Baren Digest Wednesday, 21 February 2001 Volume 14 : Number 1328 ------------------------------ From: "Garth Hammond" Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 08:32:40 -0700 Subject: [Baren 13509] Re: Blocks and more blocks. charset="iso-8859-1" In regard to MDF you might try MDO which is medium density overlay. It is used for exterior finish and for outside signs etc. I have been meaning to give it a shot and haven't gotten around to it. it should be OK with water. Garth ------------------------------ From: B E Mason Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 07:17:07 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13510] Thanks, Jack Jack, As ever you are a wealth of knowledge. Thanks for all the information. We sort of know stuff, but it sure helps to really know! Barbara ------------------------------ From: B E Mason Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 07:22:15 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13511] Re: Blocks and more blocks. Philip, If you get this stuff wet on the inside, the pressed board inside will swell. So I wouldn't recommend using it with water. Was it hard on your tools? Did you get fine lines? Did it chip? Did you have to do it like an engraving when you cut? Or did you use a knife??? Guess I will have to get a scrap. I still haven't tried the resingrave. It is pretty expensive, even to try but this is so cheap it might be worth a shot. Barbara Philip Smith wrote: ------------------------------ From: Wanda Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 08:49:20 -0700 Subject: [Baren 13512] Re: Blocks and more blocks. > Philip Smith wrote: > > Thank you Maria and Jack for your insight into wood. > However I have just purchased a sheet of MDF, 1/2" material and cut my first > print on it and sent it to the SwapShop. > MDF stands for medium density fiberboard, I think. It's a smooth flat material > used in building, quite unlike masonite. So your local hardware store has it > for you. > It's wonderful for cutting "woodblocks". > I've just used oil based ink on it, but I think water based ink will work as > well. You might be able to use waterbased ink on MDF - but you would have to thoroughly seal it first. As medium density fiberboard is just finely ground-up wood fiber glued together. It will soak up water like a sponge! Portland Linocut blocks use this as a backing for their linoleum blocks. Can't wait to see your print - Philip. I sure am enjoying the snake. Wanda ------------------------------ From: Wanda Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 08:55:48 -0700 Subject: [Baren 13513] Re: Blocks and more blocks. Garth Hammond wrote: > > In regard to MDF you might try MDO which is medium density overlay. It is > used for exterior finish and for outside signs etc. I have been meaning to > give it a shot and haven't gotten around to it. it should be OK with water. > > Garth Is that the stuff they call "signboard"? Looks like masonite, but is smooth & very stiff? I have some barn doors with that stuff on it - it really holds up to the weather, but I don't think I'd want to carve on it. I've been looking at the grain in wood that I'm tearing out of my old building. They sure don't make fir plywood like that stuff any more, so I'm storing it in a dry place for future use in wood block prints. Lots of wild grain, all weathered & really pretty. You'll probably see some in future prints. Wanda ------------------------------ From: "Walters, Stephanie J. (Nevada Color)" Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 10:47:18 -0600 Subject: [Baren 13514] RE: Blocks and more blocks. charset="iso-8859-1" It wasn't hard on your tools, Philip? The MDF?? ------------------------------ From: "Walters, Stephanie J. (Nevada Color)" Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 10:51:28 -0600 Subject: [Baren 13515] RE: Russian birch and cork charset="iso-8859-1" That Russian birch sounds wonderful! Maria, it is so neat that you bought a trailer! If you ever need anyone to tag along with you, give me a ring!! ------------------------------ From: "Walters, Stephanie J. (Nevada Color)" Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 11:09:01 -0600 Subject: [Baren 13516] RE: wood charset="iso-8859-1" I always thought cherry was more geared towards engravings, although it seems that some people use them for woodcuts. Do you not make a distinction? I believe their are special tools for wood engraving, although I have never tried it before. I always loved looking at those blocks of cherry, they were so beautiful, they scared me. I prefered using the reverse side of my one sided birch blocks, i.e. plywood... I have always admired the skill of wood engraving. ------------------------------ From: "Walters, Stephanie J. (Nevada Color)" Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 11:10:27 -0600 Subject: [Baren 13517] RE: hand-painting B&W charset="iso-8859-1" then why do you handcolor them, Dimitris, if I may