Chrysanthemum Press

Printemps

2009-03-30T22:53:00.002-04:00

It's been a long winter, and our first in the new house. Forgive the pause in posts. The metal roofs prove to be a force to be reckoned with after snow. It comes off the sides with a gusto and compacts into ice berms quickly. My studio was encased within a protective snow barrier for most of the winter. I'll be printing soon! Almost all our snow is gone now, finally!

The Atlas of Early Printing

2008-11-18T21:35:00.003-05:00

If you're a printing junkie like me, you will certainly appreciate this site: The Atlas of Early Printing. In addition to an amazing Flash interactive map depicting the spread of printing technology throughout Europe in the late fifteenth century, there is an astounding resource page and a link page that could take you years to fully explore.

Happy clicking!

"November November"

2008-11-12T21:50:00.004-05:00

Hi All. I'm entering an ...awesome Modish give-away...and I wanted to let you know about it so you can visit the Modish blog and enter too, if you like.

Enough Packing?

2008-09-04T20:50:00.003-04:00

Hey, Are you slowly mashing your type to bits by printing without enough packing material, like I did today? If you have ugly impressions all the way through your paper onto the backside, then yes! Check out this discussion on the proper amount over at Briar Press. It's where I go looking for answers.

Happy Printing...eventually!

Recently...

2008-09-04T16:11:00.002-04:00

One last project before everything has to be packed away for the big move!

Moving!

2008-08-22T12:04:00.004-04:00

Big News! The workshop is moving!

Well, technically, my whole house is moving, which includes the "workshop", but now Chrysanthemum Press will have its own little corner of the world as opposed to a little corner of an already overstuffed room.

My printing and hobbying is moving into a this outbuilding on the property of OUR NEW HOUSE! It has a cozy little stove and a window and electrical power and is the perfect size for a letterpress printing studio! Look forward to bigger, better, more once I get unpacked!

APA membership is in the bag

2008-07-03T21:21:00.002-04:00

I finally sent off my 155 prop cards to the APA mailer. Whew! With my limited capabilities and novice printer status, even that was a big project. On the bright side, I am know very aware of what supplies and parts I need and what supplies and parts I want...

Live and learn and print!

Kelsey Bronze

2008-06-04T19:49:00.005-04:00

Well, the first variation of my new prop cards are done. I didn't use the alleged "Kelsey Bronze" I mentioned earlier. Notice how I say alleged. In fact, there may be no such ink at all. Upon further inspection (as in further inspection as I dumped the powder out onto my ink knife and all over my table), what I have is actually Kelsey Bronze Embossing Compound. Yeah, I know. Some of you out there are saying, "Duh" right now. OK. If your such a smarty-pants, then enlighten me on what to do with this stuff. I'd love to use it! And I promise to actually READ labels completely in the future.

Anyway, check out my first prop cards. I ended up using a really simple green and I am very happy with the results: simple design and quirky centering. I only use one gripper, so each card has a somewhat unique and not-so-level placement. I like the variation and imperfection. Hope my new APA comrades do too.

Prop Cards

2008-05-29T19:01:00.006-04:00

I am fascinated by letterpress printing Prop cards. They are the traditional calling card of a private press proprietor, and a traditional I am happy to follow in my (almost) finished APA membership. Below are some wonderful examples of others' prop cards, courtesy of Briar Press.

I have been printing my proprietor cards this week. I've completed the first color printing and have one more to go. I did the text in a nice Kelsey Peacock Blue on beautiful French Paper ice blue card stock. My APA logo will be added in Kelsey Bronze. I've decided to do three variation, using different configurations of the text, etc. Send me your mailing address if you'd like one!

I know that due to my limited type faces and spacing materials at this time, my card will not be stellar. It will be a great project, learning experience, and way to become a part of the vibrant letterpress community. I am looking forward to proudly displaying my new APA member ship. #830!

Upcoming Letterpress Events in New England (sorry everyone else)

2008-05-22T20:34:00.004-04:00

Amalgamated Printers' Association 2008 Wazygoose
June 5 - 8, 2008
Events Commence at the Clarion Hotel
1080 Riverdale Road (Route 5)
West Springfield, MA

More Information here.

***

Broadsides for Beginners Workshop
June 14, 2008
May Day Studio at Letterpress Things
55 North Chicopee Street
Chicopee, MA

More information here.

***

5th Annual Printing Arts Fair
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Museum of Printing
800 Massachusetts Avenue
North Andover, Massachusetts

More information here.

