[Baren] Daily Digest

Today's postings

[Baren 34906] Re; printing waterbased with press (Tiberiu Chelcea)
[Baren 34907] Re:Press with water based inks (DADI)
[Baren 34908] RE: Re; printing waterbased with press ("Maria Arango")
[Baren 34909] Baren Member blogs: Update Notification (Blog Manager)

Message 1
From: Tiberiu Chelcea
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:10:53 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Baren 34906] Re; printing waterbased with press
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> HELP!!!!! I am down here in Baja, the traveling woman. I can not get a

> baren here and I left both of mine in the states. I know people have used

> other things. But, my question is this, who has press run with water based

> ink??? I know it has been done and this block will fit on my mini press

> that I have here. (my year of the rat block) So how did you do it, did you

> use felt or did you use mat board and how heavy??

You can print water-based inks with a press (I assume you mean intaglio press).

Generally, there's not much you need to do to print the block through the press. Just ink the block, place the paper on top, and then the "blanket" (see below), and run it through the press. Sometimes, it helps to have two rails the same height of the block on the sides of the press bed to drive the bed, but this can be skipped if the bed of the press is really straight (mine's a bit warped and I need those).

Now, what to use for the "blankets". I think it depends on what inking method you're using, how deep you've cut the block and how much embossing you want to show. It boils down to this: if you're using felts, then the paper is pushed more into the cut areas, because the felt is more maleable; using felt also helps if the surface of the block is slightly uneven. If you use something like a matboard, the paper is going to be pushed less into the cuts, the print will be less embossed.

If you are using western methods of inking the block (i.e. rollers), then you can use felt without any problems, as well as matboard. If you're using japanese style inking, then use matboard, since otherwise the paper will pick pigment from the cut areas around what's supposed to be printed.

For matboard, I don't think it really matters how heavy it is. You should pick something fairly rigid, and it should work. I think some people are skipping using mat altogether, and just have the paper on top of the inked block, but I haven't tried that (again my warped press bed does not help).

Hope this helps,
Tibi

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Message 2
From: DADI
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 09:59:30 -0600
Subject: [Baren 34907] Re:Press with water based inks
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I always use my press with water based inks, aku-kolor, Daniel Smith, or Graphic chemical.
I use a plastic like Plexiglas over the paper and then Êa blanket. Actually I have only used
a baren rarely. The pressure doesn't have to be to heavy, you need to experiment.

Dale Phelps, Waterloo, IA

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Message 3
From: "Maria Arango"
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:27:09 -0800
Subject: [Baren 34908] RE: Re; printing waterbased with press
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What Tibi said...

And if you insist on printing by hand, try the old standby, a wooden spoon.
Might want to lop off most of the handle to get it out of the way.
Other things that work are a wooden doorknob (glued back to back to another
wooden doorknow as a handle), a rolling pin (requires you to put your weight
on it to get a decent print).
Or "make" a baren out of a wicker coaster glued to a backing of wood, this
one works great and wicker coasters are cheap.

Also on the press, you can use just matboard and then cushion with soft
blotter paper as a backing, adding blotters until you get the desired
result.

Maria

Maria Arango
http://1000woodcuts.com
http://artfestivalguide.info

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Message 4
From: Blog Manager
Date: 26 Jan 2008 04:55:33 -0000
Subject: [Baren 34909] Baren Member blogs: Update Notification
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Baren Archives

[Baren] - the International Forum for Woodblock Printmaking

Volume: 42 / Number: 4207

Saturday, 26th of January, 2008

Today's postings

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