ask? ------------------------------ From: "Philip Smith" Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 09:33:10 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13518] Re: Blocks and more blocks. charset="iso-8859-1" Stephanie...No not that I could tell, ...tools seem just fine. Philip Hammond, OR USA ------------------------------ From: "Philip Smith" Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 10:04:01 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13519] Sizing??? Did someone mention Methyl Cellulose as a sizing for paper? What was the = recipe? Thanks, Philip Hammond, OR USA ------------------------------ From: Artsmadis@aol.com Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 13:13:56 EST Subject: [Baren 13520] Re: Sizing??? In a message dated 2/20/01 12:04:43 PM Central Standard Time, SmithArt@Pacifier.com writes: << Did someone mention Methyl Cellulose as a sizing for paper? What was the recipe? >> I have read that any sizing for paper is a 5% solution. Gelatine, hide glue and methylcellulose all have approximately the same binding strength. Too heavy a size is supposed to give spotty results when printing. Darrell ------------------------------ From: barebonesart Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 12:17:04 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13521] Re: Baren Digest v14 #1326 Eli, Your unflavored gelatin will work fine for size. I teach papermaking and we use it all the time - especially for paper made from junk mail, scraps, etc. add some alum and use a smooth napped roller to apply to both sides (like for painting walls). If you want to size sturdier paper you can dip it in a tray, blot with towels and let dry. Sharri ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 14:36:44 -0600 Subject: [Baren 13522] Re: Let's go back in time to Exchange#3 02/20/2001 02:36:33 PM Amanda.......as far as I know, the only time #3 and the #2 exchanges were exhibited was at the Skokie Library. The [Baren] Exchange Print Exhibition April 3 to May 3, 2000. Exhibition of Woodblock prints representing the work of seventy-five international printmakers. Opening reception: April 6, 7:00pm Skokie Public Library 5215 Oakton Skokie, Illinois 60077 ------------------------------ From: ArtfulCarol@aol.com Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 16:59:07 EST Subject: [Baren 13523] Re: Mildew I was having mildew and I traced it back to the old cardboard I was using to get the paper damp. Now seeking large new cardboard. Carol Lyons Irvington, NY ------------------------------ From: "Jeanne Norman Chase" Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 17:04:00 -0500 Subject: [Baren 13524] Re: Mildew charset="iso-8859-1" Jack In reply to your query re; Mildew.. The paper that I have been using is Rives, lightweight and heavy. I do not dampen the paper. I take it out and print on it or draw. The print is oil based. Then when the print or drawing is ready, I have it framed. Always in a mat so that it does not touch the plexi. The paper foxes after a time. Really bad. I took one out of the frame and put it in a bath with clorox bleach, but the spots did not come out. I am having a bad spell, trying to revive some of my better work. Hate to see all that work destroyed. But obviously I cannot sell it to anyone in that condition. My studio is very damp, in spite of ceiling fans in every room. The floors are wood and the moisture seems to invade the whole studio. Now, if I sold everything I did within a years period of time, I would not have this problem. Oh, happy day!!!! Dan On a happier note. Congratulations on the reduction woodblock print that is in the Florida Printmakers Exhibition. I saw the show this morning. Great show!!!!! Neat print!!!! Jeanne N. ------------------------------ From: "Daniel L. Dew" Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 17:46:22 -0500 Subject: [Baren 13525] Endangered Help The prospectus is done for the Florida Printmakers Society 1st Annual International "Themed" Exhibition, just need to complete the graphics, so.... Anyone out there who wants the opportunity for their work to be featured either in the interior or on the cover of the brochure, e-mail me a jpeg off list and we will choose a few in a day or so. Ya know, along the "theme". Thanks, dan dew ------------------------------ From: "kate courchaine" Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 00:40:03 Subject: [Baren 13526] Re: Mildew There is a publication that has alot of useful info on mildew/mold and other problems with paper. It is called "How to Care for Works of Art on Paper" by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston,ISBN #0-87846-254-6. Jeanne, that sounds really frustrating having problems with mildew, maybe this publication could help. Kate ------------------------------ From: "David Stones" Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 11:09:15 +0900 Subject: [Baren 13527] Re: Mildew charset="iso-8859-1" Dear