newspaper experiment

[jmcnelly85]

I can't tell if I'm onto something or on something. I've been stropping on newspaper lately, it seems I've been getting better results on full color ads and photos vs gray and black printed sections. Since this is easily repeatable I figured I'd throw it out for peer review.

I tested this by 20 alternating passes, one side getting print and the other getting a photo and checking with a loupe. The difference is very subtle, but the color side seemed slightly more refined. Does this mean:

1: not only am I crazy, but my technique is inconsistent.
2: the paper is merely the medium that holds the ink abrasive. More ink leads to better results.
3: the paper and ink will be inconsistent throughout, it's merely chance that this photo provided better results than this section.
4: any other theories will be appreciated

I know this study is flawed in the sense that my newspaper and your newspaper probably won't be the same, but if different papers lead to consistent results then it might just be the ink.

[jmcnelly85]

I need a control, I'll strop on an ink free part as well and somehow try to compare, unfortunately I don't have many three sided edges...

[easilver]

I've heard this from others also. Color ink is slightly more abrasive than black ink. I've also heard that Japanese papers use more abrasive ink than American papers.

[Kit Craft]

I don't buy newspaper so I use what is called the Area shopper or free press. It is the same material as newsprint. However, to color ads are on that plastic paper. I have never tried to strop on that. I also use old auto traders as I have thousands of them in the garage that I use as fire starter.

[gladius]

I've noticed this too...great use of the comics after a laugh.

[datster]

I like to use the grocery ads that come in our local paper, that way I can sharpen the blade and feel like I'm processing produce at the same time.

[salemj]

^^^Hahaha. Good one.

[Rufus Leaking]

Was a newspaper pressman for 20+ years. The color inks are all very different depending on the process, but the black inks today are nearly all soy based with the cheapest source of non-abrasive carbon available. If you see a color ad, it has been lain down using a RGB (Red, Green, Blue) plus the black, yielding a total of four relatively abrasive compounds rather than just the one if you are talking about a page of newsprint lacking color. The inks used cannot be abrasive as a rule, because the pigment would wear the plates. Nevertheless, the pigments have to be somewhat abrasive, or they couldn't be visible. Hope that helps.

[jmcnelly85]

Fascinating, I couldn't really find a stoppable sized spot of paper that didn't have ink. The pigment info is really neat, thanks Rufus. For the others chiming in, thanks, I'm glad I'm not crazy.

[Rufus Leaking]

One last thing- the red ink is by far the most abrasive - we generally replaced red plates halfway through a run of 200k, rarely did we need to replate any of the other color plates for wear. The black plates needed to be replaced, but the film was different, much cheaper. The reason the red plates wore out prematurely is due to the iron oxides in the carrier.

[dAviD]

Maybe somewhat related but, I use line catalogs that come to my house to polish my Sugimoto cleaver and prefer it to the rust erasers and fine polishing pads.
I just ball up a couple sheets and polish away until I get
It where it needs to be. If I need a little more grit I just use some slurry off a stone. Works great without messing with the grind marks on the blade

[milkbaby]

On a qualitative level, I felt the same with respect to black and white newsprint versus color ads, the paper and surfaces are different and the color seemed to give a nicer result. I've actually switched to using the cardstock color mailer ads that I get as junk mail and color cardstock covers to catalogs and magazines too. Something about the ink and coating of those give a really nice result.