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Message 1
From: Nancy Osadchuk
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 08:58:20 -0700
Subject: [Baren 32227] Re: Question about wood and UK suppliers.
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Welcome to Baren Mark, re your question on wood suppliers, I have been lucky occasionally. I have dealt in the past with a woodworker-furniture maker and asked him to plane a block for me as it was very thick and I wanted to use it again. He offered me some "scrap " cherry wood, and bass wood. These were just pieces cut off and no longer useful to him, but great for me as they were very smoothly sanded and ready to carve. I have not used the basswood yet, the cherry is of course excellent but you do need sharp tools. I have used alder, and poplar and shina plywood and of these three I prefer the poplar . Cutting across the grain is difficult on the alder, I find the shina too soft. Have fun and good luck
Nancy O.

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Message 2
From: "Mark Mason"
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 16:38:40 -0000
Subject: [Baren 32228] Re: Japanese Prints at Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery.
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Hi Harry,

Thanks for the welcome.

I found out about the Japanese prints at Blackburn Art Gallery a couple of months ago. They have about 20 on permanent display, and excellent volumes of Hokusai's Manga and a breathtaking Kimono, but as you said, another 1200 prints in storage, which they will allow people to view by appointment. A Japan Society based in Manchester (I think) arranged a group visit earlier in the year to view the collection, but I missed it. I also missed an extensive exhibition of Hiroshige prints which they held last year.

Maybe if there are enough UK based Bareners interested in a visit we could get access to the entire collection for an afternoon!

The Museum, though quite small also has a really nice display of Illuminated manuscripts and hand printed and bound woodcut books by leaders of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Kind Regards,

Mark.

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Message 3
From: "Mark Mason"
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 16:49:43 -0000
Subject: [Baren 32229] Re: Question about wood and UK suppliers.
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Hi David,

I agree with you about Lawrence's, it is pricey. They seem to have a good collection of supplies for wood engraving, but their wood cut range is fairly slim compared to McClains in the US and the good 'ol Baren Mall. I'm just hoping someone can point me in a more economical, and environmentally friendly option to source wood/ply than flying a small order around the world.

What's your prefered wood for carving key blocks?

Cheers,

Mark.

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Message 4
From: David Harrison
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 16:57:01 +0000
Subject: [Baren 32230] Re: Question about wood and UK suppliers.
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> What's your prefered wood for carving key blocks?

I've only just made the transition from lino to trying out Shina ply --
so I haven't had the chance to try "real" wood just yet. I've been
looking for an affordable wood source for some time, so that I can be a
little more adventuresome in block materials.

However I did just have a chat with a local wood recycler...she said
that she sometimes gets some very interesting boards from various bits
of furniture or domestic panelling. The smaller bits aren't of much
interest to architectural salvage types so that may be worth a look.

cheers,

David

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Message 5
From: Julio.Rodriguez # walgreens.com
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 11:10:03 -0600
Subject: [Baren 32231] Re: Question about wood and UK suppliers.
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I usually cut birch plywood or maple because it's readily available...I
look for ply that has a nice thick top layer....but wood selection really
depends on your style and image choice....if you are going to cut a
keyblock with very thin key lines you absolutely need to go to the
high-end woods...solid cherry or maple or good shina ply from the
vendors....if instead your lines are wide and rough or you are looking for
wood to carve the color blocks...then wood selection is not as
critical...it is often a good idea to stick to one type of wood for all
your blocks for any one print so you can minimize registration problems as
different woods will expand and contract differently once wet, also grain
direction could be important.....I would also stay away from very thin
stock as it will warp on you half way into your printing....you can always
screw or nail thin stock to a thicker block but it's additional work if it
can be avoided.

Julio

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Message 6
From: GWohlken
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:09:35 -0500
Subject: [Baren 32232] Favorite Wood to Carve
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Mark, I like cherry. I buy it from a place called KD Hardwoods down
the hill from where I live. It's a small operation and usually one
of the Amish men working there cuts my wood to size for me. I also
like maple, though it's a very hard wood, but with good Japanese
tools, I can cut through it pretty well. Since I'm not in England, I
can't help you about where to buy wood there, but I would think a
place that specializes in hardwoods (if you are interested in those)
would be able to help you.

