Today's postings

  1. [Baren 40034] baren (Plannedscapes # aol.com)
  2. [Baren 40035] Barens used (Kris Wiltse)
  3. [Baren 40036] RE: Barens used ("Maria Arango Diener")
  4. [Baren 40037] RE: baren (Allen P)
  5. [Baren 40038] Re: Barens used (Barbara Mason)
  6. [Baren 40039] Re: baren (eli griggs)
  7. [Baren 40040] Re: baren (thadeenz97 # verizon.net)
  8. [Baren 40041] Re: baren (Joseph Sheridan)
  9. [Baren 40042] Baren Member blogs: Update Notification (Blog Manager)
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Message 1
From: Plannedscapes # aol.com
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:54:58 GMT
Subject: [Baren 40034] baren
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Okay, I am sure this question will be offensive to purists, but what are
people using instead of barens if they don't have real barens? I used to
use my thumb when I did 10 at a time max but this summer I printed 3 exchanges
of 30 in succession and there was no way my thumb could survive that. I
have read about people using the back side of a bamboo spoon, but that seems
too rounded. I have seen the cheap red plastic brayers at the art supply
store but the handle seems too high and they seem like they might get
brittle and break. I was using the bottom of my titanium backpacking cup with
fairly satisfactory results but after demoing printing for 9 hours in one
day, the very fine grooves in the 'smooth' bottom are now clogged with the
waterbased Speedball ink that came thru my Sumi-i Sketch paper and it is kind
of gummy and not as smooth as it once was, causing it to drag. A visitor
suggested a wooden doorknob but that seems too small a diameter. If I
cleaned off the cup carefully and used some sort of lubricant, such as the
camelia oil used for real barens, would that keep the ink out and keep it
rubbing more smoothly? Who has tried the Speedball teflon baren or those with
ball bearings? Any other make-do ideas out there that work well or failed
miserably so I can skip trying them? Any suggestions greatly appreciated!
Karma
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Message 2
From: Kris Wiltse
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:59:46 GMT
Subject: [Baren 40035] Barens used
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Karma,
I use a flat wooden spatula. I agree wooden spoons are too rounded. I
also have a plastic japanese baren that I also use for some purposes.
Maybe sand down a spoon?

Good luck!
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Message 3
From: "Maria Arango Diener"
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:11:12 GMT
Subject: [Baren 40036] RE: Barens used
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Scroll down to "My favorite printing tools" for some alternatives:

http://1000woodcuts.com/Studionotes/Woodcut1.html

These are cheap to make and print nicely but you have to protect the paper
or it will tear. All materials available for about $15 or so at your nearest
home improvement or hardware store.

http://1000woodcuts.com/Studionotes/Woodcut/shroombarens.html

But NOWHERE near the results I later got with a professional baren from the
Baren Mall, of course!

Maria
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Message 4
From: Allen P
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:16:57 GMT
Subject: [Baren 40037] RE: baren
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I am a beginner & not a purist... but have tried several barens and own a few... For me the Ball bearing baren would be my first choice! But the more inexpensive modern disk baren also works very very well for me... McClain's sell both styles. They can also advise you as to when the dollar to yen exchange rate works best for you.
Try a better paper and the disk baren... again McClain's has a good paper- I like the heavier stock better.I have a Speedball...I like the others better.

Allen

>Okay, I am sure this question will be offensive to purists, but what are
>people using instead of barens if they don't have real barens? I used to
>use my thumb when I did 10 at a time max but this summer I printed 3 exchanges
>of 30 in succession and there was no way my thumb could survive that. I
>have read about people using the back side of a bamboo spoon, but that seems too
>rounded. I have seen the cheap red plastic brayers at the art supply store but
>the handle seems too high and they seem like they might get brittle and
>break. I was using the bottom of my titanium backpacking cup with fairly
>satisfactory results but after demoing printing for 9 hours in one day, the very
>fine grooves in the 'smooth' bottom are now clogged with the waterbased
>Speedball ink that came thru my Sumi-i Sketch paper and it is kind of gummy and
>not as smooth as it once was, causing it to drag. A visitor suggested a
>wooden doorknob but that seems too small a diameter. If I cleaned off the
>cup carefully and used some sort of lubricant, such as the camelia oil used for
>real barens, would that keep the ink out and keep it rubbing more
>smoothly? Who has tried the Speedball teflon baren or those with ball
>bearings? Any other make-do ideas out there that work well or failed
>miserably so I can skip trying them? Any suggestions greatly
>appreciated! Karma
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Message 5
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:40:17 GMT
Subject: [Baren 40038] Re: Barens used
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A rice paddle works well, and the very inexpensive barens from art supply stores do work, better than a cup...If you use a sheet of wax paper or cooking parchment between the cup and paper it will keep things clean
My best
Barbara
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Message 6
From: eli griggs
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:48:08 GMT
Subject: [Baren 40039] Re: baren
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I use or have used an old wooden spoon which is nicely curved but not too much, as well as wood spatulas, wooden cabinet pulls of several sizes, plus the Speedball tool, which I don't much care for.

