Wood Cut & Stone Cut Relief Printing

[Robson Valley]

Anybody working in these directions?

I've got 8 woodcuts ready to be cut down. Just scored 1/2 dozen flat stone slabs maybe 1.5" thick x 10" x 18" & lots of smaller bits from a stone-cutting site scrap pile.
They cut countertops with a bandsaw with 8' wheels and a diamond-studded wire rope blade. Boulders like grand piano size.

How deeply do I need to cut the background to be confident that it won't print?
Is 1/16" enough? The stone work will be a tool bit killer.
The depth of my relief will be bottomless.
RV

[E George]

Hello Robson,

Your question brought back memories. I did some Christmas cards using wood blocks years ago and I had fun doing it. When I was active in ham radio, I made my own QSL cards.

Anyway, wood block prints with large areas that are "blank" (i.e. transfer no ink to the paper) should be cut about 1/8" deep. That should give enough space in case some ink finds its way onto the "blank" area.

I have never tried "stone block printing". There is a process called lithography that uses stone to print an image; however, I think, it involves some sort of waxing to create areas that hold the ink.

I would recommend that you do some research on "stone printing". Google block printing. Check out the local college. Maybe they have a course in block printing or lithography.

There was some thing mystical about creating the same image over and over again.

[Robson Valley]

My Ookpik is a wood cut. 1/8" or better worked well, even when I ran over the edge with the brayer/roller. I can ink it OK but my skills in ink transfer to the paper need a heap of practice.
I hope that I can get away with maybe 1/16" in the stone.

[AlArchie]

I have a concern about that stone printing as opposed to the woodcut. Wouldn't the stone print be done in a similar way to engravings? In other words, all the inked areas are done in shallow cuts and the "blank" areas are the raised portions of the engraving. It's the cuts that hold the ink for transfer to the paper.

My dad did engravings on brass plates and printed from those. The smooth hard surface of the stone would seem to me to act much the same as the polished brass surface.

Al