~Gayle
Northeast Ohio

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Message 7
From: "Mike Lyon"
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:01:48 -0600
Subject: [Baren 32233] RE: Question about wood and UK suppliers.
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Dear Mark,

For printing water borne pigment, very fine line key blocks which can be
printed by baren hundreds (thousands?) of times without appreciable change
or wear, #1 cherry (plank cut) works 'best', IMO. But if the lines aren't
so fine or smaller editions are to be pulled shina plywood is VERY easy to
carve (cherry is much harder and more resistant) and very fine lines can
generally be carved (sometimes the top veneer isn't very well glued and then
chipping can occur) and printed many times without any problem at all. Some
printers do coat the shina ply with dilute PVA - this makes the surface
somewhat harder, less likely to chip during subsequent carving, and MUCH
less absorbent so less pigment is transferred from block to paper and also
there is less tendency for grain to print. Other printers use shellac,
polyurethane, varnish, etc with the same aim. I like the 'woody' way
untreated surfaces print, so I don't do this any more. Before you go to the
extra trouble, print the unfinished surface many times. Then seal with PVA
or whatever and print some more - then you can decide for yourself.



For shina plywood, you can order from http://Imcclains.com
or direct from Japan, but you're not likely to find
it at a timber yard.



Basswood carves and prints very much like shina plywood. Basswood planks
are inexpensive and 1 to 2 inch thick planks 12 or more inches wide are
common - check your local hardwood supplier and I imagine you'll find a
ready supply. Good cherry has been pretty hard to find in the US this year
- most boards of sufficient width have been glued up from several narrower
boards and don't work very well for water-borne printing.



Good luck!



Mike



Mike Lyon
Kansas City, MO
http://mlyon.com

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Message 8
From: Legreenart # cs.com
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:01:30 -0500
Subject: [Baren 32234] RE: New Baren Digest (Text) V37 #3692 (Nov 14, 2006)
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For those of us who never do anything until the last minute anyway,
this is a reminder that a bakers dozen plus one is all it takes to be in the Holiday Cookies and Confections Celebration Exchange

I hope some of you are cooking up some small exchange prints for
this exchange:

Call for Entries: Small Hand-Pulled Print Exchange.

Paper size is 4" x 6", edition of 14 prints.
Theme is Holiday Cookies and Confections Celebration.
Open to any hand inked printmaking medium.
Deadline is December 1, 2006.

Each artist will receive 12 (1 dozen) assorted sweet prints of by other artists.
One print will go in the StoneMetal Press Archives and one will be
donated to StoneMetal Press for their Holiday Auction.
The other 12 will go to the exchange.
Giclee, copy machine, & commercial output prints not eligible
for this exchange.


Mail to :
Le Green
StoneMetal Press
1420 S. Alamo #104
San Antonio, TX 78210

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Message 9
From: Robert Simola
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 12:12:51 -0800
Subject: [Baren 32235] Re: Favorite Wood to Carve
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Would walnut work for making block prints? Are there be any particular
advantages or disadvantages to using it? For instance, will it hold a
fine line? There is a place near me that sells a beautiful (and pricey)
walnut plywood with an eighth-inch walnut surface.
Bob

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Message 10
From: Charles Morgan
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:47:32 -0800
Subject: [Baren 32236] Last chance to sign up for the SSNW06 print exchange
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For those of you who are still procrastinating, this is the last day
to sign up for the SSNW06 print exchange.

Cheers ........ Charles

### TIME TO SIGN UP FOR ###

the ^^^^ FABULOUS ^^^^

SOUTHERN SUMMER NORTHERN WINTER

SOLSTICE PRINT EXCHANGE FOR 2006

SSNW06

Our coordinator, Carole Carroll, is on a mad road trip with her
hubby, but she took time out to tell me that we currently have 24
signed up for this exchange. She asked me to post another
announcement so that everyone will have ample opportunity before the
deadline. Here are the details:

In order to sign up for the SSNW06 exchange, please send private
email to the coordinator, Carole Carroll, at:

crcpdc@aol.com

In our last exchange, we had about 30 participants, and we expect
about the same again. You will be notified of the actual number after
the close of entries. If you wish to opt for limited participation,
you will be given a chance to do so after entries close.

Participants will be expected to send the required number of copies
of their print to the coordinator by the deadline of December 21. The
coordinator will sort the prints and send each participant a complete
set of prints from the other participants.

To summarize:

Exchange: SSNW06
Theme: In My Back Yard
Sign up by: November 15, 2006
Due by: December 21, 2006
Paper size: 5 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches
Medium: Any
Cost: $10 US to cover postage and return mailers
Co-ordinator: Carole Carroll
Send to: 3226 10th Ave W
Seattle WA 98119-1822
USA

Don't think about it .... JUST DO IT !!!!

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