Today's postings

  1. [Baren 35058] Re: Ball Bearing Baren (ArtfulCarol # aol.com)
  2. [Baren 35059] Puzzle project. (Salsbury)
  3. [Baren 35060] Re: Puzzle project. ("Ellen Shipley")
  4. [Baren 35061] Re: Ball Bearing Baren ("Mike Lyon")
  5. [Baren 35062] Puzzle project. (Maria Regina Pinto Pereira)
  6. [Baren 35063] Re: Puzzle project. ("Oscar Bearinger")
  7. [Baren 35064] Re: updates updates and more updates (Diane Cutter)
  8. [Baren 35065] Re: updates updates and more updates (ArtfulCarol # aol.com)
  9. [Baren 35066] Baren selection follow-up questions ("Orgren Alex C (Alex)")
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Message 1
From: ArtfulCarol # aol.com
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:43:21 EST
Subject: [Baren 35058] Re: Ball Bearing Baren
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I have been using a ball bearing baren and have been enjoying using it
rather than the standard baren or a Speedball baren. I admit to also using little
plastic coffee spoons to get small details dark. My methods may leave much
to be desired!

My ball bearing baren rests on a pad lightly covered with camellia oil to
prevent rust. This may be clogging the bearings causing marks, concentric and
others. Sometimes these marks can be used for textural advantage. A cleaning
may be called for. Has anyone had that problem?.

Carol Lyons
_http://rst-art.com/carolgallery.htm_ (http://rst-art.com/carolgallery.htm)






**************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy
Awards. Go to AOL Music.
(http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565)
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Message 2
From: Salsbury
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:19:56 -0600
Subject: [Baren 35059] Puzzle project.
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Wow! Maria.

The puzzle project looks terrific. I would love to leave snow covered Iowa
and help with the printing, but my car doesn't want to leave the garage.

Sue Salsbury
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Message 3
From: "Ellen Shipley"
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:18:34 -0800
Subject: [Baren 35060] Re: Puzzle project.
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It's great Maria!

I'm so excited to be involved in this project! Thank you for being so
dedicated. 8-]

Ellen


print blog:
http://pressing-issues.blogspot.com/
etsy shop:
http://ellenshipley.etsy.com/
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Message 4
From: "Mike Lyon"
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:22:10 -0600
Subject: [Baren 35061] Re: Ball Bearing Baren
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I have several ball bearing baren (my favorite baren is my traditional
hon-baren by a mile, though - it's an 8 (or 12 - I forget) strand 'medium'
and it's GREAT)!



Of my several ball bearing barens, the Korokoro is my fave - very
free-rolling and very 'strong' it's great for quickly and easily printing
large flat areas of color. I made a special seat for it with some printing
felt to oil it easily - I use WD-40 (a 'volatile' oil as recommended) which
keeps it free of oxidation and which won't clog it up like many vegetable
oils will - they eventually all polymerize. Best, as Dave mentioned, to use
a moisture barrier between the paper and the baren in order to keep out
moisture although I do frequently omit the barrier and print directly.
Wonderful machine! I 'believe' the WD-40 evaporates and therefore doesn't
leave anything on the back of the paper which might damage it in future
years - but the can, of course, doesn't mention anything about 'archival' or
use on paper! :-)



For those considering more traditional baren, the Murasaki medium is an
affordable and very good all-around baren (the sosaku is cheaper, not quite
as nice, but also very good). Fine or soft / medium / strong or coarse -
these describe the 'bumpiness' of the coil - fewer bumps per square inch is
'stronger' or 'coarser' and appropriate for printing large flat areas of the
block with minimum effort and maximum penetration (fewer bumps develop more
pressure per square inch) - more bumps per square inch is 'softer' or
'finer' and appropriate for printing very thin and widely spaced lines -
these baren are 'flatter' and produce less pressure per square inch and less
wear and tear on finely carved details, but the don't print large flat areas
very well at all. Experience is the best teacher but if you can only have
ONE baren - make it a medium - works reasonably well for most printing.



The Korokoro would qualify as very coarse.



Mike



Mike Lyon
Kansas City, MO
http://mlyon.com





_____

From: ArtfulCarol@aol.com [mailto:ArtfulCarol@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 9:43 AM
To: baren@ml.asahi-net.or.jp
Subject: [Baren 35058] Re: Ball Bearing Baren



I have been using a ball bearing baren and have been enjoying using it
rather than the standard baren or a Speedball baren. I admit to also using
little plastic coffee spoons to get small details dark. My methods may leave
much to be desired!



My ball bearing baren rests on a pad lightly covered with camellia oil to
prevent rust. This may be clogging the bearings causing marks, concentric
and others. Sometimes these marks can be used for textural advantage. A
cleaning may be called for. Has anyone had that problem?.



Carol Lyons

http://rst-art.com/carolgallery.htm











_____

The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. AOL Music
takes you there.
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Message 5
From: Maria Regina Pinto Pereira
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:23:52 -0300
Subject: [Baren 35062] Puzzle project.
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wowww ! great work!
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Message 6
From: "Oscar Bearinger"
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:58:34 -0500
Subject: [Baren 35063] Re: Puzzle project.
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Fantastic, Maria !
We are all really speechless.

And you carve another four blocks yourself....what effort and what inspiration, M !!
We follow you, Commandress, but (myself) at quite a distance.

Thanks a bunch.

Near a cold garage in Ontario,
Oscar
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Message 7
From: Diane Cutter
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:48:14 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Baren 35064] Re: updates updates and more updates
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Maria...

The Cairn project looks stunning. I had to search a bit for my little 'garita' rock and finally found it. It is so intriguing. Thank you, thank you for all your organizing and hard work on this project. I loved the first puzzle. Those of us who went to the Baren Summit (now two years ago? yikes!!!) got to see a print at the gallery! Wonderful!

I'd never done a count on the number of prints in an exchange, but 930 sounds about right for those of us who have collated them... :lol: Keep those updates coming. I love hearing the progress reports!

Diane

www.dianecutter.com
www.theitinerantartist.blogspot.com
www.DCutter.etsy.com
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Message 8
From: ArtfulCarol # aol.com
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:18:01 EST
Subject: [Baren 35065] Re: updates updates and more updates
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Maria the Marvel--
Thank You for all your dedicated work for Baren!
The cairn looks great
Carol Lyons




**************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy
Awards. Go to AOL Music.
(http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565)
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Message 9
From: "Orgren Alex C (Alex)"
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:10:01 -0500
Subject: [Baren 35066] Baren selection follow-up questions
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Hello everyone,

Thanks for your responses so far on ball-bearing barens. I've also scoured
the archives for relevant information. One post mentioned the possibility of
damaging blocks since bearings are harder than wood. Has anyone experienced
this? Finally, I don't want to rule out a traditional baren too hastily. I
don't mind ruining a handful of leaves learning how to prepare and tie one.
If I only print a few times a year, will it need a new skin every time? Will
it seem like learning from scratch every time?

Thanks again,
Alex