Today's postings

  1. [Baren 37842] Re: Year of the OX Exchange (Julio.Rodriguez # walgreens.com)
  2. [Baren 37843] keeping paper damp (Linda Beeman)
  3. [Baren 37844] Re: Keeping Paper Damp ("nancy osadchuk")
  4. [Baren 37845] Re: Year of the OX Exchange (aqua4tis # aol.com)
  5. [Baren 37846] Re: cabin fever ("Terry Peart")
  6. [Baren 37847] Re: keeping paper damp (Shireen Holman)
  7. [Baren 37848] Re: keeping paper damp (Dave Bull)
  8. [Baren 37849] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V46 #4666 (Jan 7, 2009) ("Shelley Hagan")
  9. [Baren 37850] New Baren Digest (HTML) V46 #4666 (Jan 7, 2009) (Barbara Mason)
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Message 14
From: Julio.Rodriguez # walgreens.com
Date: Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:40:51 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37842] Re: Year of the OX Exchange
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Jan writes:
"So how many more will be signing on?"

We are at 53 which is about average participation for the last three
years. I mentioned on my post from January 5th that we would be closing
Signup in a day or two so I think everyone had plenty of notice by now.

We will close Signup later tonight after the next digest goes out.

Some participants send them out a bit at a time choosing to print several
small editions as time or energy permits, while others just print the
whole thing at one run and mail away. Your choice of course but please
make sure you have the final list of participants to include any late
signups.

As noted by many, if you are late with your New Year prints don't despair,
get them out asap, people will enjoy getting their prints in the mail even
if it's a displaced dog, pig, rat or whatever !!!! It is always very nice
when among the midst of bills, sales-ads and other assorted junk mail I
come across a little New Year print from one of you.

thanks again for your participation...Julio
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Message 1
From: Linda Beeman
Date: Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:06:41 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37843] keeping paper damp
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I use watercolor for moku hanga prints and have had no problem here in Michigan using this method:
I have a spray bottle with distilled water with which I dampen 2 blotters pretty well. Depending on the thickness of the paper I'm printing, I either spray each paper lightly or every 3rd or 4th one. Then I stack them between the damp blotters. I put these in a large plastic sheet that I got when I bought mat board. I fold in the ends of the plastic and put those big black clips around the edges to seal it up. This is left over night. Next day I "fan" the papers so they are easier to pick up during printing.
I've gone a week or so printing and they do dry out a little around the edges but if I respray the blotters before closing the bag up for the night they are good the next day.
I've had absolutly no issue with mold, I think because of the distilled water.
I've actually dried the prints, looked them over, decided I want to reprint a certain part and rewet the lot the same way. No problems. Thanks to Mary Brodbeck for telling me this method!
Linda
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Message 2
From: "nancy osadchuk"
Date: Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:52:39 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37844] Re: Keeping Paper Damp
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I built myself a humidor with coreplast, tenplast or whatever it is called in different brands...like corrugated cardboard but all plastic. It is designed like a clamshell box, and there is nothing else like duct tape ! to seal edges. It is easy to open and close.

Nancy O
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Message 3
From: aqua4tis # aol.com
Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:38:59 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37845] Re: Year of the OX Exchange
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ok i have my dog pig and rat blocks cut i have the dog prints done and promise to print the others. may i please be included in his exchange???? if people want they can hold on to their prints until they get one from me, but i really really want to be included in this
georga
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Message 4
From: "Terry Peart"
Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:52:22 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37846] Re: cabin fever
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Hang in there Viza !!
I don't know what's going on with this weather - but it seems to be getting
more and more intense - everywhere!
Now, here comes the Pineapple Express!

Terry
West Seattle
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Message 5
From: Shireen Holman
Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:09:15 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37847] Re: keeping paper damp
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Dave,

I like your box - I've been using a large plastic bag for years, which
works well in terms of keeping the paper damp, but is really a pain.
It wasn't obvious to me from the photo how you made the plastic trays.
I assume the top is hinged?

