Home › Forums › Explore Media › Printmaking › Inking linoleum
- This topic has 5 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 5 months ago by Yorky Administrator Ormskirk.
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March 24, 2019 at 1:52 pm #471004
Hi all,
This is my first post. I use both mounted and unmounted linoleum, and water-based inks (Speedball) for relief prins. I’m having some trouble inking my carvings, and wanted advice. The unmounted carvings sometimes curl a bit, even if I press them. And the mounted carvings don’t seem to be flat – there are parts that are slightly lower than other parts, especially the edges vs. center (center is low). So when I use the brayer, certain parts are getting hit heavy with ink, and others are not at all. What ends up happening then is I have to use too much ink to get the whole thing inked up, and some of my details get lost and the edges are a bit heavy and bleeding. I also can’t run the brayer across evenly, and sometimes hit the edge of the brayer down on an area not meant to have ink while I am trying to ink up the middle or edges.
I have used several different brayers (usually the softer ones, though I have tried a hard one too), and this has not made a difference. I have run the inked brayer onto paper to see if the brayer was the problem, but it gave a pretty nice even inking.
Any advice is appreciated – including other inks that might be better. I am becoming more aware of how much of an issue this is to my success with each print.
Also I am using printing press to pull prints.
Thanks all!
Jen
jpodprints.com
Instagram: jpodprintsMarch 24, 2019 at 5:34 pm #803614Maybe…slightly warm or heat the matrix. Also I hold my brayer with the handle pointing upwards, my hand fisted with knuckles pointing forward , thumb up.around the handle. Better, more even pressure.
March 25, 2019 at 2:57 pm #803612For inking, try using smaller rollers to fit into the lower areas.
For printing, pack the low spots in the plate from behind with paper. Usually even a thin bit will make a difference, but you’ll have to experiment.
March 26, 2019 at 1:14 am #803613I was thinking about this earlier today, maybe running your lino through the press a few times before you take the tools to it might neutralize the undulations in the matrix.
May 5, 2019 at 12:16 pm #803611Thank you for your suggestions. I will try holding my brayer differently. I think I may also need to see about using a different ink. If anyone has any suggestions on water soluble printing inks that would be appreciated (something that dries as I also do cards).
Thanks!
Jen
jpodprints.com
Instagram: jpodprintsNovember 7, 2019 at 1:36 pm #803610Late reply as I’m not here very often… You don’t have to use water based inks just because you are printing cards. There are many people who use oil-based for such. You just have to allow enough time for drying. I would suggest the “in-between” inks – water miscible but oil based, like Caligo’s Safewash or Speedball’s Professional Relief ink. I love the latter but never used Caligo.
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