***

Garage Annex Workshops
Ongoing June - November
Garage Annex School
One Cottage Street
Easthampton, MA

More information here.

Cyberspace Found Object

2008-03-14T17:23:00.004-04:00

Found this cool gadget by Blyberg via Aesthetic Outburst.

Sans Grip

2008-03-01T19:57:00.003-05:00

I tried to do some printing today, but it wasn't the most productive session I've ever had. My makeready gauge pins are not clamping hard enough anymore and my printing surface (in this case, some regular note paper) keeps slipping and sliding all over the place. The weather was crappy snowy for a good chunk of the day today, or I would have taken advantage of the fact that my local supply shop is open only on alternating Saturdays and this was one of them! Darn it!

There's always next time...

New Item Available in my Etsy Store

2008-02-27T22:04:00.003-05:00

Hi Folks,

Well, after much procrastinating, I have finally gotten around to listing a set of note cards in my Etsy Store. Check it out, if you're interested. This particular set features vintage travel themes.

How To: Custom Stationery Gift Box

2008-02-05T21:33:00.015-05:00

I decided to make a stationery set for my mom because she bought a desk for her newly remodeled bedroom. Its a lovely desk and I thought a nice cigar box full of hand-made stationery would be just right tucked into one of the cubby-holes. It took me a few weeks to make this box because I worked on it mainly a night or two a week.

Of course, this project has a million creative variations and no two boxes will ever look the same, but here is a (hopefully) easy to understand how-to for making your own custom cigar box stationery set.

Materials and Tools needed:

wooden 8 x 81/2"cigar box (acrylic box or any other shape)
wood stain
decorative papers
blank note cards with envelopes
photo paper (postcards, decals, paint, etc)
ribbon
post cards for gift
stickers
vellum paper
card stock, various sizes
decorative cord
buttons, vintage or otherwise
1 fat quarter of material
ink, various colors
small blank book
paint brush
sand paper
small screwdriver (eye glass kit sized)
sharpie
hot glue gun
spray adhesive
scissors
archival glue dots
paper cutter, exacto and self-healing mat
ruler
bone folder
pencil
rubber stamps

You will also need a template for a 5" square envelope, a small envelope, and a cloth book cover to fit your blank journal book. I have attached scans of my templates as hyperlinks above.

My final product included the decorated box, a small custom journal, a postcard bundle, note cards with envelopes, Tiny Treasures, postage envelope, photographs, a special item, and a personal note. For my mom, the special item was a pair of vintage garden snips with rosebuds.

Wow, ok. A step by step guide to make this......I should have taken notes......Here goes nothin'

Remove the hardware from your cigar box with your tiny screwdriver. Set them aside someplace safe from kitty tails and one year olds. Give the whole box a once-over with the sandpaper.

Using a foam brush, apply the wood stain liberally but evenly. Extra strokes are an excellent idea with wood stain. I worked over a cut open paper grocery bag with a simple kitchen rag. Do whatever works for you. One to two coats will do. Let dry.

Reinstall the cigar box hardware. Then measure and cut decorative papers to fit inside the cover and bottom of your box. Mine were 7 1/2 x 8". Adhere decorative papers to inside of box with glue dots. Using the templates, measure and cut one large and two small envelopes with your selected papers. Fold each along guidelines and use glue dots to hold the side and bottom flaps in place. If you will be decorating the envelopes, do it now.

I used rubber stamps and copper ink for the acorns and bee, and letter stickers for the word postage. Set aside the two small envelopes, and glue the large one into the top inside cover of the box with glue dots.

Next, warm up your hot glue gun and measure and cut your ribbon to edge the outside of the box. Be really patient with the application. Do very small sections at a time and make sure to apply a very small amount of glue. It dries into bumpy clumps very easily. I used an extra glue stick as a roller to smooth over each section right after I applied the ribbon. In two sections I had some some small bumps, but overall it was very smooth.

For my box, I chose a very simple arrangement for the top. Actually, I'm not sure one bird even is an arrangement, but whatever. Print out your image (if needed) onto photo paper. I used glossy. Use the exacto knife to cut it out. Spray adhesive on the back of the cut-out and apply to the box. Use a heavy book over the area for a little while.

Now, your box is complete and you can start working on the contents. Let's start with the note cards. I stamped mine with a nice bird stamp because my mom loves to garden. As a matter of fact, her garden was just featured in a book. She even got the cover shot! Way to go, Mom!

