With apologies to listmembers, as this is not pinhole, the Japanese tool called a baren is traditionally a coil of tightly braided or wound rice husks (looking rather like a coiled trivet) covered in large bamboo leaves with a handle on the back to form a flat, smooth disc that can be grasped from behind. These are what are used to rub the back of the paper in traditional wood block printing in Japan to transfer the ink from the block to the paper. Good ones can cost a fortune (I once saw one priced at nearly $1,000!), bad ones fall apart immediately and rip the paper your trying to print on. If you want to see a cheap one just to get the idea, look for a cheapo "Japanese woodblock printing kit" at an everyday art supply store. Often they have little ones included.
Someone invented a wonderful one (the type I use) that is an array of tiny ball bearings in concenric rings set into holes and sandwiched between two round plexiglass discs. Rolls over the paper like a dream but allows you to exert a lot of even pressure over a large area and doesn't wear out. These cost about $200.00, but last practically forever. I can give you a source in Tokyo if seriously interested, but when it comes right down to it, any method of applying pressure to a sheet of paper on a relief block will work. You can do it with the back of a large spoon. This is tedious, time-consuming work--especially if you plan to make large prints--but use your imagination. Pressure is what's important, not lots of ink. I have seen simple relief presses for sale cheap at antique stores. Again, if really interested, I would recommend making the investment in a good, moderately sized intaglio press--something designed for what you want to do. It will save you loads of frustration in the end. Used ones are available and a great idea, but have any candidate checked out before you buy by someone who knows the problems to look for in a used machine (biggest problem is usually a dented or unevenly worn drum, which will cause dropout). I suspect there are related forums out there for this kind of topic. For more, contact me off list. Hope this helps. Colin __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com
