Home Forums Explore Media Printmaking Advice Needed: Speedball Linoleum Block Substitute

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  • #993220
    Tiffany B
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        Hello All!
        :wave:

        When working with lino, I’ve been using the unmounted gray pieces, but recently I came across a tan Speedball Linoleum block. It was much harder to carve, giving me much more control over my carving, which I liked a lot. Still, the price difference between the full block versus the unmounted grey is a bit big for me. I was wondering if anyone knew where I might be able to find the same linoleum either unmounted or for a cheaper price than the Speedball.

        Thank you all so much for your time!

        Always happy for feedback. I'm learning through experience and don't have any formal training.

        #1229100
        Moqui Steps
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            Try some Sintra. I find it like a cross between Linoleum and plywood.
            You can get it from commercial Sign Shops. Ask them for a scrap piece, they usually have them on hand and will sell them for a lower price or give them away. If it’s legal in your area, look in their dumpster. It comes in various colors and thicknesses. I prefer white, 1/4″ but thicker is OK if your press can handle it.

            Who knows, you might like it better than linoleum. I have tried lino, medium and high grade printmaking plywoods and gomuban and so far enjoy the Sintra the most. An added bonus is that it is cheap. A full 4×8 foot sheet cost me about $70. You can get it cheaper if you are in a large city.

            By trying everything that’s available to cut prints on, you will find the materials YOU like working with the most. If you don’t try them, you will never know what might suit your style the best and will spend your life working with less than ideal (for you) surfaces.

            You will need cutting tools that are better than Speedball’s for the Sintra, so don’t judge it with Speedball cutters though if the Speedball is brand new and sharp it will give somewhat of an idea of how it works. Flexcut, Dockyard or other high quality wood gouges are required to extract the best from the it – and keep them SHARP (Get a strop and learn how to use it).

            .

            #1229102
            Tiffany B
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                Hey Donald!

                Thank you so much for your recommendation. I stopped by a sign store today, and the nice Korean guy who works there gave me a pretty large piece for free. I’ve carved a bit on the side to see how it carves, and I like it a lot! Now I just have to think about what I want to do with it. I’m interested to see how it prints.

                I’ve been using Abig cutters so far, and they seem to work pretty well on the Sintra. I may go an invest in a nicer set of wood gouges soon.

                Thank you for the new information!

                Cheers
                Tiffany

                Always happy for feedback. I'm learning through experience and don't have any formal training.

                #1229101
                Moqui Steps
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                    Tiffany,

                    You are most welcome. I have never used them but those Abig tools look fairly well made. If you have a strop to keep them sharp they should work well on the Sintra. I think that the strop made for the Flexcut tools would work OK on the Abig cutters. Are they “throw away” blades like Speedballs? Even if they are throw-away blades, you can probabaly still sharpen them many times with a strop as very little metal is removed.

                    Free is always fun! You might want to call all the sign shops in town, tell them you are an artist and would appreciate any saved scraps they can send your way. That should give you something to keep you busy for a while, then buy some larger sheets from them if / when you need
                    them. Most sign shops will cut them to size for you for not too much $.

                    One nice thing about the 1/4″ and thicker stuff is you can use both sides of it if you don’t cut too deeply. If you are using an etching press, you can use Sintra scraps to make a jig for your press to hold the block and paper in place and provide more support for the roller similar to what this person does with cardboard, though they are not using a press.

                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRy5lvrWsa0

                    If you make a mistake you can fill it in with melted Sintra. Using something like a soldering or wood burning tool, wax sculpting tool or heating a flat screwdriver blade with a torch. Press small Sintra bits down into the area you want to fill until it is thicker than the block and soften it up so it blends with the main block, then sand it down flush and re-carve. You will lose the texture of the Sintra which is kind of a pebble grain but on small spots it won’t really stand out. It may be a bit harder to carve than the original material but it can be a life saver. Another way to make repairs is to cut out the area with a jewelers saw and glue in a matching piece of Sintra using PVC pipe cement. Re-carve when fully cured on the joints. I think you can also use PVC cement to liquify small bits of Sintra and mash them down into the repair area, though I have not tried that.

                    Another technique that can be fun is to use a pointed punch, scribe or awl like tool to simply push into the Sintra. You can do some very precise stippling work that way. By changing the shape of the tip of the tool from round to triangular or square or whatever, you can get even more varied results.

                    .

                    #1229103
                    Tiffany B
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                        The blades do pop out, but I’m not sure if they’re “throwaway”. I’ve been using them for about a year, and with a little sharpening, they’re still working fine. The Flexcut strop looks interesting and is at an affordable price. I’ll definitely grab one soon.

                        Thanks for the press advice!

                        Wow. Melted Sintra? Who would’ve thought? That sounds miraculous compared to wood and linoleum. Huh.

                        I’m super excited to use the Sintra now. I just need to think of something to carve. haha

                        Always happy for feedback. I'm learning through experience and don't have any formal training.

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