Printing from a curved letterpress wood block
Dear forum members,
We have been asked to print from a very nice 19 century wood block. However, the block is slighlty curved (2 mm in the lower right corner and 3 mm in the upper left corner - that would be 0.08 in and 0.12 in). The block has both sides printable, and is thinner than type height, so I need to add thick paper to get it to type height. We are using an East-German hand operated proof press.
Is there a way we can use the block to print from it? I am afraid it will break under pressure, as it also has a tiny crack near the middle of the block, running from top to bottom.
Thank you,
Ion
Printing this block on the press will damage the block.
Lock up the block in a chase, so it will not move around. Ink the image with soft rubber brayer, place a sheet of paper over the chase and tape to one edge of the sheet to keep it from moving.
With a clean brayer press the sheet of paper against the image and this should make a print of the image.
Hello Ion,
I agree with Aaron. I wouldn’t put a curved, cracked block in a press. I would make a hand print, as Aaron suggests, and then use the print to have a plate made — photopolymer, magnesium, or copper. I would use a smooth, perhaps even calendared paper to get as sharp a print as possible.
Barbara
Hello Ion,
I agree with Aaron. I wouldn’t put a curved, cracked block in a press. I would make a hand print, as Aaron suggests, and then use the print to have a plate made — photopolymer, magnesium, or copper. I would use a smooth, perhaps even calendared paper to get as sharp a print as possible.
Barbara
I had very good luck printing an irregular wood-engraving with Arches 88 paper and a spoon. If you put an old boxwood block in a press chances are it will break into pieces. A plank-grained block might be more forgiving, but an end-grain block will split along a vertical axis.
Paul
Thank you very much for all your comments!