Saturday, April 4, 2009

Nifty Registration jig


I made up a handy dandy registration device for my reduction print.  I took a class last year with Chuck Miley where we used easy cut block material and used a sort of mat out of foamboard which we dropped our block/s into.  The foamboard was the same size as the paper, if I remember correctly.  So I adapted that idea for this flexible block I'm printing with from McClains.  I cut a piece  binder board/davey board in a thickness that was thinner than my block.   I made sure the outer measurements were bigger than my paper.  I traced the block onto the davey board and carefully cut out the block shape so that the resulting frame would fit snugly around my block.  Then I laminated some graph paper and did the same measuring and cutting.  Then I glued the two together with a glue stick.  This enabled me to figure out exactly where the paper would lie.  I cut two strips of the binder board and glued them along the paper line forming an L.  For extra measure I glued a triangle of binder board over the corner  but I probably didn't need to do that.  It might have been better to be able to see the corner to make sure I had fitted the paper into place each time.  The laminated surface was easy to keep clean.  I still have one more color to print on 60 some prints but so far the fit is still snug around my block.  There might be a slight up and down wiggle room but each time I place frame around the block and snug it tight against the "L" corner.   


I've had registration on my mind lately, as I'm trying to work out an easy reliable method of registration for my Poco Proof Press.  So far I've made a tympan and frisket, (awkward in several ways) and  I've attempted to register on the cylinder (seems to be some slipping which might be my tympan cover not being tight enough).  What seems intuitive to me would be a sort of snug mat around the form which could lie on top of the furniture and onto which I could  lay the paper.   I have a matcutter and could maybe print onto a piece of matboard and then cut out the printed areas?Maybe I could have a board that is type high that locks along the edge and this matboard could be attached with tape and hinge?  Still thinking...   There's gotta be a better way!

2 comments:

P Gallo said...

Lynn
In retrospect I feel the setup I had on my Poco was overly complicated and, for a fact, it required constant adjustment. If you go to this address: http://dolcepress.com/blog/tag/neil-giroux/ you will see some photos of a frisket setup that looks both lock-solid and simple to operate.
Philip Gallo at The Hermetic Press

Lynn said...

Thanks, Phillip. I've looked at Neil's setup and it requires skills and materials I don't have, so I've been working on my own system. Seeing that photo of your press made me wonder if I was going in the wrong direction. It's good to hear that it wasn't perfect.

The think I don't like about Neil's system is having to tie it to the ceiling. My ceiling is extremely high (warehouse) and I'm 5 feet tall!!

What I've worked out seems to be good for me and involves using a piano hinge attached to binder board that gets locked in with the form. I cut an opening and then have the "frame" that's left for registration. (more details & photos on briar press) The good news is that it doesn't shift at all. The problem I still have is inking. I was most interested in how you used a removable roller guide sort of thing for inking?
Lynn