Today's postings

  1. [Baren 43192] Mildew ("Jeanne Norman Chase")
  2. [Baren 43193] Re: Mildew (Graham Scholes)
  3. [Baren 43194] Re: Mildew (Diane Cutter)
  4. [Baren 43195] Re: Mildew on Prints (Gayle Wohlken)
  5. [Baren 43196] Re: Mildew on Prints ("Maria Arango Diener")
  6. [Baren 43197] Re: Mildew on Prints (Graham Scholes)
  7. [Baren 43198] Baren Member blogs: Update Notification (Blog Manager)
  8. [Baren 43199] Mold (Gayle Wohlken)
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Message 1
From: "Jeanne Norman Chase"
Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:54:58 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43192] Mildew
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Imagine my shock when I pulled out my drawer of prints, got one for a show I am going to enter. Surprise, spots of mildew , small yellowish smudges. I was not a happy camper. Investigated further and found more prints and drawings with the same yellow spots.
I bought some Clorox (powder), put it in some socks and pounced the print . Then put m ore socks in the drawer, hoping the spots would go away. NOPE.
Anyone have a solution?? Golly I sure hate to destroy so much work. My studio does not have a humidifier and afraid I could not afford one anyway. I live in Florida where it is hot and humid. Maybe one solution would be to move. aarrgghh

Help
Jeanne Norman Chase
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Message 2
From: Graham Scholes
Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:17:31 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43193] Re: Mildew
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I have had the same thing happen when I leave dampened paper in the dampbox (it's really a polybag with two open sides for easy access), too long while printing. In the summer after 2 days of printing I put the dampbox in the freeze over night.

Maybe you should contact a conservator at a Museum or Art Gallery to see if they know how to get rid of the mould spots.

I found this on the net....
Chemical removal: Remove dark mildew stains with diluted peroxide bleach or lemon juice. Apply sparingly and dry thoroughly afterward. Dry the book in the sun if you use lemon juice. I understand that lemon juice is acidic which is not a friend of paper. I don't know about peroxide though.

I personally have touch the spots with diluted bleach and it has removed the stain.... I experimented and realized beach out of the container ate the paper. I don't have a formula .... it was trial and error. Kept making the solution, drop at a time, until the spot disappeared. By the way wait 5 minutes or so to see if the solution you mixed is effective.

Regards
Graham
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Message 3
From: Diane Cutter
Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:46:09 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43194] Re: Mildew
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Jeanne...

Mildew has been the bane of my printmaker existence here in Puerto Rico. I read
Graham's ideas of peroxide and bleach; I've never done that so will experiment
the next time I notice any spots.

Although too late now in your case, I have found out several things regarding
printing in a humid climate:


1. Never print on wet paper if it can be avoided.
2. Under all circumstances, make sure prints are totally dry before storing. I
use a homemade light-box which uses incandescent bulbs. The heat from the bulbs
burns off the humidity/dampness over time in a couple of days.


3. I always store my prints in new acid free clear bags with new acid free foam
core. I never re-use old bags or foam core on the chance there are mildew
spores in them.
4. If my papers (prior to printing) have a musty/funky mildew smell, I toss the
paper because the spores are already in the paper.
5. Ergo I never buy more paper than I can use within a six month period.

6. I never print more than 5-10 prints at a time regardless of edition size...
unless it's a reduction and then I keep the edition small.

As I said, in your case the cow is already out of the barn, so to speak, but
maybe my discoveries will help others in a similar situation.


Diane

www.DianeCutter.com
www.theitinerantartist.blogspot.com
www.DCutter.etsy.com
>
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Message 4
From: Gayle Wohlken
Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:56:19 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43195] Re: Mildew on Prints
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Jeanne, I asked a friend who is an art conservator (she mainly works on restoring paintings), but here's what she said:

> It's risky to try on your own... I've killed mold on gouaches with ethanol and brief exposure to sun, but had to tone the spots the mold created. Print experts have many different potions to bleach spots tailored to the kind of paper. The directory has changed format -- tell her to try: info@conservation-us.org She should be able to follow how to find someone in her area.

Jeanne, maybe, if you write to the people at that email address, they can help you.

~Gayle Wohlken
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Message 5
From: "Maria Arango Diener"
Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:04:58 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43196] Re: Mildew on Prints
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Bleach seems awful risky, I have holes in t-shirts from splatter.
When I get mold here in Vegas, I just let the paper dry out in the studio
and flake the mold off with a soft nylon brush. It doesn't come back and
there are no adverse effects. I'm wondering if you could somehow expose your
paper to a dry environment and achieve the same results? Microwave on low?
Oven on warm?

Maria

[=o=][=o=][=o=][=o=]
www.1000woodcuts.com
www.artfestivalguide.info
[=o=][=o=][=o=][=o=]
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Message 6
From: Graham Scholes
Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:16:05 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43197] Re: Mildew on Prints
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Yes it does sound risky.... If you note I mentioned drops in the mix.... about a cup full of water.
It was reassuring to read the article on the net.
The kind of mould I experienced is not just a dust or powder like form on top of the paper.... Brush that off for sure.

The mould I have experienced is those little round spots.... 2mm up to 5mm diameter that are pink in colour. Those are the nasties.

Graham
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Message 8
From: Gayle Wohlken
Date: Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:59:54 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43199] Mold
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Jeanne, my friend had sent the wrong address for info re mold. Here's the correct web address:

http://www.conservation-us.org/

~Gayle

Digest Appendix

Postings made on [Baren] members' blogs
over the past 24 hours ...

Subject: More Carving
Posted by: Ellen Shipley


Another hour of carving.  The stars are addictive.

This item is taken from the blog Pressing-Issues.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.


Subject: Senshafuda Project - just a couple of days now!
Posted by: Dave Bull

Some important progress to report today - Sato-san has completed the block set, and we're ready to begin proofing.

There are a number of interesting 'twists' involved here. Way back in the old (ukiyo-e) days, this kind of work would have been done by the printers themselves (under general supervision of the publisher). For most 'common garden' work, it wouldn't have been necessary for the designers to be involved. The printer knew to make the water 'blue', and etc. etc. and he would perhaps have been given some notes as to general colour breakdowns, for things such as kimono colours.

Back then, the original documents were of course tossed aside at the completion of the process, but a (very) few have survived, and this one seems to be typical. It is a kyogo (colour separation sheet printed from the keyblock) for an Utamaro print:

The small squiggles here and there on the sheet are notations about colour, in very general terms: 'blue', 'light yellow', etc. etc., and are assumed to be by Utamaro. Given this, and their knowledge gained from experience about what a 'typical' Utamaro print was like, the printing team could easily go ahead and produce the edition.

When we move ahead to the Meiji era, the process evolved, and many prints were created a different way - the designer turned in a 'completed' water colour image: an art work in its own right actually. The carvers and printers simply reproduced in woodblock what they saw on this 'master'. The subsequent . . .
[Long item has been trimmed at this point. The full blog entry can be viewed here]


This item is taken from the blog Mokuhankan Conversations.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.