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January 27, 2007
quality time
by gl. at 11:56 pm
i spent today with the letterpress! i desperately wanted to take another workshop at the iprc, but the letterpress classes fill quickly, and by the time someone responded to the email i sent, they were already full. i had hoped the phone call that woke me up this morning was them calling to say a spot had opened up, but whoever called didn't leave a message.
so i decided to make today a letterpress day, anyway. it's been quietly sitting in the studio kitchen for months (*cough*years*cough*) and one of my new year's resolution is to spend more time with gocco and letterpress (and less time with calligraphy).
so much of the inertia around the letterpress is still not knowing exactly what i have and don't have. chas owned Artemesia Press when he was younger and was kind enough to donate the letterpress & accoutrements when i stopped by on a trip to colorado a couple of years ago. it had been stored for years in less-than-ideal conditions and just getting the stuff put away was a huge deal. but i still haven't found the time to sort through -- or identify -- all the pieces yet.
so i read through all the manuals & documents, matching what i was reading to what i was seeing on the press. i reseated the rollers and made sure everything moved like it seemed like it ought. i thought one of the grippers was missing but i found it later in a box of random metal bits and replaced it. i moved everything into new boxes and packaged like with like. i repackaged all the decorative cuts into one box with lots of little cups to group related cuts together. i found the furniture and the reglets. i found the chase and even managed to fit it on the chase bed. i tested all the inks, which are in remarkably good shape.
most importantly, i finally unpacked the four typecases which have been living in the studio oven, a task i had been dreading because they are dirty and heavy and have so many small bits floating around inside. i was delighted to discover that they are, by and large, in much better shape than i expected. three of the typecases were wrapped together: two of those are in excellent shape, the other is rickety but okay. but the fourth was exposed to elements and bugs and dust and it's really a mess; i don't know what to do to clean it. finally, i also have an egg carton that seems like it contains another set of type, and a small glass jar which has even more type; i don't know how i'll deal with those yet. and while i haven't thoroughly checked the type assortment, in general, the type seems relatively intact. lot of italics for some reason. :)
i could still use a planar and i suspect i'll need to order new rollers, after all; the replacement rollers are pitted and a little gummy. but at this point, i'm finally ready to assemble type and put it in the chase!
posted by gl. | January 27, 2007 11:56 PM | comments (6) | categories: printing
Comments
Hey lady, I'm Alex, a staff member at the IPRC and I read your lj syndication. That workshops fills up in minutes! I have taken in and done a few letterpress projects. I might be able to give you a few pointers if you would like. What kind of type cases do you have? do you have the California job case? What kind of press and what size do you have? I have only used tabletop presses. Letterpress is fun. I wish I had more time to do it.
Posted by: alex wrekk at January 28, 2007 10:12 AM
Gretchin I didn't know you were a letter press printer. That is an old love of mine, I did quite a bit of it back at school. There is nothing like a crisp impression on fine paper.
So please do tell what kind of press you have etc.
I would be glad to help with any thing I can.
Posted by: mark F. at January 28, 2007 10:34 AM
how exciting to know we have letterpress lurkers! i'll be sure to ask questions when they come up, then. i have an adorable kelsey excelsior 3x5: it's not big, but it's functional! and it's a good thing i adore tabletop presses, because we certainly don't have room for a large one. :)
mark: how lovely to hear from you! yep, i love anything with letters on it. and while i enjoy calligraphy, my heart always beats faster when i see beautiful type.
alex: hello! i'm gretchin! yep, it looks like all the cases are california job cases. i'm trying to figure out what to do with the type that -isn't- in cases. btw, how the heck do i find out about the iprc classes when they are announced? i check the website calendar every month, but is there another way. i got into one of their letterpress classes a couple of year ago and i was so glad i did, because i wouldn't be able to make as much sense out of my current press without it. :)
Posted by: gl. at January 28, 2007 1:12 PM
It sure can be an addictive hobby, always another font or cut to buy.
Lettterpress printing seems to have taken on a second life. It couldn't have been more than 15 or 20 years ago that people were dumping drawers of letterpress type and selling presses to scrap dealers because nobody wanted to take them. I am not familiar with your exact press but most of them that size are pretty similar. I think if you are carefull and clever you can print oversize sheets (a little oversize) That press was made to imprint business card names for the most part still a fun press to have around.
Posted by: Mark F. at January 28, 2007 8:00 PM
You. Have. A. Letterpress!?!
Omagawd, I adore tabletop letterpress printed pieces. There is no equal to it! You are soooo lucky!!!
Biting down on hand to squelch my envy
Posted by: shelley Noble at January 28, 2007 10:55 PM
Cool!
jriggityPosted by: justin rasch at February 2, 2007 1:42 AM