[EKStationers] Printing presses

Scotty Marshall scottvarenko at hotmail.com
Wed May 31 01:46:06 CDT 2006 

Just took a quick plow through the briar press website, and found discussion 
of people building their own presses, but nothing in terms of plans 
themselves..... With that, there is an amazing pile of info there. Good to 
see. I've found a couple of books in the local university library to do with 
the presses and their evolution, but nothing in terms of type casting. Do 
you know if the good gentle giving the talk at Pennsic might be willing to 
reveal his source documents? In addition to this, do you know of any 
engravings that depict a Printery at work, perhaps with a picture of a 
press?

Varenko/Scotty


>From: Iheronimus Brückner <iheronimus at comcast.net>
>Reply-To: East Kingdom Stationers Guild 
><ekstationers at lists.gallowglass.org>
>To: East Kingdom Stationers Guild <ekstationers at lists.gallowglass.org>
>Subject: Re: [EKStationers] Printing presses
>Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 20:21:57 -0400
>
>
>On May 30, 2006, at 1:37 PM, Scotty Marshall wrote:
>
>>I love that someone actually knows what I am talking about....only  in the 
>>SCA..
>
>Or on one of the letterpress lists...
>
>8)
>
>You might also enjoy the discussion lists at Briar Press <http:// 
>www.briarpress.org>
>
>>At an rate,
>>
>>Many thanks for the links and info. I've used a "Rat tail" press in  the 
>>pass including the hand inking, and as such can relate to what  you are 
>>saying. I am not sure that the inking process is anywhere  as tedious as 
>>type setting, mais chaqun son gout.
>
>Personally, I prefer type-setting to distributing. And we get to use  
>rollers these days!
>
>>That there is a class at Pennsic this year and that finances are  seeming 
>>as though they will prevent my participation. As for the  Platen press, I 
>>actually have a small 3 1/2 x 5 hand lever powered,  and was inches from 
>>picking up a gargantuan 18x24 model from a news  paper, which had the 
>>option of steam/ belt hook up, or foot treadle  operation.
>
>If your idea of a good time is treadling an 18x24, you probably also  enjoy 
>long-distance bicycling...
>
>>Finding rollers for the old girl was the deal killer, but now I  find 
>>there is a guy in Scarborough (near Toronto) who refurbishes  rolls, and 
>>were I determined again, polytech might have a product  for recasting the 
>>rolls. The other trouble was finding a good  printing ink for non-hydrated 
>>presses. I started trying to make my  own version, but had crappy luck.
>>
>>Ohh, there's a good question, any clues on period printing ink?  Chemical 
>>analisys from period tomes? Am I geeking out again?
>
>Basically carbon black and linseed oil. Remember that printing with  
>moveable lead type began in Western Europe, at a time when painters  were 
>using oil-based colors (and water-based ink does not stick to  lead type). 
>Simpler to borrow technology than to invent it.
>
>Regards,
>
>M. Iheronimus
>
>>Time to go downstairs and watch football, eat meat, and prove how  normal 
>>I'm not.....
>>
>>
>>Varenko/Scotty
>>
>>
>>>From: Iheronimus Brückner <iheronimus at comcast.net>
>>>Reply-To: East Kingdom Stationers Guild  
>>><ekstationers at lists.gallowglass.org>
>>>To: East Kingdom Stationers Guild  <ekstationers at lists.gallowglass.org>
>>>Subject: Re: [EKStationers] Printing presses Date: Mon, 29 May  2006 
>>>14:00:17 -0400
>>>
>>>Greetings,
>>>
>>>On May 29, 2006, at 12:19 PM, Scotty Marshall wrote:
>>>
>>>>Just a querie, Has anyone here actually built a printing press,
>>>
>>>I once modified an iron "standing press" to serve as a printing  press.
>>>Getting an even impression was not easy, since my pressure was  somewhat
>>>limited by an iffy brass bearing atop the press. Was able to print  a  
>>>few scrolls
>>>with it before deciding it was of more use to me as a standing  press...
>>>
>>>A good web site for printing on the hand press:
>>>
>>><http://www.letterspace.com/handpress/index.html>
>>>
>>>>cast moveable type, or know offhanded the good source documents  for  
>>>>these activities?
>>>
>>>Reproduction hand molds for casting lead type <http://  
>>>www.rsnrecreations.com/>
>>>are being made by Stan Nelson, former curator of Printing at the   
>>>Smithsonian.
>>>
>>>If all goes well, Lord Padraig Muadhan (Aethelmearc) expects to  be  
>>>teaching hand
>>>casting at Pennsic this year, as well as some classes on period  type  
>>>and printing.
>>>Seek him out.
>>>
>>>>I remember when I helped out at the mackenzie heritage printery   that 
>>>>they had a reproduction Gutenburg press, And as a stop gap  I  have 
>>>>about 20 different types of various descriptions and  sizes in  my 
>>>>collection. I assume that some of the early printed  volume  reprints 
>>>>available from publishers like Taschen would be  a good  source for 
>>>>examples of period Font. With that though, I  don't know  if the type 
>>>>cross sections and keying meathods used  in a turn of  the century 
>>>>Platen presses would be at all similar  to the period  approach. Of 
>>>>course it's also possible that I am  overthinking.
>>>
>>>Maybe, but it beats under-thinking.
>>>
>>>8)
>>>
>>>Platen presses are typically powered presses with automatic  inking  for 
>>>making
>>>multiple copies. A hand press requires hand inking, which is not  as  
>>>easy as it
>>>sounds.
>>>
>>>Best wishes,
>>>
>>>M. Iheronimus
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Varenko/Scotty
>>>>
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