Choosing Inks for Lino-Cut

[Diane Cutter]

I’ve used a 4″ Speedball type for years. Some people buy brayers wider than the surface they are inking but I prefer a lot of criss-crossing when I ink the lino.

If you get a Speedball (which are everywhere in art stores), take it out of the packaging to make sure the roller moves smoothly and there are no dings on the roller surface. Also I would stay away from the clear acrylic roller and the sponge type… both are rather useless for inking up.

Diane

Website/Bilingual Blog~~~Hand-pulled prints

[bridog]

I too started out with a Speedball pop out soft rubber brayer.
Since that time I have tried a few others and would have to say my 8 inch wide x 2 inch depth soft rubber Japanese brayer that I ordered from McClains about 4 years back is my personal favourite. It hangs from a hook wrapped in black plastic (to keep it from deteriorating from exposure to any UV light and also to keep it from getting any marks into the mid soft rubber roller surface.) It was a bit of money but certainly worth it. Also allows me to do some beautiful ink blends on surfaces less than 8 inches in width.
In terms of brayers that might be a bit more economical if budget is a concern Innovart soft and hard rubber brayers (sold by Blick) are half decent.
I haven’t tried the DeLuxe soft rubber they sell at Blick.
Have to agree with Diane that acrylic and foam brayers probably are not practical for lino printing.

Word of advice: if you get a fairly good brayer treat it like your precious child in terms of care and cleaning.:)

[FONT="Book Antiqua"]The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work. Emile Zola

www.myprintmakingjourney.blogspot.com
visit my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/borealart

[Diane Cutter]

… and would have to say my 8 inch wide x 2 inch depth soft rubber Japanese brayer that I ordered from McClains about 4 years back is my personal favourite.)

Brian… Of the ones in this picture, which did you purchase?

35mm… There is a lot of good information in that link above.

Diane

Website/Bilingual Blog~~~Hand-pulled prints

[bridog]

Diane

the model I purchased was the B4803 – a 28 durometer soft rubber brayer listed under the Japanese brayers (it was around $80 USD). In the photo link you gave it is similar to the bigger brayer shown closer to the right hand size with the blond wood handle. I think these would be comparable to the Holbein brayers Blick sells (might even be the same maker in fact?)
http://www.dickblick.com/products/holbein-super-soft-brayer/

[FONT="Book Antiqua"]The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work. Emile Zola

www.myprintmakingjourney.blogspot.com
visit my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/borealart

[Diane Cutter]

You can mount them onto scrap plywood. I like the ply to be about 1/4″ or so thick. A slightly larger scrap is nice because it makes it steadier when inking. Just make sure the board is not too big or you’ll have problems inking it along with the lino. If you place the mounted lino on a scrap piece of rubber shelving (like you get at WalMart etc. in rolls) the same size as the board and then ink the board stays in place nicely, not skidding around when inking..

I’ve had a lot of luck mounting them with Gorilla Glue. Just make sure not to use too much or it kind of oozes out the sides.

Regarding hand-coloring with watercolor, I prefer the oil relief inks. The ink actually creates a resist for the watercolor, only allowing it where there is no ink. It makes the coloring process go quite quickly.

Diane

Website/Bilingual Blog~~~Hand-pulled prints

[emhPrints]

I wouldn’t advise anyone to use Akua ink, especially for relief printing, and even more so if you are using Japanese papers. I have used it before, and after only 2 weeks I noticed an oil ring forming around the image. I figured it was because of heavy application of ink (since it was a 4 color image). So I tried again, using just black, but the oil ring still formed. Only difference was it took a little longer.

Also, when printing relief, it is ideal to use a stiff ink, and as far as I have experience, Akua is very loose, it runs everywhere. Because of this, modifiers are needed, which only cost more money. Not to mention for the amount of ink you get, it isn’t any cheaper than buying oil based inks, which I consider far superior, (my opinion, I understand other people have had different experiences.)

As far as brayers go, it is a general rule of thumb to use a brayer with a circumference which is greater than the dimension of the print. Now, this becomes very uneconomical when printing larger prints. It really depends on the size of your prints which brayer you use. Again, larger than the image size is ideal.

However, it is possible to ink the blocks up in a way that eliminates the lines which occur due to too small a breyer. Keep rotating the block and inking in multiple directions, look at the block from a tight angle (0-30) and get a feel for how much ink is actually on there, and keep an eye out for weak spots in the ink.

So to answer your question…

I prefer oil based ink, Graphic Chemical is pretty cheap, and process colors make a wide array of colors.

For brayers, I would get the largest brayer you feel you can afford, you can make it work. But, for the size prints you have stated, a 12″ breyer would be ideal. Keep in mind inking can become a very complicated matter, and multiple sized brayers will come in handy one day.

emhprints

[bridog]

I wouldn’t advise anyone to use Akua ink, especially for relief printing, and even more so if you are using Japanese papers. I have used it before, and after only 2 weeks I noticed an oil ring forming around the image. I figured it was because of heavy application of ink (since it was a 4 color image). So I tried again, using just black, but the oil ring still formed. Only difference was it took a little longer.

