Today's postings
- [Baren 28207] Re: Mylar instead of Hanshita paper? (Mike Lyon)
- [Baren 28208] Re: Mylar instead of Hanshita paper? ("Ramsey Household")
- [Baren 28209] Re: Mylar instead of Hanshita paper? (FurryPressII # aol.com)
Message 1
From: Mike Lyon
Date: Sat, 02 Jul 2005 15:07:35 -0500
Subject: [Baren 28207] Re: Mylar instead of Hanshita paper?
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DS wrote:
>I was wondering if using an adhesive backed Mylar sheet in place of
>hanshita paper - by drawing on Mylar with ink, fixing it face down onto
>the block and cutting right through the Mylar into the block would be a
>good alternative to hanshita paper?
Hasn't been much in the way of reply to your question, and mylar would be a
pain to carve through, so I'll pitch in with a couple of additional
possibilities...
First, BarenMall used to sell a 'hanshita' paper which is two ply paper
from Woodlike Matsumura -- perhaps this paper is still available? It's a
tissue 'image sheet' and thick 'backing' -- you print, draw, laser print,
ink-jet print or whatever on the tissue side, then use thin rice paste to
adhere it to your block/s -- always include kento registration marks in
your original drawing (or ink and print the kento onto the
hanshita). After the paste sets up, peel off the backing paper and the
image will be clearly visible through the back of the tissue -- you can
easily carve right through the tissue into the wood and when done, dampen
and remove the tissue and you're set to print.
You can easily adapt litho transfer paper to the same purpose -- it's paper
with a coating of gum or gel to receive the ink, then it's dampened from
the back to dissolve the coating onto the stone (wood) carrying the image
with it.
A low-tech method which produces fast and reasonable results is to draw up
your plan on any paper (including kento registration marks) and use carbon
paper (still available at office supply stores) between the block and the
plan and re-draw the design onto each block to be carved.
You can also transfer some ink-jet prints (have to experiment -- don't use
coated paper and some ink-jet inks, including HP's, are pretty
water-insoluble when dry) to the block using dampened blotter and a press.
You can transfer virtually all toner copier images and laser printed images
to the block using solvents (lacquer thinner and acetone cocktails work
very wll (protect yourself from toxic effects with organic vapor respirator
and good ventilation) -- I wrote a short article about my technique here:
http://www.monoprints.com/info/techniques/reduction_print.html
You can also use a hot iron to transfer toner from toner technology
photo-copies and laser prints -- but the iron must be very hot -- I've
found no retail steam iron which gets hot enough -- all toners for laser
jets are made by coating carbon particles with thermoplastics -- the
particles are applied to the paper in the copy machine electrostaticly and
then fused to the copy paper by passing over a hot fuser bar -- usually
between 350 and 400 degrees F is needed to melt the thermoplastic and most
steam irons don't get anywhere near this hot... After a lot of searching
for hot irons I bought a fairly expensive iron which hits 400 degrees F and
it does a 'fair' job of transferring toner -- not nearly as good as solvent
transfers, but non-toxic and good enough. http://www.reimersinc.com/ Mine
is a Reimers Model 42-TE -- I don't know whether the company still produces
these or not.
-- Mike
Mike Lyon
Kansas City, Missouri
http://mlyon.com
>I was wondering if using an adhesive backed Mylar sheet in place of
>hanshita paper - by drawing on Mylar with ink, fixing it face down onto
>the block and cutting right through the Mylar into the block would be a
>good alternative to hanshita paper?
Hasn't been much in the way of reply to your question, and mylar would be a
pain to carve through, so I'll pitch in with a couple of additional
possibilities...
First, BarenMall used to sell a 'hanshita' paper which is two ply paper
from Woodlike Matsumura -- perhaps this paper is still available? It's a
tissue 'image sheet' and thick 'backing' -- you print, draw, laser print,
ink-jet print or whatever on the tissue side, then use thin rice paste to
adhere it to your block/s -- always include kento registration marks in
your original drawing (or ink and print the kento onto the
hanshita). After the paste sets up, peel off the backing paper and the
image will be clearly visible through the back of the tissue -- you can
easily carve right through the tissue into the wood and when done, dampen
and remove the tissue and you're set to print.
You can easily adapt litho transfer paper to the same purpose -- it's paper
with a coating of gum or gel to receive the ink, then it's dampened from
the back to dissolve the coating onto the stone (wood) carrying the image
with it.
A low-tech method which produces fast and reasonable results is to draw up
your plan on any paper (including kento registration marks) and use carbon
paper (still available at office supply stores) between the block and the
plan and re-draw the design onto each block to be carved.
You can also transfer some ink-jet prints (have to experiment -- don't use
coated paper and some ink-jet inks, including HP's, are pretty
water-insoluble when dry) to the block using dampened blotter and a press.
You can transfer virtually all toner copier images and laser printed images
to the block using solvents (lacquer thinner and acetone cocktails work
very wll (protect yourself from toxic effects with organic vapor respirator
and good ventilation) -- I wrote a short article about my technique here:
http://www.monoprints.com/info/techniques/reduction_print.html
You can also use a hot iron to transfer toner from toner technology
photo-copies and laser prints -- but the iron must be very hot -- I've
found no retail steam iron which gets hot enough -- all toners for laser
jets are made by coating carbon particles with thermoplastics -- the
particles are applied to the paper in the copy machine electrostaticly and
then fused to the copy paper by passing over a hot fuser bar -- usually
between 350 and 400 degrees F is needed to melt the thermoplastic and most
steam irons don't get anywhere near this hot... After a lot of searching
for hot irons I bought a fairly expensive iron which hits 400 degrees F and
it does a 'fair' job of transferring toner -- not nearly as good as solvent
transfers, but non-toxic and good enough. http://www.reimersinc.com/ Mine
is a Reimers Model 42-TE -- I don't know whether the company still produces
these or not.
-- Mike
Mike Lyon
Kansas City, Missouri
http://mlyon.com
Message 2
From: "Ramsey Household"
Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2005 14:58:13 -0700
Subject: [Baren 28208] Re: Mylar instead of Hanshita paper?
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Well, I am not a new member, but you may have revolutionized my printmaking with your suggestion to DS about hanshita paper. Thank you, thank you!!
Carolyn
Carolyn
Message 3
From: FurryPressII # aol.com
Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2005 23:23:38 EDT
Subject: [Baren 28209] Re: Mylar instead of Hanshita paper?
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do your laq. thinner transfers out side, and you should use gloves
john c.
john c.