Lithography 101

I have tried to explain what Lithography is and how the process is done, but it is very confusing... so I took some pictures during class to help explain it better.

First I would like to start off by explaining to you that we reuse stones. After you are done with a stone you clean it up and start all over with step one.

Step one: Preparing your stone

I didn't take my own picture of this part, but here is the tool that we use to grind the stone. First you get your stone wet. Then you sprinkle some #80 Carborundum grit (looks likes little flakes of metal) onto your wet stone. After that you pick up this metal thingy and move it in a circular motion all over the stone. Next you dry the stone and make sure that it is flat. If it is nice and flat you can continue on using higher number of grits or you can move on to the next step. The higher the grit you use the smoother your stone will be.

Step 2: Create a Border

Next you get out the border etch, which is gum arabic mixed with some nitric acid. Using a moist sponge you paint the border etch onto the area you want to be your border. Having the border etch on the stone is nice because you can not touch your stone once you are done grinding it, unless you want finger prints to show up on your finished print. This is what the stone looks like after the border etch is applied.

Step 3: Draw on the Stone

You can use different things to draw on your stone, such as a litho pencil, permanent marker, anything that is oily. I have only used a Litho pencil and lotion, but for this project I only used a litho pencil.

Step 4: Etching the Stone

This is the confusing part.... The purpose of etching the stone is to create a hydrophobic, or "water hating" area and a hydrophilic or "water loving" area. The part that becomes hydrophobic is the area you have drawn on and the hydrophilic is the area where you have not drawn.
The first Etch, yes it has to be etched twice.
First you need to secure your image to the stone by sprinkling some rosin and smearing it around your image and then sprinkling and spreading talc onto it. To etch the stone you need gum arabic and nitric acid. For this print I put gum arabic on my stone and rubbed it with my hand for about three minutes, then I added 4 drops of nitric acid to my remainig gum arabic and rubbed for another 3 minutes, and once again I added 4 drops of acid to the remaining gum arabic and rubbed for 3 more minutes. Last you tight wipe it with cheese cloth and let it set for at least 30 minutes.

The second Etch....
First you need to clean your stone with lithotine. Sometimes the image will completely disappear from your stone!

Then you rub ink back onto your stone with a rag and a tiny bit of lithotine.

After its all rubbed up with ink you need to wipe it off with water and a rag and...... Voila! The image will reappear!

Now you go back up and repeat the steps for the first etch!

Step 5: Preparing the Press

In order to print you have to set the pressure of the press to the size of your stone. Which includes putting the stone in the right place pulling the press lever down and tightening it, then lifting up the lever and tightening it a little more. Sorry no picture, but her is a pretty picture of my stone sitting on the press.

Step 6: Printing

Now it is time to print! First you need to clean your image with lithotine and rub it with ink and clean it off with water and a rag.... again. Then you get out the ink, and knock up the roller (which means to get the roller all covered in ink). Then you roll the ink onto your stone.

Its is important to keep the stone wet while applying the ink.Then you place your paper onto the stone.
Then you place this green board on top of your stone and paper and run it through the press.Notice how the finished project is a mirror image... if you make letters you have to draw them backwards otherwise they will be backwards on the finished print!The finished print is then placed on the drying rack to.... dry.
New stones.... to us anyways...
My teacher just got new stones that can be used in class. They are old printing stones that still have logos and things on them. He got them from a guy in Chicago who says they have been sitting in his print shop since the 1920s! Hmm... I don't think it will be much fun getting them ready to use again.
Close up of one of the "new" stones.