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

Baren Digest               Tuesday, 3 March 1998       Volume 02 : Number 084

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From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@islandnet.com>
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 08:08:44 -0800
Subject: [Baren 448] Re: Wood storage ... 

Hi everyone.
I think we are going to get a lovely day ... the sun is out already.

Matt wrote,
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.
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The wax prevents moisture from coming and going and would suggest not to do
this if you are still using the blocks. You must let them breath.  Actually
I would never do this. I do not put them in a box but LOOSELY wrap a sleeve
of corrugated around the outside leaving the end grain open which will
allow the blocks to MOVE and breath.  Loosely tie a sting around all sides
for ease of handling.  Do this only when they are thoroughly dry. Then you
should store them on their edge just the same way we store old records.
(You know those thingies before CD's).


Gary wrote,
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
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Sticking (is the term) lumber is the givin method by saw mills and lumber
companies because of ease, economics and space.  The best way for us guys
with a few pieces of lumber, (planks) is leaning them almost at a vertical
position and better still, hanging them from one end. The storage space can
be inside or out but not in the weather.  I store my best stuff in a car
port leaning against the wall.  The idea here is to make sure that air
flows equally around all surfaces. I have had 8' x 16" pieces like this for
5 years. If you have a lot of them it is easy to nail a little, about 1/2"
x 1/2" strip the width of the board on the top edge so that when leaning
against each other the air space is maintained. In this way you can lean
many boards 2 to 3" away from the corner which is usually the most
convenient place. A loosely attached cord to hold then in position is wise.
Someone could brush against the lean and down it would come.


Dave wrote
>Shimano-san the block planer tells me that the blocks he sends me should
>be stored lying flat on a shelf in a closed cupboard,

You did it and they warped. and your supplier sells more blocks.
Remember in the 70's they sold cars that rusted out in two years. They sold
a lot more cars this way.

> I have on occasion pulled out some blocks from ten years ago for re-printing
> and have found some degree of expansion/warping, but nothing wild or unable
>to be regulated with a bit of hot water and some rags.

Why bother regulating them?  Once you start printing they are going to
change anyway. If you keep the printed sheets in order as you progress
through the blocks they should print all in register.

If you store the blocks in a climate different than the studio you should
bring them to the studio and allow them all to acclimatize for a week
before carving or printing.

And remember store them like those Vinyl records.
THEY NEVER WARPED nor will your used or unused blocks.

Graham

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From: David Bull <davebull@asahi-net.email.ne.jp>
Date: Tue, 03 Mar 1998 08:34:40 +0900
Subject: [Baren 449] Re: Wood storage ... 

Dave wrote:
> I have on occasion pulled out some blocks from ten years ago for re-printing
> and have found some degree of expansion/warping, but nothing wild or unable
> to be regulated with a bit of hot water and some rags.

Graham asked:
> Why bother regulating them?  Once you start printing they are going to
> change anyway. If you keep the printed sheets in order as you progress
> through the blocks they should print all in register.

Oh, if it were only that easy!  But remember, I'm using both sides of
each block (except for the key block, which is allowed to retain its
full thickness).  So when a block warps, one side gets wider and the
other side gets narrower.  Keeping the prints in the proper order, which
I always do _exactly_, doesn't help this.  

The only answer is to flatten each one out as it is needed.

*****

An interesting note ...

I try to keep up with what's new in woodblock printmaking out on the web
by doing searches now and then on Yahoo, etc.  I usually use keywords
like 'woodblock' or 'printmaking', but the other day I tried using
'baren' to see what came up.

On Yahoo itself, I found our own pages, as well as a whole lot of stuff
from Germany, something to do with hotels.  I guess the word 'baren' has
some meaning in German.

When I moved on to Alta Vista, it was a different story!  I won't spoil
the fun by telling you what came up - go and try it yourself ...  (But
get the kids out of the room first!)

B . A . R . E . N .... spells?

Dave

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From: David Bull <davebull@asahi-net.email.ne.jp>
Date: Tue, 03 Mar 1998 13:36:41 +0900
Subject: [Baren 450] Baren skins 

Note: Despite my name up there, this is a posting being forwarded from
Gary ...

Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1998 10:42:57 -0500
From:  Gary Luedtke <GLuedtke@compuserve.com>

Dave,  I see the bamboo sheath on the baren, with its 
neatly tied knot, and recall you and others mentioning 
the difficulty of replacing one.  Just a fleeting thought, 
but has anyone ever tried covering one with leather and 
seeing how that works?  Leather that has a finished side
out, to provide some slipperiness, yet is flexible enough 
to move easily across the paper on top of the block?  Or 
how about a dried fish skin, not shark of course, but 
something smooth?  Just curious if any experimentation has 
gone on with this question, or if everyone does it
the old way because that's what was handed down.  

Gary

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End of Baren Digest V2 #84
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