The funniest thing I've seen in awhile...

My friend Lauren shared this with me and I had to share it with you.

Press play, and you'll see a clip of the A-Team using a small platen press to print a rather large halftone...in their van...while driving. Oh yes.

Is that a press?

Is that what I think it is? A Chandler & Price Old Style 10 x 15? Sans flywheel? Why it is! Yes, for the first time since its purchase and dismantlement, the C&P is back on its own four feet and looking like a press again. Sort of. We still need to reattach the flywheel, drive wheel, and other important things.

Upon closer inspection, we also realized we're missing some nuts. 30 years of sitting in a basement unused will do that. I keep picturing the previous owners doing something like this:

- I need a nut for this bolt.

- Just get one off the press.

We should be able to get replacements at any hardware store. Otherwise, things are looking pretty good so far. The mechanism behind the ink disc needs some work but the platen looks great, as do the gears and the rails. Not bad for a 120 year old machine.

Pretty exciting stuff, people.

:: pretty drawers ::

I brought home my new type cabinet last weekend and spent some time looking at what was inside. My favorites are 14pt Stymie Light, 12pt Pabst Oldstyle, and a sans serif simply named Airport. I'll have to do a little more research on that one. Last but not least, a humble little drawer of wood type!

:: wood type ::

I was also thrilled to see this again.

It's a short film about the making of crayons and when I saw it, I had a Proustian moment of childhood memories. I can't really explain why, but I believe this film has a lot to do with who I've become, someone who makes things.

Networks within Networks

Huldra Press is all grown up now (it actually has a physical address!) and therefore a Huldra Press Facebook page was due.

And so, dear readers, I ask of you, become a fan! ... or "like"... whichever Facebook is calling it these days. That would be swell of you. I'll be thrilled and you'll be privy to all kinds of tidbits, photos and invitations as the studio develops. It's a win-win situation.

I was searching around on the internets today and found Meet Your Printmaker, a non-profit directory of independent printers. I especially liked this little piece of ephemera by Thomas-Printers.

by Thomas-Printers :: awesome ::

Also interesting, the work of Anna Fewster, over in England, who's doing some pretty interesting stuff. It's so nice to people working with handset lead type in a unique fashion!

A book by Anna Fewster

So remember, check out the Huldra Press Facebook Page! And tell your friends.

Progress

This week, I'm spending afternoons in the studio. I'm trying to get into the habit of putting aside a few hours and starting to feeling comfortable there. I can be a bit of a homebody, you see. I do like it there. The light is diffuse and comforting, I can listen to the radio, and it smells nice, like a studio. Like concrete, metal, wood, and cardboard.

I cleaned the ink disk, which was covered in 30 year old red ink. It's smooth and shiny now, sort of looks like a full moon.

I'm sorting the type I brought from North Carolina, which is very dusty, but it's quite enjoyable anyway.

I'll be leaving for the studio soon, it's almost noon already. Any podcast recommendations for getting work done? I've been listening to This American Life, Radiolab, and Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me.

The Studio! It's...Evolving!

While it may look like a decommissioned tugboat yard sale, there is progress here at Huldra Press. Progress indeed.

Last weekend, I drove to Lititz, PA and got two full cabinets of type as well as a galley rack and a mess of wood furniture and other odds and ends. The seller, a retired printer, was so friendly, a nice break from the usual curmudgeons I encounter when buying equipment. If you're in need, he's selling a 8x12 C&P and a sweet tabletop Challenge paper cutter. Like I said, super nice guy. I wish him the best.

goodies

Now it's time to break out the mineral spirits and start cleaning so I can get printing! I hope to have the press running by mid-June. But in the meantime there's work to be done. Like these...

Holy registration, Batman!

I finished these Yellow Submarine birth announcement cards, thanks to the folks at Lead Graffiti, who let me rent press time in their studio. They have beautiful studio and well maintained equipment and made me feel right a home, so I highly recommend their services if you are ever in need.

That's all for now, enjoy the weekend.

Spring Love

for the birds and the bees

bartram gardens, yes please.

and by Ina Weise, I'm loving these!

Field Trip!

Last week, Mike and I decided to go to the Mercer Museum, a collection of pre-industrial revolution tools and objects, in Doylestown, PA. There are many things that make this museum a unique place, one being the building itself, which is best described as a spiraling, concrete castle.

It's also a charming time capsule of a long lost museum exhibition style. Each exhibit in its own little room, behind paned glass, with description...Is that peg board?

the wallpaper maker's room: handcarved wooden blocks

that tag says "obsolete objects circa 1991"

And there was a letterpress room! Complete with iron hand press, and lovely little cabinets.

Needless to say, we were filled with nerdy delight to see all these tools, Mike being a blacksmith, and I a fan of obsessive collections of obsolete objects (see Henry Ford). Great field trip day.