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Message 1
From: Phil Hillmer
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 13:22:37 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43870] Drying prints on a wire rack?
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Hi,

I have a drying rack I acquired some time ago, it is the wire frame type
with spring loaded stacking shelves that swing up and it's on casters. It
seemed like a good idea at the time because I have a small room where I work
- 10 x 10'. I thought that the wire frame rack would take up less space
than an over head clothes pin type rack with prints hanging over head
everywhere in that tiny room - I would have no head room to walk around.

But now after reading all the posts about how printmakers dry their prints
after printing (if printing wet), i.e. stacking them one on top of another
with blotters in between and plywood on top, I am wondering if I should just
move the rack out and use the stacking method instead.

So I am wondering, do any of you actually use the wire shelf type of drying
racks, and if so, how do you get individual prints one on each shelf to dry
flat?

Or are these wire racks used ONLY for a final drying stage (and temporary
storage) after the prints are initially dried by stacking many prints one on
top of another with blotter in between?

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Message 2
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 14:51:29 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43871] Re: Drying prints on a wire rack?
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Do the shelves fold up? If not, lay cardboard on each shelf and lay the print on that. If they fold up, there is a problem with things falling through the back when shelves are raised so be aware of that. The cardboard still works well to keep the work flat, the wire racks will dry the work because of good airflow and are great for dry paper and wet ink, not so good for damp paper.
Personally, I would move the rack out and stack the work, but each artist has to find what works best for them
My best
Barbara

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Message 3
From: Jeannot Barr
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 15:02:24 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43872] Re: Drying prints on a wire rack?
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Barbara is correct - air flow very important. Are your wire shelves mesh or
strip/line wire? Makes a difference for which kind of seperating element
that you use - you don't want any indentations. If you choose to stack with
blotting paper and then put plywood, don't do too many at a time. You'll get
uneveness in the drying process. One inch block glass works well as well.

I suppose that much depends on your own process. My experience - smaller
amounts to dry at a time, the better; generous amount of blotting paper
(enough to cover the entire sheet - and then some) and use the same for your
run or it's possible that your drying rates will be different. Your wire
racks will work fine depending on what weight they can support.

Jeannot Barr

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Message 4
From: Phil Hillmer
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 15:36:35 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43873] Re: Drying prints on a wire rack?
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The shelves are heavy steel wire, or narrow rods, the wire rods form open
squares on the shelves about 4" x 5".

It is made by AWT Dick Bick carries them - it's similar to their item numer
51309-5015. Very heavy duty.

Shelves swing up.

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Message 5
From: "Lea"
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 15:41:08 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43874] Re: Printing on wet paper with etching inks...
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Barbara:
I had here in Brasil, at the Escola de Artes Visuais, a wonderful teatcher, Jose Lima, with whom I learned lots of ways of making etchings and one of them was that he could do what you want to know;
He worked on a big (like 90cm x 50cm) piece o conglomerate wood - we call here "eucatex", carved it with material for xilo- we call here "goivas" ; to print, he proceeded like an etching: damped the etching paper ,put the etching ink on the wood, took out the excess as we do when etching an passed it in the etching press.Do you understand my english ? I hope that I could help
Lea Soibelman
visite meu blog
www.graphotactil.blogspot.com

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Message 6
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 15:46:59 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43875] Japan benefit update
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We have sold 7 prints in Bend so far...good news.
and I have them all scanned and Dave has put the jpgs up...
I have a registered package at the post office, I will get it monday so probably another set of work.
Thanks to everyone for sending prints!
my best
Barbara

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Message 7
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 15:53:11 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43876] Re: Drying prints on a wire rack?
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This is a killer drying rack...I am jealous...this is fabulous for dry paper and wet ink.
For damp paper, I think if you lay the prints on them on the blotters for 30 minutes or so with the newsprint and blotter on top on each rack you can then stack them in dry blotters to finish drying. I never weight my prints and the secret is changing the blotters to dry ones..it is amazing and works...those who have not tried it are unbelievers but my prints are flat. Most of the water will be absorbed by the blotters in 30 minutes or so..and of course if you lay the damp blotters in this rack to dry you are home free...it has great air circulation.
My best
Barbara

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Message 8
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 16:03:10 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43877] Re: Printing on wet paper with etching inks...
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Lea,
Yes, it is like printing a wood engraving as an etching. Hard to do but not impossible. If the wood is soft it will eventually compress a bit but hard woods will print many many prints. Thanks for sharing...I will look up eucatex...wow it is a huge worldwide company..here is what it says about this product, which is used for flooring and walls ...so we have learned something...artists use whatever is available and new processes come from it. I like your work, it is very innovative!
My best to you
Barbara
Eucaboard Tempered Hardboard

With one smooth top face and a screen-back, Eucaboard Tempered Hardboard is a eucalyptus based hardboard for the manufacturing of parts for home and office furniture; specially the backsides of furniture and bottoms as well as for the automobile, packaging, toys, and building civil construction industries.
* Eucatex of North America Inc
2550 Northwinds Parkway - Suite 235
Alpharetta - Georgia 30004 - U.S.A.
Phone: 678 6240160
Fax: 678 6240621
e-mail:eucatexusa@eucatex.net
Attn: Mr. Pedro Furlanetto

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Message 9
From: Phil Hillmer
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 16:03:37 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43878] Re: Drying prints on a wire rack?
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Thanks Barbara,

I have had the rack for some time and never really figured out how to dry
damp papers on it.

So you are saying then that on each shelf I could just sandwich one damp
print between two blotters (with newsprint on top of ink and blotter on top
of newsprint) and that you think they would dry flat? Without any
additional weight? Just one print per shelf? Or I should stack maybe
several prints - blotter sandwiches on each shelf?

Are you suggesting that it is the action of the blotter itself that sucks
the moisture out of the print which helps the print dry flat? And that no
additional weight would be required even if I dry the prints only one print
per shelf?

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Message 10
From: Robert Simola
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 16:34:47 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43879] Re: Drying prints on a wire rack?
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Phil,

I made a homemade drying rack out of window screens with about two
inches of space between each screen for air circulation, and just lay
the damp prints on the screens without weight or blotter paper. Like
Barbara's prints, my prints also dry flat.
>
> I have had the rack for some time and never really figured out how to
> dry damp papers on it.
>
> So you are saying then that on each shelf I could just sandwich one
> damp print between two blotters (with newsprint on top of ink and
> blotter on top of newsprint) and that you think they would dry flat?
> Without any additional weight? Just one print per shelf? Or I should
> stack maybe several prints - blotter sandwiches on each shelf?
>
> Are you suggesting that it is the action of the blotter itself that
> sucks the moisture out of the print which helps the print dry flat?
> And that no additional weight would be required even if I dry the
> prints only one print per shelf?

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Message 11
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 16:35:10 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43880] Re: Drying prints on a wire rack?
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Sorry for all these posts in one day folks...
Phil,
this is close..you would have to remove the prints from the first set of blotters and then stack them blotter print newsprint, blotter print newsprint on up, in new blotters for the final dry. You can weight them or not, I do not
So the second stack is on the top shelf, you might need a board under it to make sure no indents in the bottom prints
and stack as high as needed to get all the prints in. I sometimes use two blotters between for the final dry to be sure there is a little weight. A stack of 25 or so blotters is not light so maybe that is why I don't need to weight them
Barbara

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Message 12
From: Phil Hillmer
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 16:46:44 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43881] Re: Drying prints on a wire rack?
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So you just print on wet paper, and use no blotters, and your prints dry
flat on your rack with out any newsprint or blotters at all?

Do you work in oil based inks and western (not japanese type thin) papers?

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