[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Tuesday, 28 April 1998 Volume 03 : Number 140 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: julio.rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 12:11:48 -0600 Subject: [Baren 685] re:Cooking Recipe The recipe for Sumi ink very much reminds me of what I use fo my wood stains. When I want to stain my wood projects in black I create my own "juice" by "cooking" some old nails, screws or iron fillings from steel wool on a jar with some regular house vinegar (white). After sitting for a while (days to weeks) the vinegar/iron "juice" is ready for use. The stain created when applied to certain types of wood gives a very nice black finish. The stains sucks thru the wood and depending on the amount of coats applied so goes the "blackness". I like it better than anything commercially bought....probably because it's my own ! ------------------------------ From: julio.rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 13:22:32 -0600 Subject: [Baren 686] re:Cooking recipe, part 2 Sorry, this last part got "cut" from my last mail. The stain I make is great for certain types of woods. One of the things that annoy me about commercially bought frames is that when the paint gets nicked the natural wood color shows thru. Lately I make my own frames from local lumber-store wood and then I stain them with my "juice" rather than black paint. If I want shiny...a coat of clear acrylic does the job. When the frames get nicked, all is okay because the juice has sucked deep into the wood ....as compare with black paint that just sits on top of the wood. I usually dip the frames in a big tub of "juice" (big plastic pans used for changing your car's oil are great for this !) and let them suck for quite a while. Try it; it's pretty easy stuff to make, and just like sumi ink.....you can always have a jar of the stuff "cooking" on the side. ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V3 #140 ***************************