Shireen
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Message 6
From: Dave Bull
Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:38:57 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37848] Re: keeping paper damp
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Shireen wrote:
> Dave, I like your box - I've been using a large plastic bag for
> years, which works well in terms of keeping the paper damp,
> but is really a pain. It wasn't obvious to me from the photo
> how you made the plastic trays. I assume the top is hinged?
>> http://woodblock.com/scroll/progress/10_10.html

It's nothing 'special' at all, just thrown together for that project
from some sheets of 'that plastic stuff that looks like corrugated
cardboard', whatever it's called.

There are two compartments, and is completely 'reversible' - that is,
it is the same right-side up, and up-side down. It's all hinged
together with duct tape. I just dragged it out from under the bench,
and snapped a bunch of photos:
http://woodblock.com/temporary/damp_box

Because the sheets of paper for that scroll project were so large, I
wanted to minimize flipping them around, so this was the printing
procedure:

- Paper stored in top compartment, face down, interleaved with damp
blotters, ready to print.
- Bottom compartment has damp blotters, ready to receive sheets.
- prepare pigment on block
- open top compartment, clip it to chain, lift sheet onto block,
quickly close compartment
- take impression
- open bottom compartment, clip it to chain, place paper face _up_ on
blotter, inspect, close compartment
- repeat for all sheets in batch

Then, once you are ready to print the next colour, just flip the whole
shebang over, and the paper is now in the top compartment, face down,
still in the same order, and ready to go ...

I certainly wouldn't mess around with something like this for normal
small prints, but for that particular project it worked just fine.

Dave
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Message 7
From: "Shelley Hagan"
Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:00:48 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37849] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V46 #4666 (Jan 7, 2009)
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I have been printing on damp, heavy paper. Since the handful of
printmaking classes I have taken were years ago, I'm sure this post
will raise some eyebrows. Again let me say that I welcome advice - I'm
sure there are many reasons why I should or shouldn't be printing this
way - but:

I print with oil-based GC&I inks on fairly heavy paper, usually Reeves
BFK or Stonehenge. I heavily mist the paper with tap water (eek a few
of you are thinking) and stagger a stack of 5, a sheet of damp
blotter, then another staggered stack of 5 etc. I keep this stack
wrapped with a thick, dampish cotton towel and sitting on a plastic
tray. If the stack is going to be sitting around for more than a day I
put the whole thing inside a large plastic bag, occasionally misting
the blotter layers if it seems to be drying out. I like the paper to
be cold on my cheek but not much wetter.

I print one layer and then hang on prints on a line to dry. I use
plain cotton kitchen twine, wooden clothes pins, and a piece of scrap
paper between the clothes pin and the print. I let everything set up a
day or two then repeat the process - heavily mist, stack, etc.

When the last layer is printed and dry I lightly mist the paper again
and sandwich the prints between mat board with tissue-like paper
(archival quality) between each print. I then weight the stack down
and the next day everything is pretty flat and dry.

I haven't printed anything larger than about 9x12 so maybe that is why
I have not had much trouble with prints not drying flat? Does anybody
here print oils on dry paper? Also when the weather is very dry (not
much of a problem here in Texas) instead of blotter I use dampened
terry cloth towels between my stacks.

Shelley

--
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you
have imagined."
-Henry David Thoreau

http://www.printformojo.blogspot.com
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Message 8
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:35:40 GMT
Subject: [Baren 37850] New Baren Digest (HTML) V46 #4666 (Jan 7, 2009)
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Shelly,
You can print with oil on dry paper with enough pressure. A litho press will give you a great result using smooth paper like arches 88. Even BFK will print dry with enough pressure.
If you add modifiers to your ink, such as setswell or miracle jel or transparent base you can get pretty good prints with an etching press on arches 88 using dry paper. Damp paper always pulls more ink off the plate, so most printmakers use it damp. What you are doing is fine and if you change the blotters after half an hour to an hour you will not need to weight your prints to dry them as most of the water will be absorbed in the first 30 minutes. I hang the damp blotters to dry on a line to keep them fairly flat.
My best
Barbara