Also, when printing relief, it is ideal to use a stiff ink, and as far as I have experience, Akua is very loose, it runs everywhere. Because of this, modifiers are needed, which only cost more money. Not to mention for the amount of ink you get, it isn’t any cheaper than buying oil based inks, which I consider far superior, (my opinion, I understand other people have had different experiences.)

Thanks for the tip about the Akua ink leaving an oil ring. Yesterday I printed a bit onto very thin japanese mulberry paper (a test print). It is drying at the moment so will keep a close watch. The Akua folks had recently announced they had a new magnesium carbonate additive to thicken the intaglio ink and also speed up drying time. I have not tried it yet and don’t know if this would also help to remedy the oil staining? Perhaps I will pose this question to them via their website :wink2:

[FONT="Book Antiqua"]The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work. Emile Zola

www.myprintmakingjourney.blogspot.com
visit my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/borealart

[mooksii]

Hi!

I use and recommend Schmincke water based lino inks They are very affordable – in Australia a 35ml tube costs less than $10.

http://www.schmincke.de/produkte/linoldruckfarben.html?L=1

to find a retailer …

http://www.schmincke.de/haendler.html?L=1

They are amazing inks and easy to clean up too as they are water based.

[Grim Beefer]

I prefer Gamblin’s line of etching inks. If you mix in some burnt plate oil, you can use them with relief work. The advantage of this method is that the etching line has a wider range of colors than does their “Relief Ink” line.

[mbhill]

I’m all about the Caligo Safe-Wash relief inks. Yes, there is a smell to them but it isn’t a solvent smell. To me it smells more like salad oil. Clean up is a breeze.

I work in a small space so I hated using regular oil base inks.

[FONT="Book Antiqua"]Mark B Hill
[FONT="Book Antiqua"]http://markbhillart.com

[35mm]

I prefer Gamblin’s line of etching inks. If you mix in some burnt plate oil, you can use them with relief work. The advantage of this method is that the etching line has a wider range of colors than does their “Relief Ink” line.

Since I’m not familiar with etching ink, the plate oil is too loosen up the ink, or ?.

[anniemalena]

I have to 2nd this Mooksii and the Schmincke Ink! I am new to printmaking and starting with speedball, which is a great starter for testing prints. I recently moved to Germany and found Schminchke Ink (Water based) in the store. I love it! It rolls beautifully smooth and has the easiest clean up I have ever seen. The colors are bright and print very nicely.

I also recently bought Daniel Smith water based ink, which I was very excited for because of all the good recommendations. For me I found it had the same thicker consistency of Speedball but it did print better. The drying time though has been awful! I did some prints 1 week ago and some of them still are not dry. So if you live in a very humid place make sure to plan in the crazy long drying time you will need with this ink.

[AnotherDayInMaui]

I am just starting out as well, and I plan to use oil base inks, I have questions about shelf life….I live in a warm climate and salad oil goes rancid pretty quickly. I always have to give it a sniff before making dressing or sauteeing an onion.

What will happen to oil base inks in my climate? To be clear, the usual temperature in my studio is 78, sometimes it warms up to mid 80’s, never warmer than 88 and never cooler than 68.

Any advice would be appreciated. Should I look at cooled storage? Perhaps a small fridge for the inks?

[Diane Cutter]

Welcome, Another Day… I also live in your kind of climate here in Puerto Rico and with no air conditioning.

Printmaking inks are heavier and better mixed than food. In all my years in a hot climate I have never had my inks separate or get rancid. However, I would suggest that you buy your inks in the tubes rather than the cans. It is a little more expensive but it allows for less waste because you don’t get a dried crust from air exposure.

Regarding how long they last… I had a couple of tubes that were at least 18 years old before I used them up completely, some tubes I bought on an Italian vacation and just never got around to using until many years later. They were as wonderful at the end as the first day, no changes after several moves (all in tropical climates).

I don’t know if a fridge would be good. You might contact the ink companies to ask. I would just suggest that, when not using them, store them in a box in the coolest part of your house. I actually have a fridge in my studio area and only put my watercolor and oil palette in there (not the paint tubes) because I have mildew issues with those (but never mildew issues with my printmaking inks).

Now paper and paper storage is another issue…

Diane

Website/Bilingual Blog~~~Hand-pulled prints

[AnotherDayInMaui]

Thanks Diane for responding about my climate issues. I am so relieved to hear about the shelf life of your inks.
I might end up with paper issues in September/October….but it is quite dry in the little micro climate where I live. Some areas of the island get rain every day, and stuff mildews in minutes. I might end up with a little mildew in the shower, under the shampoo bottle….but that’s it. I count myself pretty lucky.

Thanks again for responding,

Sara in Maui

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