Baren Digest               Sunday, 18 August 2002       Volume 20 : Number 1930


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From: Mike Lyon <mikelyon#mlyon.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 09:06:39 -0500
Subject: [Baren 18926] Re: Limestone City, PA?  Ontario? 

For what it's worth (not much!), you can make "lithographs" on a number of 
surfaces, stone, paper, aluminum, zinc (even though lith or lithos means 
stone) -- some litho stones have been produced from Indiana limestone 
(coarse grain) and marble works, too.   But if you use natural stone, you 
really have to be set up for it -- levigator(s) and grits in various sizes, 
a big sink, an effective drain trap so the grit and powdered stone don't 
clog the drain, elbow grease, etc. etc.  Pre-grained aluminum litho plates 
are SO plentiful and inexpensive -- ready to use right out of the box -- 
lightweight and easy to handle -- take up very little space -- require very 
little equipment -- 'almost' as fine an image as the best stone and with 
many more registration possibilities!

So who needs stone?

Mike

At 04:46 PM 8/16/2002 -0400, you wrote:

>limestone for litho stones comes from germany i think exclusly if i am not
>misteaken
>
>john center


Mike Lyon
mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com
http://www.mlyon.com 

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From: "jarvis" <jarvis#cna.ne.jp>
Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 01:04:29 +0900
Subject: [Baren 18927] Limestone quarry 


) Limestone City.  Does anyone know if this town

> used to (or still is) near a limestone quarry?  And/or if this town was

ever

> involved in supplying limestone for litho stones?  I think there is also a
>
> Was limestone for use of Litho Stones ever mined in the US?
>


Commercially useable litho stones were quarried in
a town originally called appropriately 'Lithograph
 City' Iowa. In Floyd County,  it was later called
Devonia as the limestone strata was said to be
from the  geological devonian period. The town dissappeared from the map
during the great
depression of the1930's.

I seem to remember hearing that some printmakers went looking for it in the
late 1960's and actually found some stones
which had been rendered unuseable through repeated freezing and thawing.

Right now the only reference I can find is

www.hewit.com/sd11-aloy.htm

somewhere down there toward the end.

Don't know anything about the Pennsylvania or Ontario sites.

G.Jarvis




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From: Stephen Goddard <goddard#ku.edu>
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 11:02:01 -0500
Subject: [Baren 18928] Re: Baren Digest V20 #1929 (stones and spam) 


>From: "Dan Sabo" <dan#dansabo.com>
>
>Was limestone for use of Litho Stones ever mined in the US?


I know that Kansas Limestone has been tried, and it works, but it is not 
very satisfactory.



>From: Sharri LaPierre <Barebonesart#attbi.com>
>
>Re: Spam and how it started. I heard on NPR the other day that it
>started from a Monty Python sketch where they sang "Spam, spam, spam,
>spam, spam....


My understanding is that the verb comes from what happens when you take 
spam and push it into an electric fan (gets icky stuff all over the place). 
Maybe the Spam Museum would have a definitive answer (they are in 
Minneapolis, or someplace in Minnesota, USA, I believe).

Steve


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From: GraphChem#aol.com
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 13:19:11 EDT
Subject: [Baren 18929] Re: Limestone City, PA?  Ontario? 


Dan -
The most famous (or infamous) limestone quarry in the US as it relates to 
litho stones was in Lithograhia, IA. To my knowledge nothing remains there, 
including the town. The middle section of this country is one of the biggest 
limestone beds in the world, but alas, it is "new stone" and not routinely 
suitable for litho stones.  In fact like most other areas of the  MidWest, 
Graphic is located just  a few hundred yards from a limestone quarry, just 
not one that could produce litho stones. About every 3-5 years another quarry 
pops up as the new source for litho stones - and just as quickly disappears. 
It all revolves around consistency. To date, the only quarry that has 
consistantly quarried the quality suitable for good lithos is the Solnhohen 
Quarry in Bavaria. There was a quarry in the South of France that had some 
nice looking stones, but the people at the quarry were impossible to deal 
with (e.g. all stones were crated individually and had to be sent via air 
freight!). Even the Solnhofen quarries don't manufacture very many litho 
stones these days. We are, at last contact, far and away their largest 
customer for stones. The vast majority of their production is for floor tiles 
(see my office floor next time you are at Graphic Chemical), wall tiles and 
stair treads.

Dean


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From: "Tyrus Clutter" <TRClutter#NNU.Edu>
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 12:26:16 -0600
Subject: [Baren 18930] Re: Limestone City, PA?  Ontario? 

As we are already way off the topic of woodcuts, I will add the newer
use of the polyester litho plate. This is what is used for commercial
offset work but has been used quite well for original prints too. The
Fine Art side was developed by George Roberts who taught at Boise State
University until he passed away this past November. George worked a lot
with the non-toxic methods and this is a very clean process, and it
doesn't require all the chemistry knowledge. It has some quirkiness that
you learn to incorporate, but is a great place to start if you want to
use the litho process (you can even use an etching press instead of a
litho press!)

