Description of the Materials and Tools required for Block-cutting
The wood most commonly used by the Japanese for their printing-blocks is
a cherry wood very similar to that grown in England. The Canadian cherry
wood, which is more easily obtained than English cherry, is of too open
a grain to be of use. The more slowly grown English wood has a closer
grain and is the best for all the purposes of block cutting and
printing. Well-seasoned planks should be obtained and kept ready for
cutting up as may be required.
When a set of blocks is to be cut for a given design, the size of the
printing surface of each block should be made equal to the size of the
design plus 1 inch or, for large prints, 1-1/2 inch in addition long
ways, and 1/4 or 1/2 inch crossways. The thickness of the plank need not
be more than 5/8 or 3/4 inch. It is best for the protection of the
surfaces of the printing blocks and to prevent warping, also for
convenience in storing and handling them, to fix across each end a piece
of wood slightly thicker than the plank itself. These cross-ends should
be mounted as shown in fig. 2.
[Illustration: FIG. 2.--Block mounted with cross ends to
prevent warping.]
Both surfaces of the plank should be planed smooth and then finished
with a steel scraper, but not touched with sand-paper.
It is understood that the face of the plank is used for the printing
surface, and not the end of the grain as in blocks for modern wood
engraving.
The tools needed for cutting the blocks are the following:
1. THE KNIFE
[Illustration: FIG. 3.--Drawing of the knife.]
With this knife the most important and delicate work is done. All the
lines of the key-block as well as the boundaries of the colour masses
are cut with it, before the removal of intervening spaces.
The blade lies in a slot and is held tight by the tapered ferrule. This
can be pulled off by hand and the blade lengthened by pulling it
forward in the slot.
2. CHISELS
These are used for removing the wood between the cut lines or colour
masses, and should be ordinary carvers' chisels of the following sizes:
[Illustration: FIG. 4.--Sizes of chisels.]
except those under No. 9, which are short-handled chisels for small
work.
The Japanese toolmakers fit these small chisels into a split handle as
shown in fig. 5. The blade is held tightly in its place by the tapered
ferrule when the handle is closed, or can be lengthened by opening the
handle and pulling forward the blade in its slot. In this way the blade
can be used down to its last inch.
3. MALLET
This is needed for driving the larger chisels.
[Illustration: FIG. 5.--Short chisel in split handle.]
[Illustration: FIG. 6.--Mallet.]
These are all the tools that are needed for block cutting. For keeping
them in order it is well to have oilstones of three grades:
1. A carborundum stone for rapidly re-covering the shape of a chipped
or blunt tool.
2. A good ordinary oil stone.
3. A hard stone for keeping a fine edge on the knife in cutting line
blocks. The American "Washita" stone is good for this purpose.
[Illustration: Plate IV. Colour block of a print of which the key-block
is shown on page 5.]
(_To face page 23._)