alder



Mike Lyon
mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com
http://www.mlyon.com  


------------------------------

From: Julio.Rodriguez#Walgreens.com
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 14:30:50 -0600
Subject: [Baren 20922] Re: wood buying tips 


Great news Mike, Congratulations to all #15 participants !!!

I know purchasing wood for our blocks is a source of frustration to many 
of us...what to by, where ?, how much to pay ?
Those that order from catalogs or websites have to pay expensive shipping 
and don't really know what they are getting till the package arrives.

Here is a tip. Look under "hardwood" in your yellow pages, (not Lumber or 
Home Centers) and see if you have any stores that specialize in hardwoods. 
Home Centers will carry red-oak, poplar and sometimes maple...but not 
cherry or basswood which are preferred woods for our stuff. Even if you 
find some cherry at your local lumber/home center it will
be so small in width to practically be useless....

These specialty "hardwood" stores cater to the woodworker, fancy furniture 
maker, hobbyist, specialty home contractor, etc....they have everything in 
large quantities (as in wide & long) from your domestic cherry and maple 
to your exotic ebony, mahogany and amaranth.  The best thing is of course 
you can go in and search thru piles of your favorite wood species and pick 
the boards YOU want.  Some places will also cut it to size for you. 

Living in a big city has it's benefits, I have several such places nearby 
and last week I visited Owl's Hardwoods in DesPLaines (Illinois).  I went 
straight for their cherry "cutoffs" bin and picked myself a dozen or so 
"small" pieces ideally suited for woodblocks. Because they were in the 
"cutoffs" bin (wood left over from cuts on larger boards)...they were 
discounted at 25-50% off the marked price. 

I came home with several cherry boards 3/4 X 8 X 15-18" for about 
$1.50-2.50 a piece. A substantial savings from paying full price. The 
widest board I got was 9.5" wide by 19" long and it ran about $4.00.  A 
nice little 5X7" cherry block..2" thick !!! cost me only .80 cents.  Got 
me some maple too.

Now...our domestic cherry is probably not the same quality carving wood 
that they have over in Japan....but it sure beats
that other junk I been working on. So look in the yellow-pages or stopby a 
specialty tool store and ask for local sources of hardwood.

thanks....Julio Rodriguez (Skokie, Illinois) 

 


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From: "Robert Canaga Gallery" <rcg#robertcanagagallery.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 15:01:13 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20923] Re: Alert for #16 exchange 
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Hi, This is a stoopid ? but is that 7.5X10.5 print size or paper size???
I just returned from a fantastic week in cols snowy frozen Ohio. The 
printmaking workshop was a huge success! Takuji Hamanaka is a great 
teacher and printer. There were a few experienced printers there but 
most were beginners. I ended up doing a 4 block, 6 color print with 
gradation...began with 8, ended with 4.
I got to use a good ball bearing barren and like it so much I ordered 
one from Takuji (cheaper).
The snow was wonderful, I even went to the zoo and saw some confused 
animals..Zebras in the snow..I hope the photos come out:)
Yours in printing
RC

------------------------------

From: "Terri Nelson" <nelsonte#ohsu.edu>
Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2003 15:29:37 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20924] Has anyone ever used a pin press? 


Hello- I do wood engravings, usually carved on to Fiber Core Hardwood 
Plywood (it's insanely cheap, I get very high definition fine line cuts, 
and did I mention it's insanely cheap?).  I ink the boards just like 
they're a metal engraving, and have been pretty successful pulling prints 
using intaglio presses and heavy soaked cotton rag papers.  However, I 
don't have a press of my own, and I don't really want to take a class 
right now just to have access to a press.  Have any of you tried using the 
"pin press" that Mc Clains is selling?  It SOUNDS great but it's awfully 
pricy to buy just to try out.

Here's the url:
http://www.imcclains.com/catalog/baren/pinpress.html



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From: Charles Morgan <cmorgan#uvic.ca>
Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2003 19:07:51 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20925] Re: Has anyone ever used a pin press?


I am interested in just how you ink the boards ... you say just like a 
metal engraving. Are you printing as relief or as intaglio? Relief I can 
understand. But if it is intaglio, I am having difficulty imagining how you 
could wipe the board clean enough.

