Checklist for Relief Printing with Oil-Based Inks

 By Jim Hingst 
@hingst_jim 

You can get started in woodcut and linocut relief printing with a reasonable investment in equipment and materials. You will notice that I used the adjective “reasonable”.  I did not write “minimal” or “inexpensive”.  While you do not need to visit your local bank for a loan, an initial investment in good quality basic tools will likely amount to several hundreds of dollars. What’s more, it is like any other endeavor. The more you become involved in it, the more you will spend.

Before you begin cutting a block or printing, it is important that you assemble everything you need. It can be very frustrating, when you discover that you need something vital, in the middle of a job.  To avoid this type of mishap, I have compiled a list of equipment and materials, that you would need if you were hand printing with oil based inks.

The tools and materials that you would need for traditional Japanese woodblock printing with water based inks will be different. Depending upon the type of printing that you are doing and the nature of your projects, this list may or may not include everything that you need. It is, none the less, a good starting point and you should use it for a guide that you should modify for your own purposes.

The equipment and materials that you will need for printing with oil based inks (arranged alphabetically):

Air Respirator with a Particulate Filter. Chances are, if you are working with oil based inks, you will not be working with pigment powders. If for any reason, you are working with these powders, you will need an air respirator with a particulate filter.

Breathing pigment powders can be hazardous to your health.
When working with these powders, always wear an air respirator
with a particulate filter. 

Baby powder. When you are handling ink, it is easy to inadvertently get it on your hands, and accidently on your print. Once that happens, your print is ruined.  If you happened to get some on your fingers, wipe it off with a rag, then dust your fingers with baby powder.

Baren. After the printing block is inked, the printmaking paper in positioned on top of it. Using a tool called a baren, the back of the paper is burnished so the pressure transfers the image. A traditional baren used in Japanese woodblock printing is comprised of a coil of braided cord on a 5” disk covered with a sheath.

Traditional Japanese Baren

Speedball Baren

Bench Hook.  A bench hook serves as a stop to hold a woodblock or linoleum panel in place while they are working. You can easily construct your own bench hook with as few as three pieces of wood. One piece is attached to the bottom of a baseplate, which secures the bench hook from slipping on the wood surface. Another piece of wood is attached to the top of the baseplate. As you are cutting the printing block, pushing away from  you, this piece holds the block in place.

Brayer. A brayer is a roller used to spread ink out onto an inking slab and then to apply the ink onto the woodblock. Brayers vary in composition and density of the roller cylinder. 

Brayer 

Click here for a video showing the inking and printing process


Cell Phone.  If you are working alone, having a cell phone handy is a necessity just in case you have an emergency and need to call for help.

Carving Tools. For carving the printing block, there are many specialized tools. Recommended tools include a carving knife, an assortment of gouges (#5, #7, #8), a V-parting tool, veniers  (#11) and chisels.

Carving tools for cutting a printing block.

For linocuts, Pfeil, a Swiss company, manufactures a nice set of tools designed specifically for cutting linoleum. (Shown below.) Many artists prefer their mushroom shaped handle, believing that it gives them better control in carving. Gouges with these types of handles are often referred to as palm tools. Flexcut is another brand of good quality tools that you may consider for linocuts.

Drying rack. A drying rack is not necessary, but it sure is nice to have. Prices for a good rack start at about $600.

Fire Extinguisher.  If you are saturating rags with mineral spirits, there is always a chance of fire. Every shop should have at least one multipurpose fire extinguisher for emergencies.

First Aid Kit.  Your First Aid Kit should contain plenty of gauze compresses, an assortment of Band-Aids and antiseptic ointment.  If you have a severe cut or a wound becomes infected, get medical attention immediately.

Ink (oil based ink). The type of ink used in relief printing is one characteristic that distinguishes printing done in the Far East from that done in Europe and America. Traditional Japanese woodblock printing is done with water based inks. On the other hand, woodcuts and linocuts were generally printed with oil based ink. Oil based inks are more opaque, more durable and the colors are richer and more vibrant.  

Gamblin Oil-based Relief Ink.

Ink Cups. When you are mixing a special color, always mix a little more than you need. This avoids the difficult if not impossible task of matching colors. Keep several clean ink cups handy to store any extra ink.

Inking Knife. This type of knife is helpful both in mixing ink and transferring the ink from  the ink cup to the inking slab.  Inking knives are available in a variety of widths.

Inking knives are available in a variety of widths. When
inking a woodblock or woodcut, you only need to apply
a very small amount of ink to the inking slab. 

Inking Slab. A piece of glass makes a perfectly smooth surface for spreading out the ink to a uniform thickness. When ordering the glass, request that the edges are polished. This prevents accidentally cutting yourself on any sharp edges.   

Leather Strop. After sharpening your carving tools on a sharpening stone, hone the edge of the blade on a strop treated with polishing compound.

Lint Free Rags or Shop Towels. In doing your final clean up of your brayer, inking slab and printing block wet a lint free rag with mineral spirits to wipe off the remaining ink.

Magnifying Hood.  If you are cutting fine detail, you need three things: a sharp knife; good diffused lighting; and a magnifying hood.  

Magnifying Hood.

Mallet. For controlled cuts, especially when carving hard wood, a mallet indispensable.  Wood mallets are available in a variety of styles, weights and materials. 

Metal Can with a Lid. One way to prevent fires is to dispose of rags saturated with solvents in a metal container with a lid.

