I have spent a good amount of time over the weekend sorting and amalgamating two drawers of 24pt Dorchester type.
As you can see from the photo above an following photos this type has seen much work; and told many stories in the 80 years of it's life. The colours and detritus still in and on the type show the colours of the print runs - and also the fact that past users have not cleaned the type as well as they might.
I was amazed by the amount of rubbish and wrongly dissed pieces that I found.
Heaps of crushed paper 'spacers'.
Incorrect sized type and spacers - mostly 18pt.
A pile of correct 24pt spacers but mixed in with type.
Broken type (quite a few curlicues broken off); and odd bits like the micro piece saying price!!!!
But now the tray of type is sorted - the caps below showing this is going to be a useful tray of type for Deckled Edge Press to tell more stories with.
Though when one first uses the type it is going to be necessary to give it a clean once it is locked up in the chase ready for a proofing print.
hmmmm ... couldn't help wondering what interesting effects one might get from the remnants of past inkings ...
ReplyDeletebut all in all, quite the eye-bending task, combing through those endless bits and pieces!
(((Barry))) you almost inspire me to tidy up a bit here!
ReplyDeleteLA and MC - Thanks for checking this post to and leaving comments. LA - it would be good to see if the historic ink in fact printed. LA and P - these tasks have to be done but do challenge one. Go well. B
ReplyDelete