Bittondi’s Print Club
3rd Saturday of each month. Members and Associates.
On the third Saturday of each month Bittondi host a Print Club for members and associate members.
Print Club enables members to get together and discuss methods, swap ideas, meet each other for the first time, and practise printmaking methods with the help of other members who may have more experience or different approaches. Associate members can come and either work on their own or arrange with a member to obtain some tuition on the day. One person is always in charge of opening up at 10am and shutting the studio at 3pm or later. It’s nice to bring in some lunch to share. If there is a workshop on Print Club Day the person in charge is the one who is giving the workshop, and you need to contact them if you are in-tending to come in and work on that day, as the numbers will have to be limited on those occasions. For more info about Print Club contact Julia: julia.wakefield@gmail.com
Next Print Club
Bittondi extend an invitation to printmakers, artists and interested parties join us at exhibitions and open days to find out more about our members and their work, or how you can be involved in our community.
To learn more about printmaking, consider joining one of the workshops offered from time to time, and practice your skills at the regular print club sessions.
Print Club November
/in News, Print Club, Uncategorized /by AmandaPrint club April 2016
/in Print Club /by AmandaPrint Club is an opportunity for members and associate members to meet, print, discuss processes and share news.
Inky dog’s sharpening method for u-shaped tools
Focus in April: Sharpening lino, woodcut and wood engraving tools. There are many different sets of instructions on the Internet about how to care for our tools. At Print Club I demonstrated the method that I was taught at Carbatec, which applies to all V shaped steel tools, large or small. Using an oil stone, you push the tool in circular movements, ten times on each facet, making sure it is precisely angled. This differs from the simpler method demonstrated at Inky Dog Press. But Inky Dog also show you a challenging way to sharpen U-shaped tools. Compare their method with Carbatec’s, which is just to push the tool forward and rotate it at the same time. McClain’s Printmaking Supplies gives a similar description to Carbatec’s method here, using a wet stone.
The other method of sharpening is with wet stones. This video from David Bull’s e-book ‘Your first Print’ gives a very good example of how to sharpen the Japanese Mokuhanga tool, the hangi-toh. Here’s another link in David’s Encyclopaedia of woodblock printmaking.
‘Crocker’ sharpener, available from McClain’s
Wood engraving tools can be sharpened in the same way, but use only the finest grain oil stones. Here are two helpful references: Woodblock.com and the ‘Crocker’, a special tool available from McClain’s.
Feeling confused? We might arrange a Print Club trip to Carbatec some time. But remember: you will have to sharpen your tools far less often if you regularly hone them (every day, or more often if you’re carving all day!) with a honing block or for v-tools and u-tools, a flexcut slip strop, which Carbatec may be able to obtain for you.
A well-used strop and the flex cut slip strop with the yellow polishing compund. Image from Renaissance Woodworker.com
Julia (Print Club coordinator)