Mineral Spirits. For clean up after printing use no solvent stronger than mineral spirits. 

Newspaper.  Keep a stack of old newspaper handy for use in cleaning up your brayer. After you are done printing, roll the brayer over newspaper to remove much of the excess ink. Then wipe the brayer wit paper toweling. Then moisten a rag with mineral spirits to clean off the residual ink.

Newsprint. Because printmaking paper is expensive, use newsprint for proofing a job as you are making the final corrections on your printing block

Nitrile Gloves. It’s hard to keep your hands clean, when working with either paint or ink. It is especially easy to get your hands dirty, during clean up. For this reason, I wear nitrile gloves. The heavy-duty ones are worth the investment, because you can get several uses before replacing them.

Venom Steel Premium Disposable Nitrile Gloves

Oil for Sharpening. Although specialty oils for sharpening are available for use with oilstones, 3-in-1 oil is commonly used.  While some people believe that the oil provides some lubrication for the sharpening process, its primary purpose is to float away any particles of metal, which are worn away from the blade of the chisel.  Otherwise these residual particles would clog the pores of the stone reducing its abrasive properties.

Sharpening stone oil.

Paper Towels. Paper towels are necessary for wiping up residual ink after printing.

Plate Oil. Instead of adding mineral spirits to ink to lower its viscosity, add plate oil.

Gamblin Burnt Plate Oil

Polishing Compound. Jewelers Rouge and other polishing compounds come in a variety of abrasive grade from coarse to fine.  Just as if you were working with sandpaper, start with the coarse compound, then progress to a finer grit. Continue polishing the blade of your tool until it has a mirror finish.

Polishing Compound

Printing Block Substrates.  You have many substrate choices to use as a printing block. Your choice of material largely depends on a few factors including: the size and level of complexity of your project; the workability of the material; the quality of the printed image; durability of the printing block and material cost.  If your job requires reproduction of fine detail, one of your best choices is cherry plywood from a reputable supplier of printmaking supplies. Cherry plywood is a very hard material, which can be difficult to cut, but it can hold fine detail.  This material is not inexpensive, but it is a good choice if you need a high quality, durable material.  For ease of workability, linoleum is a good choice. With a sharp knife and carving tools, you can easily cut the material and produce clean edges. With linoleum, you do not need to contend with woodgrain and the problem of the wood chipping out. Linoleum is sold either unmounted or mounted to medium density fiberboard (MDF). My suggestion is to buy it mounted. In this form, it is easier to cut and the MDF backing makes the substrate dimensionally stable. A third option is MDF. This is not the same thing as particle board.  MDF is comprised of much smaller particles of wood, along with wax and a resin that binds everything together.  It is much denser, heavier and much stronger than particle board. It is an affordable material to work with for very large projects. It is comparatively inexpensive and is readily available at lumber yards. 

Linoleum is sold either unmounted or mounted to medium
 density fiberboard (MDF). Mounted linoleum is easier 
to cut and print as well as being more dimensionally stable. 

Printing Jig. There are a few different ways that you can register prints. One of the simplest is to construct a simple jig, which acts as a frame to hold the printing block and to provide guides by which you can align or register the paper over the block.

Printmaking Paper. If you project is worth printing, use paper designed specifically for printmaking

Razor Scraper. In cleaning up a glass inking slab, a razor scraper is useful.

Saral Paper.  An easy way to transfer your design to the printing block is to use Saral paper, which is similar to carbon paper, just not as messy to handle. It is available in several colors. Remember that you will need to transfer a wrong reading image to the block, so the woodcut or linocut prints right reading.

Saral Transfer Paper is available in 5 colors.

Sharpening Stone. For precise carving, you need to keep your carving tools sharp. A wide variety of sharpening stones are available on the market. One of the most common types is an oilstone.  Some are synthetic, while others are natural stones.  Of the natural types, the two best known are Arkansas stones and Washita stones. 

The wide range of sharpening stones includes oil stones,
 ceramic stones and diamond sharpeners.

Tracing Paper. Drawing your design on tracing paper is helpful, because you can flip the design before transferring it to the substrate, just by turning the paper over.

Tweezer. After you ink the printing block, little slivers of scrap may dislodge from the substrate.  A good pair of tweezers, the kind that painters use, are helpful in capturing the pieces.

Vegetable Oil. Prolonged exposure to solvents are hazardous to your health. As an alternative to cleaning with mineral spirits, some printers will clean up residual ink on their tools using vegetable oil. Using vegetable oil is also helpful in cleaning oil based inks and paints from your hands. Never wash your hands with solvents.

 RELATED ARTICLES

What is Relief Printing?
What are Ukiyo-e Prints?
How Japanese Printmaking Influenced Western Art

How do Woodblocks, Woodcuts and Wood Engravings Differ?

The Division of Labor in Ancient Japanese Print Production
Japanese Carving Tools for Woodblock Relief Printing
Japanese Carving Knives for Woodblock Printing
Safely Carving Woodblocks, Woodcuts and Linocuts
Linocut Tips
Selecting a Brayer for Relief Printing
Selecting Wood for Relief Printing
Selecting an Ink for Relief Printing
Inking the Woodblock Panel
Clean Up After Relief Printing

About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.

Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer.  Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.

Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for  publications, such as  Signs Canada, SignCraft,  Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and  Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 400 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.  Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon. 

Slides of Jim's Artwork

© 2017 Jim Hingst