Today's postings

  1. [Baren 26779] Re: Baren Digest (old) V30 #2911 (Jan Telfer)
  2. [Baren 26780] Re: Exch 23 ping ("Diane Cutter")
  3. [Baren 26781] Re: Exch 23 ping ("Maria Diener (aka Arango)")
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Message 1
From: Jan Telfer
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 21:25:35 +0800
Subject: [Baren 26779] Re: Baren Digest (old) V30 #2911
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Dear Barbara,

I have been waiting for someone else to answer your brush dilema but no
one has yet put up their hand.....

> I have a couple of brushes that seem to be losing hairs

You didn't say which type of brush was losing hairs. The split
handled ones or the "shoe brush" ones...... sorry working on my own I
don't have much "call" for talking about Japanese names!!

When brushes are new, especially the ones with the split handles and
wound with copper wire you MUST soak them higher than their necks in
water well before using them every single time because this allows the
wood to swell and tighten the wire holding all the hairs in the brush.
Allow at least a half hour in the water before printing. They will
float but as they get heavier with water the hairy end will sink and I
put a chop stick or wooden skewer between the handles to keep the hairs
from sitting on the bottom of the water container.

Be gentle with the brush even swishing it on anything when it is dry
because the hairs are "reasonably loose" so that the air can dry them
at their roots.

If you have the choice of buying student quality brushes or
professional quality brushes always buy the professional quality ones
and then you won't have to "slaughter" them on the shark skin as they
come already prepared and secondly the difference between the two
qualities will give you streeky colour or non streeky colour because
the professional quality brushes are far more dense than the student
ones.

If you already have quite a few hairs out already, Barbara, then I
think you may have to get them professionally rewound tighter or in the
case of the "shoe brushes" be very "creative" with your design planning
or keep these brushes for less important areas like linear areas and
not flat colour as these latter areas are the ones that will show your
hair - less brushes!

Don't forget to then wash out the colour after you have finished
printing and not let the pigment dry in the brush.
I always rinse them with running water and then wash them through with
pure soap and it is amazing how much pigment is still in the brush
after just water washing them. I know there are members who do not
advocate using soap but my brushes as still as pristine as the day I
bought them, even though the wooden handles can tell they are well used!

I hope this explanation answers your question...... but soaking new
brushes and old brushes before printing every time is the only way to
preserve the hairs from falling out.

Happy New Year Barbara and all Bareners.

Jan
Perth, Western Australia.
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Message 2
From: "Diane Cutter"
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 09:45:34 -0500
Subject: [Baren 26780] Re: Exch 23 ping
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Hi, Maria...

I'm back home after 7 weeks in New Mexico (wonderful time)... I'm not sure
if I responded to this missive. Sorry if it got lost in the ether while
away.

Diane...
www.dianecutter.com -- New oil paintings (calla lilies and abstracts)
www.WetCanvas.com - internet artist community
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Message 3
From: "Maria Diener (aka Arango)"
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 07:51:53 -0800
Subject: [Baren 26781] Re: Exch 23 ping
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10-4!