I’m hoping all this learning, studying, discovering will give me some advantage in old age.

Today I’m reading about ATF type vs monotype. And then there’s Ludlow, which I bought accidentally. I now know that News Gothic made by one foundry won’t necessarily work with one made at another. I’m wishing I hadn’t tried to pinch pennies by buying a limited type set. I bought a set of News Gothic, but with only one letter of each, they are not much use. I also should have kept to a few type sizes so I wouldn’t have to buy spacing for so many sizes.

However, despite feeling like I’ve emptied my bank account and lost my mind, I am really moving forward. And even with my basic proof press I am better at inking, setting type, and printing. One day I’ll look back on all this and laugh.

#letterpress

 

 

I’ve been trying to gather what I need to print–to continue to learn–and to produce. I recently ordered a set of wood type from India off ebay. I wasn’t sure what I was getting, nor was I confident it would even arrive. It did. And today I tried printing for the first time.

Unfortunately, some of the letters aren’t cut well. But they are type high, and they’ll have to do for now. I am still missing quads and spacers. My lockup is pretty pathetic looking since I don’t have enough to fill in the spaces evenly.

I also realized today I should be locking my type up parallel to the roller. I’ve been placing it lengthwise so the roller moves across the type instead of “with” the time. I’ve got four hours to practice tomorrow so I’ll see if it makes a difference.

Some days are more frustrating than others.

 

I decided to try to set type for one of my poems today. I’d managed five or six lines with some success, but this is a three stanza, 11 line poem–a challenge. The first stanza went well, and I slipped the 14 pt Caslon off the composing stick and onto the press. I locked it up with some furniture and magnets temporarily and turned back to the type cabinet to work on the next stanza. Five lines later and I was ready to slide it off.

I hadn’t realized the composing stick wouldn’t fit in the chase, so I had to try to pick up the type with my fingers, holding spacers to keep the lines of type together as I slid it off. Well, you know what happened.

Elizabeth heard me groan as the first two lines of the second stanza fell onto the bed of the press. Tiny metal letters everywhere. I had to start again (and with my eyesight, that’s not easy).

Next time, I’ll go from composing stick to press bed. Then I’ll put the chase around the type and lock it up. Duh.

And–this weekend, I’m headed back to the Visual Arts Studio for a refresher class. Onward.