Controlling Plate Absorbency

It worked! Flooding the plate with shellac and hardening it with heat for a couple of days totally did the trick![Old plates with lots of absorbed ink][New plates don't absorb ink]A few days ago I tried using extra shellac on my plates and drying them...

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Scarcity and Trade Secrets

Several times I've had people ask me why I give away all of my "secrets" by writing a blog. They ask things like, "Won't that decrease the value of your work?"No, it won't. The creativity that I pour into my work is my own. The...

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Ink Problems, Plate Drying Box

I guess this is the week that my beginner's luck runs out. Remember how I've been printing color plates one after another for months, changing colors at whim? Usually, if I switch from a dark color to a light color I only need to pull...

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New double-ended jig

When I last showed you the printing process, I was having a problem - since my jig was too short I was rolling over the plates in both directions. Going forward, the plate was prevented from slipping by being pushed into the corner of the...

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Earth-based Pigment Progress

It's been a little while since I posted the progress from my hand-processed, earth-based pigment project. After my trip to the coast a few weeks back, I created a flurry of pigment powders from the stones that I found.[Finished pigment powders]Then I finalized the details...

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Spotless Paper Tearing Surface

Handling paper for printmaking requires impeccable cleanliness. Smudges are easy to come by, especially in a studio that uses something as color-rich and sticky as slow-drying oil-based ink.[Pretty plywood with wet shellac]While the printmaking studio shares the space with a wood shop, a weaving studio,...

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Fixing Gouges, Slipping plates

On day two of split fountain tests, two problems came up. First, I managed to gouge the surface of one of the plates during cleanup yesterday. I let the remnants of ink dry overnight before I attempted a repair.The fix is pretty simple - apply...

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Interlocking Geometry, Split Fountain

After lots of other advances in the printmaking studio, it's time to sit down and do what I came here for - woodblock printing.I've had some time to integrate many of the things that I saw at SGCI and now, with a bigger, better press,...

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New Paper Size

Do you ever wonder why service companies charge a "setup charge" when you ask them to do something that they haven't done before? Here's a little insight into the tasks associated with something as simple as changing paper size.So, I decided last week that I...

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