My main tool is something I made, a powerful ball-bearing baren of 3mm balls, ebony body (though most any dense hardwood would work), heavy brass plate pierced for the balls which also allows for a smooth running tool and a disk of ultra high molecular weight plastic for the bearings to roll on. If I make another someday, I'll try brass plate, dimpled, for the balls to move against.

I have also made two ribbed wooden barens, after the fashion of one illustrated in a book from the Baren 'library.

These are hardwood, ebony and purpleheart, cut into a wood disk and given long, parralle groves on a table-saw. I then used a small plane and glass-paper to easy and round all the sharp angles on the remaining wood.

The ebony baren is thiner than the purpleheart, which is also grasped by hand in use, and I latter gave it a rag handle by drilling small holes for heavy brass wire to hold the handle.

If I ever find a good piece of lignum Vitae (Guaiacum Santum) I'll make dimpled baren with.

Having an assortment of tools is important in my opinion, small tools like spoons and knobs can put pinpoint pressure where it is wanted, while the larger tools may have different 'signatures' on the printed papers.

Making your own tools is also instructive as you are better able to tune them to your own needs or make additional pieces with different

Eli
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Message 7
From: thadeenz97 # verizon.net
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:21:38 GMT
Subject: [Baren 40040] Re: baren
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I remember trying so many things. I bought a Speedball baren which didn't work well for me, and then I used a flat-bottomed glass, which had some promise. Then, for the longest time I used a wooden spoon from the dollar store. I had the same impression of wooden spoons when I began -- too round. Funny thing happens though, the more you use it -- it flattens out and really becomes a great tool.

However -- and call me a cheater -- I decided to give my poor hands a rest when I found an antique cast-iron book press in an antique shop. Just this afternoon, as I was pulling a print, I said to my wife (who authorized the purchase a few years back) "Thank God for my press."

But if anything ever happened to the press, I'd gladly go back to the humble wooden spoon.
-Jeff Dean
Buffalo, NY
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Message 8
From: Joseph Sheridan
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:04:39 GMT
Subject: [Baren 40041] Re: baren
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Our group name, Baren, implies some importance to the tool.

Try what you may, but a quality Baren produces a better print done in the traditional Japanese style. As does a hand made paper.

I invested in a high quality baren and I am happy that I did. I also print on quality Japanese paper. I know I am fortunate that I can do so.

As I print, it gives me added pleasure when I know I support the craft, hopefully not the dying craft, of the Baren maker and the Hanga Paper maker.

If you can afford it, support that fellow artist, artisan who dedicates such care to his/her craft. We are living artists. Let us support the living crafts people who present us with such beautiful tools and materials. I have seen the difference in my work.

But by all means, keep the art coming and by any means at hand.

Joe Sheridan

Digest Appendix

Postings made on [Baren] members' blogs
over the past 24 hours ...

Subject: How the eBook photographs were taken
Posted by: Dave Bull

I kind of knew this would happen - more people are showing interest in 'how I did it', than in the eBook itself!

The photographs of the prints in the new David's Choice eBook are one of its most important features. The whole point of the book is that I wanted people to be able to experience seeing the prints as though they were sitting together with me right here in my own library. Scanning is useless, as woodblocks always come out flat and lifeless in scans.

I needed photos, and I needed special photos. And I couldn't possibly afford to hire a professional team, and - to tell the truth - I'm not sure that such a group would even have been able to produce what I myself knew could be done.

Before I explain my method, here's an example of one of the photos from the book. (This is 500 pixels across - in the book it is nearly five times as large: 2300 pixels ...)

Now this is pretty close to the 'real thing' that I see laying on the table here in my own room. Actually, it is better. The paper has the same good texture that I can see in the real object, but the lighting is much improved - being perfectly smooth across the surface of the print. When we normally look at things in our own room, the light is usually very uneven, coming from different directions and in different 'colors' all mixed together.

Anyway, here's a quick demonstration of how these photos were taken ...

When first thinking about how it might be possible to take photos like this, it was obvious that the light source had to be raking - the light had to fall at an angle over the surface of the print. But when I did experiments with this in my room, I always came up against the problem that the top of the print - being closer to the light - was always a lot brighter than the lower area. Even when it looked 'the same' to my eye, the camera knew different, and the images were unusable.

The light source obviously had to be moved back - and back far enough so that the difference in illumination between the top and bottom of the print became inconsequential. Distant light, yet bright enough for clear photography. I needed a spotlight.

So . . .
[Long item has been trimmed at this point. The full blog entry can be viewed here]


This item is taken from the blog Woodblock RoundTable.
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