These rollers from Japan are tough, well made and with care they will last for years. They have a nice thick covering of rubber and come in two shore hardnesses; hard 60 shore and soft 30 shore. The wider 45 mm diameter means they pick up more ink and so allow for a more even ink distribution. The handles are robust and the rollers can be taken apart for cleaning.
The hard 60 shore red rubber roller is surprisingly sensitive due to the thickness of the rubber covering. It is very good for fine detail printing, such as wood engraving. The soft 30 shore black rubber roller is perfect for uneven plates and woodblocks. It will pick up and lay down a thicker layer of ink than the hard roller and it is less likely to leave roller edge marks on the plate/block.
As with all rollers, care should be taken to look after them. Do not let ink dry on their surface and after cleaning lightly dust with talc to stop the surface getting sticky. If you use a solvent to remove ink from the roller then ensure that you wash the solvent off with a mild detergent and water before drying and dusting with talc. Store without the roller resting on its rubber surface.
