Brayers with black handles: Takach Hand Brayers
Brayers with wood handles: 28 Durometer (Soft) Japanese Hand Brayers
Brayers with red handles: 60 Druometer (Hard) Japanese Hand Brayers
Choosing Brayers
Brayers are used by western-style relief printmakers to apply ink to blocks
or plates. (Japanese-style wood block printmakers use brushes for this job.) The
size and stiffness of brayer you choose depends on the kind of printmaking you are
doing and the size of the prints you make.
In order to ink up quickly and efficiently, the brayer should be slightly larger than the printing area on the block. You can get by with a smaller brayer, but it takes more time to cover the area and there is more chance of leaving behind marks from the brayer's edges.
Also, the bigger the diameter, the longer the strip of ink the brayer will put down without a lap mark. So you will not have to pick up ink from the slab as frequently with a bigger diameter brayer.
If you make one-color prints, a few brayers in different widths will do. But if you make multi-color prints, then having a variety of brayers is very helpful.
Hard or Soft?
The rubber on brayers come in different hardnesses, called Shore values. The
higher the value, the harder the rubber. Speedball brayers, for example, come in
35 (softer) and 70 (harder) values.
Harder brayers are less likely to dip into cleared areas on the block and it is easier to get the grain pattern in a wood block to show up with a hard brayer. However it can be difficult to get even coverage across the whole block, especially if the block is uneven.
Softer brayers are more popular with most relief printmakers because they are more flexible so it is easier to cover the whole block evenly and quickly. Fine lines are easier to fill in with a softer brayer, so build up thin coats of ink with these brayers instead of applying one thick one.
Roller Materials
Before the development of synthetic rubbers, gelatine was a favorite material
for brayers. Gelatine brayers spread ink easily and were soft and flexible. However,
the gelatine would melt if it came into contact with turpentine, heat or water
and they would quickly loose their shape if they were left laying on a table. Today,
Nitrile rubber, a synthetic material that is tough and durable, is most often
used to make the roller. As an added bonus, nitrile rubber does not deform or flatten
out with normal use.
Cleaning Nitrile Brayers
First, roll as much ink as possible off onto newsprint.
If you are using water- or soy-based ink, rub a gentle soap like SavvySoap into the rubber brayer. A nail brush is very handy for loosening ink. Rinse well in warm water and dry thoroughly.
If you are using oil-base ink, use a small amount of odorless mineral spirits, like Gamsol, on a rag to clean the remaining ink from the brayer. (Because we do not sell oil-based ink, Gamsol is not sold by McClain's. You can order it directly from the supplier.) Some people like to use vegetable oil to clean brayers but it can leave behind a film that will contaminate the ink the next time the brayer is used. If you clean your brayers with vegetable oil, wash them with a gentle soap to remove any remaining oil.
Pay special attention to the ends of the roller, since ink likes to build up there. Wipe any ink off the metal frame and handle. Store them away from heat or sunlight so they will not dry out. With care, your brayers will give you good service for many years.