Jeanne, It's a personal disaster when your prints get spoiled through no fault of your own - so I've come out of the lurker's cupboard to tell you what I do here - in Japanese 85% humidity (summer) or general mountain damp. A long time ago, I took a look at what the tea makers do here - they store tea in unvarnished/unpainted cedar boxes lined with metal (used to be galvanized metal sheet). Any gaps in the cedar planks were just pasted over with paper-tape. The lids are made to fit on and over the top sides. The lids are also lined like the boxes and fit snugly but not tight. Anyway, I found out where they were making these (nearby!) and ordered a few - and have used them ever since. I also built a windowless, sealed storeroom with insulation - INSIDE an old storehouse. This has cut out any paper mildew on stored prints - which are also all interleaved with blank sheets and in paper bags (inside those boxes). A lengthy "process" and I still use a dehumidifier when the gauge on the wall reaches over 70% humidity. I don't think the fans you mention will help - you need to get rid of that moisture - so your storage should probably be somewhere else, even purpose-built. We spend a great deal of effort in creating prints so a bit more to preserve them seems worth it (without using any chemicals like Formalin - formaldehyde with methanol... which will stop the mold on that cardboard, mentioned in another post, but will not be pleasant to have in the workshop). Hope this helps, Dave S (Ishita) ------------------------------ From: Jack Reisland Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 16:26:23 -1000 Subject: [Baren 13528] Re: Mildew Jeanne well this is a mystery, so I'll have to resort to more questions. Do you only see foxing on your works after they have been framed? Does foxing show up on stored unused paper? Where and how are you storing your framed works? Are you sure that your framer is using acid free board throughout? By the way, ceiling fans will do very little to change the humidity in your studio. Jack R. Jeanne Norman Chase wrote: > Jack > > In reply to your query re; Mildew.. > The paper that I have been using is Rives, lightweight and heavy. I do not > dampen the paper... ------------------------------ From: Sheryl Coppenger Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 21:59:19 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Baren 13529] Re: Hand coloring > > Gail, yes they do. Artists have been coloring oil based prints with > watercolor and pencils for a long time. It is tedious. Easier to make > another plate. > Barbara I've colored prints with water color and with colored pencils. It's a matter of taste. I prefer colored pencils but then I don't really do water color so take that into account. Under some circumstances I prefer hand coloring to multiple blocks, sometimes the reverse. A year or so ago there was a terrific show in DC of prints from the 1920s that had been hand-colored via stenciling. Off the top of my head I can't remember the jargon for doing that. Also, I'm very fond of using chine collee (should be an accent there) to add color to a print. For instance see (warning -- it's large, 128 K) http://www.seas.gwu.edu/~sheryl/images/kite_collage.jpg This was done with lineoleum but could just as easily be done with woodcut. To get to a smaller version use http://www.seas.gwu.edu/~sheryl/images/kite_collage_small.jpg but it's just a thumbnail and doesn't show much detail. The red kite is a piece of origami paper. The back was covered in glue and placed upside down on the block, then paper on top of that and the whole run through the press. Just one printing step. I really admire prints that are done with multiple blocks, and I'm not saying that hand-coloring or chine colle are better or worse, just that IMO they're all legitimate ways to add color to a print. It all depends upon what kind of effect you want. - -- Sheryl Coppenger SEAS Computing Facility Staff sheryl@seas.gwu.edu The George Washington University (202) 994-6853 http://www.seas.gwu.edu/~sheryl ------------------------------ From: juan Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 23:52:03 -0600 Subject: [Baren 13530] Re: Baren Digest v14 #1324 MURILO: I know what are you talking about. Some time ago it was very difficult to find inks in my place in Mexico, so I tried to print with that acrylic wall paint ( I choose a good quality one) and printed lino blocks with it. After some proofs, I decided to add a little acrylic retarder and baby powder (odorless) to it, so I got an inky stuff to work with. I got very good results. I must say that the plate didn't have so much detail, and also that the best results were with dampened paper. At the end, whatever you uses that fit your necessities is OK, even when you care about the good conservation of your works, Friendly, Juan Guerrero, Mexico ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest v14 #1328 *****************************