As for the pin press ... no matter what they say, it is a rolling pin and a 
damned expensive one. First, I would try a marble rolling pin; I doubt that 
their pin press is any more accurate than a marble rolling pin. I have used 
a marble rolling pin from time to time, and it does work fairly well.

For small prints (8.5 x 11 or so) you might try a bottle jack press. I am 
sure you have seen the sort of thing I mean, using a standard automotive 
hydraulic "bottle" jack in a frame. They are easy to make and cheap. If you 
do not know what I am talking about, get back to me and I will explain more 
fully.

And if you really want one of those pin jacks and are concerned that it be 
"really" accurate, check with a local machine shop. They can weld something 
up using steel pipe quite easily ... then they can put it on a lathe and 
use a surface grinder to true it up. It may be cheaper than buying one.

Good luck ........ Charles

At 03:29 PM 3/5/03 -0800, you wrote:

>Hello- I do wood engravings, usually carved on to Fiber Core Hardwood 
>Plywood (it's insanely cheap, I get very high definition fine line cuts, 
>and did I mention it's insanely cheap?).  I ink the boards just like 
>they're a metal engraving, and have been pretty successful pulling prints 
>using intaglio presses and heavy soaked cotton rag papers.  However, I 
>don't have a press of my own, and I don't really want to take a class 
>right now just to have access to a press.  Have any of you tried using the 
>"pin press" that Mc Clains is selling?  It SOUNDS great but it's awfully 
>pricy to buy just to try out.
>
>Here's the url:
><http://www.imcclains.com/catalog/baren/pinpress.html>http://www.imcclains. 
>com/catalog/baren/pinpress.html
>



------------------------------

From: Barbara Mason <barbaramason45#yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 21:13:35 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Baren 20926] Re: Alert for #16 exchange participants 



And the boxes will be the same size as the regular chu ban boxes, 8.5x10.5, so both sizes will fit the boxes.
Best to all,
Barbara
 
 
 Mike Lyon <mikelyon#mlyon.com> wrote:As published at 
http://www.barenforum.org/exchange/exchange_16/exchange_16.html -- the size 
for #16 is chuban, "about 10 x 7.5 inches"... If the prints are within 
one-half inch of that dimension they should be OK.

Mike Lyon
Baren Exchange Manager (kow-tow all yea who approacheth me! :-)



At 01:17 PM 3/5/2003 -0700, you wrote:


>So, what size did we decide that chuban is? 8.5 x 10.5 inches or 7.5 x 
>10.5 inches? Exchange 16 participants are dying to know...soon!
>
><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^>
>Kristine Alder



Mike Lyon
mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com
http://www.mlyon.com - -




------------------------------

From: Barbara Mason <barbaramason45#yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 21:17:39 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Baren 20927] Re: Has anyone ever used a pin press? 



Terri,
I have one and it will not take the place of a press by any means,
However, Nik Semenoff has a palm press that will do a good job...see his site at http://duke.usask.ca/~semenoff/
or look up his name on the internet..his daughter makes these palm presses, sort of like a ball bearing baren. In fact a ball bearing baren might work.
Best to you,
Barbara
 
>Have any of you tried using the "pin press" that Mc
> Clains is selling?  It SOUNDS great but it's awfully pricy to
> buy just to try out.



------------------------------

From: FurryPressII#aol.com
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 00:33:16 EST
Subject: [Baren 20928] Re: Has anyone ever used a pin press? 

I have printed both wood cuts and wood engravings as well as corian 
engravings as an intaligo print.  the wood works but not as well as the 
corian.    You have to seal the wood and even then the dampness and pressure 
efect the wood also the wood does not wipe clean enough.   The dampness 
effects the wood.   But with corian you can print it intaligo or relief 
equally well    just be mindful not to cut it as deep as you might as a 
relief printed engraving.   The corian seems to be the only matrix that works 
equally well as relief or intaligo.  in wipeing the matrix  the wood has too 
much tooth so to get a real white is difficult  but the corian wipes as clean 
as  copper and sometimes even cleaner.

john center

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End of Baren Digest V22 #2150
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