Saturday April 21st, 2018

SF Bay Area 2018 Printers’ Fair & Wayzgoose

The S.F. Bay Area Printers’ Fair & Wayzgoose is coming to San Jose’s History Park on April 21, 2018. Print a jumbo wood type poster and peruse the marketplace. Free! Sponsored by the San Jose Printers’ Guild, this event celebrates letterpress printing, typography, book arts, ephemera, fine paper, printmaking, and allied arts. Print enthusiasts, students, educators, graphic designers, typophiles, artists, and printers new or old will enjoy the demonstrations, tours, and array of vendors and exhibitors. All ages are welcome!

FAIR DETAILS
Location: History Park, 635 Phelan Ave., San Jose, CA 95112
Date: Saturday, April 21, 2018
Fair Hours: 10am - 3pm
Admission is free; parking is $6, or park free on nearby streets

For more information about the fair see: 

https://printersguild.wordpress.com/

Oiling a Chandler & Price platen press

Use an oil weight of 30/40 standard weight. Heavier weight oil like 80 Gear oil invites dirt. Thinner weight oil washes dirt away. An older, rusted press may turn with great difficulty or not at all. Oil all points and let it sit for a day or two. It will turn much easier. Here is a link to an oil chart.  Oil chart

On the last page of the oil chart, there are instructions about oiling and near the end, a comment with the answer to a on-going question; which direction should the flywheel go when the press is in operation? It should go counter clockwise with the top spinning away for the operator. The press is designed so the opening and closing of the bed and platen allow a dwell time for inserting paper and retrieving it.

This chart and others from C&P say there are 37 oil points. About 29 are oil holes and ten are joints, junctions and linkages. On newer C&P, there may be a cap on the main oil holes to keep out dirt & dust.

It is a good practice to start at the same point each time so a routine can be developed, allowing you to make sure you don’t miss any spots. I like to start on the left side with the large roller arm, one hole at each end (2). You should fill nearly to the top. Always have a rag to wipe excess oil so it doesn’t drip on the press or floor. Next oil the roller frames (2) near the back shaft. Also oil the hole on the main shaft (2), flywheel shaft bearing (2) and the back shaft (4). The flywheel oil holes (2) are somewhat hidden down on the sides next to the frame. They are critical, if not oiled, the bearing & shaft can wear until the flywheel won’t turn or breaks. While you are on the side, oil the holes for the back treadle shaft (2), rocker lock shaft (2) and throw off (2). Then put a drop or two on the throw off leakage, and throw off bar connection (2). Now move to the other side and do the same spots. At the back of the press, the main shaft roller frame collars need oil (2), the disc lever, roller bearing and pawl a drop or two and a drop in the roller frame where the hooks and springs move in and out (3). One other place of importance is the cam roller (1) inside the large gear cam. On C&P New Series there is a hole on the outside allowing access to this gear. On Old Series presses, you have to rotate the wheel until the roller is visible and accessible.

Here is a link to a pdf for a C&P New Series press naming all parts with photos. C & P NS Parts List

Holiday Gift Idea

CHRISTMAS GIFTS for LETTERPRESS LOVERS

Just in time for Christmas, a Gift Certificate for a Letterpress Class. You choose which one, how many hours and give it to your favorite printer-to-be. Then schedule the class anytime next year. In return I send you a Certificate to put under the tree. Each class is described in this blog. Happy Holidays. Contact me a longdaypress.blogspot.com or email here.

100s of SPECIALTY GIFTS are also available at this site. Everything from aprons to luggage tags to wrapping paper to ties; all with letterpress themes. Check it out.

Antique Letterforms

During a recent trip to East Tennessee, I visited a Civil War Era Cemetery in Dandridge. I took many photos but especially wanted to post this one. The typeface looks remarkably similar Letter Gothic designed by Herb Lubalin and Antonio DiSpigna in 1974. The birth and death dates on the stone clearly show this type superseded his by 123 years. Compare the stone's type to the digital version. Of course the stone engravers of the East Tennessee had their own style and type as did many engravers from other parts of the country.

Full view of the head stone

 

Close up of the large letter B.

Compare the R to the digital version.

Dates of 1777 to 1851.

 Of particular interest are the shape of the B and R. The leg of the R has the same curve as Lubalin's and  the B has almost equally balanced loops, top and bottom.

Serif Gothic from Identifont.

Lecture by Sumner Stone Tonight

Don't miss the lecture by Sumner Stone to begin his 4-Day Workshop Structure & Emotion in Letterform. Here is a link to his site. For tickets go to this link or purchase them at the door.

Letterpress Class at Foothill College

I am teaching a 12 Week Class beginning on April 12th. It meets every Saturday from 9:00-3:50.

You will explore hand typesetting from approximately 100 cases of rare wood and metal type. Experience printing from linoleum and wood cuts and photo polymer plates. Use a Columbian #2 table top platen, a 10 x 15 Old Reliable floor model platen, a 15 x 22 Reprex flatbed cylinder press or the Show Card 18" x 24" flat bed cylinder press. Cost is approximately $200 for complete course.  Registration is open now online at Foothill College for Course GIDF092.01 CRN 40311.  http://www.foothill.fhda.edu/admissions.php.

IDENTIFY this type and these pages from a Rare Book.

The pages were among some printing equipment donated to Foothill College by a San Francisco Printer's widow. So far my research has determined the origin to be an English printer from the 19th Century. The pages are from the Reverend John Fox's Book of Martyrs. After the Bible, it is the most frequently reprinted book in the English language.

The Book of Martyrs was first published in 1563. John Day, a famous English printer publish a folio size in 1570. The complete book is almost 1000 pages. It has been published in 2 volumes, octavo size many times but my interest is in a folio size book, 10" x 16". My samples are folio size with double column text blocks, a running head with a rule below on most text pages and a double rule down the middle between the text blocks. I have found several examples via Google book search that are folio with double columns and a running head but so far no double rule. Here is a photo of a page and a spread.

Some similar editions I have found were one published by Thomas Kelly in London, 1822, another by John Malham in 1830 and a third by John Cumming in 1844. I am resonably sure this time period is correct by analyzing the type style. The type appears to be a close match to William Thorowgood's type of 1824. The "?" is quite distinctive and unusual. Here is a close up to show it. The Italic is also close to one used by Thorowgood. The loop on the top left of all the lower case "r"s is very distinctive.

It also looks a lot like a Didot but why would an English printer be using a French Modern type? Anyone have any ideas?