Dean, is Graphic planning to ever stock the materials for poly plate
printing?

TyRuS


>>> mikelyon#mlyon.com 08/17/02 08:06AM >>>

For what it's worth (not much!), you can make "lithographs" on a number
of 
surfaces, stone, paper, aluminum, zinc (even though lith or lithos
means 
stone) -- some litho stones have been produced from Indiana limestone 
(coarse grain) and marble works, too.   But if you use natural stone,
you 
really have to be set up for it -- levigator(s) and grits in various
sizes, 
a big sink, an effective drain trap so the grit and powdered stone
don't 
clog the drain, elbow grease, etc. etc.  Pre-grained aluminum litho
plates 
are SO plentiful and inexpensive -- ready to use right out of the box
- -- 
lightweight and easy to handle -- take up very little space -- require
very 
little equipment -- 'almost' as fine an image as the best stone and
with 
many more registration possibilities!

So who needs stone?

Mike

At 04:46 PM 8/16/2002 -0400, you wrote:

>limestone for litho stones comes from germany i think exclusly if i am

not

>misteaken
>
>john center


Mike Lyon
mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com http://www.mlyon.com 


------------------------------

From: GraphChem#aol.com
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 16:01:52 EDT
Subject: [Baren 18931] Re: Limestone City, PA?  Ontario? 



TyRuS -
We have been stocking the  Pronto plates and George's book for quite sometime 
now. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view) we 
haven't printed a catalog in about 18 months, so many of the newer items 
don't appear in the current book.

We have added numerous printmaking books, including the Polyester Plate Litho 
book, Akua-Kolor pigments, new papers and much more.

Dean



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From: slinders#attbi.com
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 21:03:13 -0500
Subject: [Baren 18932] Firefighters' prints... 

Julio,

Thanks for bringing up the matter of return shipping costs for
the Firefighters' Prints.  This has been a huge (and unexpected)
expense for John Center, and although I know he would never ask
for repayment, it might be a good thing to be sure that you send
payment to him to cover the shipping of those prints.  He has
already given much time and effort to this project, and I'm
uncomfortable with him putting out such a huge amount of money
for the shipping.  It's over and above what should be expected
of him.

Sharen

Julio.Rodriguez#walgreens.com wrote:

(I think John paid himself for all the $$$ shipping back !!!) the idea was/is that you
> would either sell your set, exhibit them for sale or make a respectable
> contribution to the fund. But not just keep them as you would an exchange.
> I chose to keep my set of prints and make a donation to the 911 fund, thus
> allowing me the chance to display the prints in the near future. Others are
> trying to setup exhibits with the point of selling the prints or obtaining
> additional prints from the contributing artists. It is an ongoing project
> with still some great opportunities for us all to raise funds!


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From: "Jean Womack" <jeaneger#jeaneger.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 21:43:10 -0700
Subject: [Baren 18933] Re:   Baren Digest V20 #1929 

I, too, have receieved many emails concerning Nigeria.  That is really a
problem for the State Department or whoever deals with foreign affairs in
the U.S. government.  There may be a sympathetic person there who can
decipher that message.  I will try forwarding it to the State Department.  I
have not done that already because I get so many emails and have so much
work to do, that I just cannot spend the time to research which government
department should deal with that person's problem.  If the person sends it
to Contra Costa College in San Pablo, California, there may be someone there
who knows what to do.

My purse was stolen several years ago at that college, which is a
historically African American college.  The telephone credit card was the
only thing used.  They made many telephone calls to Africa, so apparently
some foreign student was very homesick.  Luckily the phone company did not
charge me for all those long distance calls after I received my phone bill
and called them.  I had already called them to cancel the card.

Jean


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From: Legreenart#cs.com
Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 00:49:31 EDT
Subject: [Baren 18934] Re: Baren Digest V20 #1929 



There were places in the U.S. that quarried limestone for stones...there are 
other deposits of litho quality lithostones around the States, though not 
commersially viable. At a printmking convention some years back..MAPC or 
Southern graphics, there was a display by someone who been searching American 
limestone suitable for Litho. 
Bavarian is supposed to be the best.
Teaxas limestone around here isn't even close.
Le Green
Stonemeatl Press



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From: Sharri LaPierre <Barebonesart#attbi.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 22:18:39 -0700
Subject: [Baren 18935] Re: Baren Digest V20 #1927 

Can anyone help me with this question?  What is a reasonable fee to 
charge someone to rent your studio to conduct a workshop? Have you had 
experience doing this? Do you have a sample contract you'd be willing to 
share?  Or, have you rented space for such an endeavor from another 
artist?  I have been approached by someone to use my facility, and I 
have absolutely no idea where to begin to find such information. I'm 
hoping some of you can fill in the blanks or steer me to a resource for 
the answers!

Sharri


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End of Baren Digest V20 #1930
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