Today's postings

  1. [Baren 29391] Re: Wood question for Mike (Mike Lyon)
  2. [Baren 29392] about my email yesterday ("robert")
  3. [Baren 29393] about my email yesterday ("robert")
  4. [Baren 29394] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V33 #3278 (Dec 2, 2005) (Wanda Robertson)
  5. [Baren 29395] Re: Baren Digest (old) V33 #3278 ("Ellen Shipley")
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Message 1
From: Mike Lyon
Date: Sat, 03 Dec 2005 08:26:36 -0600
Subject: [Baren 29391] Re: Wood question for Mike
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Bette wrote:
>What kind of wood are you using for moku-hanga?

For hand-carving, I have used (may have missed a few here):
* Cherry plank (wonderful carving and mostly grainless printing
-- see "Jessica Seated" for example)
* Appalachian cherry plank tends to print a bit blotchy due to
figure -- can be reduced/eliminated by sealing with shellac or other
-- see "Dojoji Maiden" for sealed example),
* Maria Arango's 3/4" cherry plywood (for her puzzle
collaborative -- not bad carving, actually),
* oak plank (very pronounced grain but difficult to carve due to
big variation in knife resistance in open vs closed grain areas --
see "Mother and Child" background for example),
* walnut plank (didn't care for its carving characteristics at
all and gave up on the block without printing),
* shina plywood from McClain's (mild grain printing and carves
like butter -- see "Fisherman and Wife" black key block for example)
* cypress (slightly aromatic and oily carving with some hard/soft
areas and prints nicely -- see "Rachel")
* Spanish cedar plank (very soft and very easy to carve, tendency
to splinter, prints similar to luan with pronounced grain see
"Jessica Reclining"
* basswood plank (very soft and easy to carve, prints pronounced
blotchy due to grain figure which can be eliminated by sealing with
shellac or other -- see "Dana Seated" background for unsealed example)
* hard maple (very resistant to carving, prints similar to cherry)
* luan plywood (sometimes called 'door skin' very resistant to
carving, especially the glue layer which tends to be VERY hard and
brittle, prints pronounced grain -- see "Fisherman and Wife" sky and
water for example)... I usually glue it to 1/2" plywood support
before carving in order to make handling and warpless printing easier.
* birch plywood (resistant to carving similar to cherry, prints
subtle woody grain similar to what you see on the block)

For large blocks (machine carving), I mainly use full or quarter
sheets of A2 or A4 (prefer) 1/4" (1/2" for reductions) plywood:
* cherry (grainless),
* birch (woody grain), or
* ash (very pronounced grain)
I lightly sand with 400 grit (big random orbit sander) after
outlining but before clearing in order to shave off any fuzz at cut edges.

-- Mike


Mike Lyon
Kansas City, Missouri
http://mlyon.com
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Message 2
From: "robert"
Date: Sat, 03 Dec 2005 15:01:30 +0000
Subject: [Baren 29392] about my email yesterday
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Message 3
From: "robert"
Date: Sat, 03 Dec 2005 15:03:54 +0000
Subject: [Baren 29393] about my email yesterday
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Hello everyone in barens,
Sorry, Yesterday I accidently sent a multiple addressed email to everyone. It was supposed to go to just those that have requested to link to the www.printmakers.info or www.howdidyoumakethat.com website. Sorry, I am not trying to spam you all. Just an oversite on my part. I beg all your pardon.
Thanks, Rob
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Message 4
From: Wanda Robertson
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2005 10:18:23 -0800
Subject: [Baren 29394] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V33 #3278 (Dec 2, 2005)
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Doesn't Helen Frankenthaler use a Japanese carver & printer?

Wanda
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Message 5
From: "Ellen Shipley"
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2005 10:36:08 -0800
Subject: [Baren 29395] Re: Baren Digest (old) V33 #3278
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>There are so many things just in printmaking that I want to do but I
>also feel like I am running out of time at 27!

Oh Marissa! I'm 53! And I just got into woodcut a couple years ago, so
you've got plenty of time. ;-]

But I do know how you feel -- so many techniques to try it makes you dizzy.
8-]

Ellen

http://pressing-issues.blogspot.com/

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