[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking.

Baren Digest                Monday, 2 March 1998        Volume 02 : Number 083

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From: Gary Luedtke <GLuedtke@compuserve.com>
Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1998 10:42:57 -0500
Subject: [Baren 446] Wood storage ... 

Regarding block storage,
  
   This from someone again with no experience in carving, but I have had
experience in woodworking and the storage of long lengths of lumber that
may be relevant here.
   The standard method of air curing, and storing lumber where there will
be climate change, is to stack the individual pieces with slats separating
them horizontally, allowing air movement to circulate around each piece,
and therefore all sides dry out or can expand/contract evenly to reduce the
chances of warpage and cuppage.  I believe Graham and Matt, at least have
probably more recent experience with this, as I have heard them both
mention their wood piles, but that's the method I used to use in wood
storage and it worked well.  It requires more space, but it is worth it if
when you go to use the wood, it is still straight.
   To store the blocks I have from my prints, I usually put something like
paper toweling between each block for a cushion, stack them up, and store
them in a plastic storage container, which minimizes any drastic
atmospheric changes.  However I also keep them in my studio which I keep
climate controlled, as it is where I work most of the time also.   Also,
the blocks are shina plywood, and plywood is better from this aspect in
that it seldom warps at the scale of an oban-size block for example.
   While visiting my printer several years ago, he also kept his blocks in
his living space, and simply wrapped them all up in newspaper, and bound it
with string or tape and put them on a shelf, or laid them on the floor out
of the way.
    Hope this helps.

Gary

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From: Matthew.W.Brown@VALLEY.NET (Matthew W Brown)
Date: 01 Mar 98 17:02:42 EST
Subject: [Baren 447] Wood storage ... 

Baren,
	Gary's notion about stacking lumber with slats would seem to be the
most cautious way: keep the air exposure even all around the blocks. Actually
the air exposure is inherently uneven, for wood 'breathes' out the endgrain
more readily than 'across the grain'. A good way to work with this is to seal
the end grain of your blocks with wax. I generally just put my blocks in a
cardboard box for storage, but sometimes I do put beeswax to the endgrain. 

Matt

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End of Baren Digest V2 #83
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