Japanese bamboo barens are a useful starting out tool for relief printing without a press. Bamboo is the traditional covering material for barens as the natural ridges assist in the pick up of ink. They can be used for printing with oil based inks on lightweight paper as well as with the traditional printing technique of moku hanga (Japanese woodblock printing with waterbased inks).
To use the baren curl your fingers under the handle and press down with the heel of your hand to e x ert pressure. Rub over the back of the paper with brisk side to side strokes. You can burnish just the inked areas and if the paper appears a little fragile you can insert a thin piece of shiny paper for protection; silicon baking sheet for example.
