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This crest was made by rolling a thin slab of clay, allowing it to stiffen, oiling it and then pressing it using a letterpress plate (and a wooden block and hammer). The plate had the oval shape containment line, so cutting this shape out on a turntable was easy. A slip was applied to the back of the slice, and because it is so thin, it softened almost immediately (because of the wetness of the slip). It was then applied and pressed into place on the leather hard mug. After bisquing, an iron oxide slip was applied and then sponged off. The clay fires buff color, but it's texture retained enough iron to stain it leather brown. For certain clays, the fired surface looks remarkably like real leather.
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We find the 0.047 relief depth shown here is best (K152), especially when pigment is used to highlight the recesses. It can be valuable to put a border around the outside so edges do not smear outward when pressing. These flexible plates do not need to be stuck to a piece of wood, just lay them face down on the clay and use a wooden block to press them down. When the clay is stiff enough no parting agent is needed. The cost: In 2024 the minimum charge is $37.5 for 50 square inches. They have an highly streamlined checkout that accepts PDF and AI vector files. The cart might generate all four CMYK plates, remove the CMY ones and keep the K (black). The most common mistake is having too much detail or too small printing. Or, forgetting to make them reverse-reading. It is best to make your images using vector graphic software like Illustrator, Inkscape, CorelDraw, etc.
URLs |
https://www.boxcarpress.com/
Boxcar Press website They make letterpress plates (or polymer plate) stamps. Online job submission and ordering. You pay by square inch. |
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