How do you care for your tools?
I love having lots of brayers available, so that I don’t have to stop and clean them, when I am in the flow of printmaking. Since they are an expensive tool, I want to take care of them, so they will last a long time.
A good brayer spins easily and evenly. I often check the spin quality, before I buy them if I can. So to keep your brayers spinning for many years to come, I suggest:
- When printing rest the brayer on the metal cross bar rather than the rubber roller.
- Don’t let acrylic paint or other quick drying supplies dry on your brayer
- Have a bucket and rag handy while working to clean as you go.
- Roll the brayer on clean pages of a phone book to remove most of the ink before washing
- Never use hot, hot water or harsh cleaners on your brayer
- Get those hard to reach nooks and crannies clean on the sides and edges of your brayer. That is where the ink likes to hide.
- If you share your tools, then make sure your friends know how to care for the brayer too.
Those are some quick tips to keep those brayers rolling.
If you are interested in learning more of my printmaking tips join me in a class soon. Read about the current printmaking classes here.
Happy Printing!