Ok, use archival stamp ink and transparent stamps (the kind you stick to an acrylic block that you can see through). I applied the ink by hand, and stamped all the colors at once. I also stamped another bird stamp on the back flap of the envelopes. When they are dry, tie the little bundle together with some of the twine. A nice vintage button makes the bundle complete.

For the small book, have your card stock, cloth, decorative papers, spray adhesive, and hot glue gun at hand. Before you start, you should also iron your cloth. I wanted to use vintage material, but in the end I went with a newer leaf printed cotton for durability in the book creases. Using the book cover template, trace the outline onto the inside of your cloth. Cut out the cover piece and set aside. I used a small soft cover notebook and removed the existing cover pages from the guts. Cut and measure your card stock using the removed cover and also cut your inside liners from the decorative papers.

(For some reason, the pages look pink, but they're really not)

Measure the width of the spine of your page guts and score the card stock to that width. Also score the liner pieces in the middle. Having the fold in the paper will help line it up when its ready to be glued on. Use the spray adhesive on one side of the card stock for the cover. Apply liberally. Have your cloth laid out on a flat surface and place the card stock glue side down onto the cloth, lining up the covers of the cover with the corners of the flaps on the cloth. One at a time, fold the flaps down and smooth over each with the bone folder. Apply a thin line of hot glue to the area of the cover where the book spine will be placed. At this point, you could add a bookmark ribbon to the spine and then apply another line of glue to the ribbon and continue. I didn't do a bookmark, so I...

...firmly placed the book guts onto the line of glue. Make sure none leaks out the sides, if any does wipe it away with a nail or anything pointy. Then, close the book and place it under a heavy book. I use this method alot. When its set, use the spray adhesive to apply the liner paper to the very front and back pages. Smooth it down with the bone folder and place it back under the heavy book to "coagulate."

After the glue is set, make a nice binder out of twine and another pretty button. I stayed with my nature theme by using a wooden button.

Next, assemble your postcard bundle. I collect postcards, both vintage and contemporary, so I had plenty on hand, but you can find cool vintage postcards at flea markets, on eBay, or in country stores. And, of course, you can get contemporary postcards just about anywhere. Take a piece of the vellum paper and cut it to fit around your postcard bundle with just about a 1/2 inch of overlap. Wrap your postcards, use the bone folder to crease the folds, and close it with a nice sticker. I used small round stickers of real pressed flowers, but you can use any kind of sticker that fits your theme.

I included a single note card with a handwritten message. I just took some card stock and applied a stripe of the same paper I used inside the box. I had a few large strips left over from before, so I used what was already on hand, plus it coordinated.. I have a really nice embosser that my mom gave me, so I used it to emboss my initials onto the note card to give it a personal touch.

Those are all the components that have to be made. You are now ready to finish your gift!

Before I put everything together, I added a few little touches. I tucked another bird cutout inside the pages of the book, placed vintage stamps in the postage envelope, and hid feathers in the little treasures envelope. When you are done adding your finishing touches, place each item in the box, putting the largest and flattest in first. For me that was some personal photographs and the postcard bundle. Next, I put the note cards and small envelopes. On the very top, I placed the book and the special item, vintage rose snips.

When you're all done, close the box and wrap it for gift-giving! I went a more practical route and packed mine for travel.

Whoever is lucky enough to receive this handmade gift will truly feel special. My mom loved her box. The nature theme and green color scheme were just right!

Roll Roll Roller Wheels!

2008-01-11T20:56:00.000-05:00

My new "trunnions", as they are called in my original Kelsey Printer's Guide Book, finally came in today from NA Graphics out in Colorado. I've been waiting patiently and today was the day! My experiments with the old trucks (see previous posts) didn't go well, so I'm glad the new parts are now here and ready to be used. I put the nice shiny new ones on this afternoon and gave it a quick lubrication. Everything is sliding nicely and I did a quick test impression without ink. The impression screws look like they need some adjusting.

Now, I just need more type case storage!

Information Suburbia

2008-01-10T19:41:00.000-05:00

Like a cul-de-sac, its fun to do a few donuts and move on...The Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies. Found via Crankylog.

Always a good time

2008-01-05T13:20:00.000-05:00

I made the trip out to Letterpress Things this morning. I really love being able to jump in my car at 9am and be walking up the stairs by 10am. In the letterpress world having such a huge resource so close by is a true luxury and I always appreciate that on my drive over.

This fine winter morning I ran into Kelly of May Day Studio, who was doing another one of her fantastic workshops. We talked inks today and I learned about the pros and cons of both oil and rubber-based inks. In the end, I picked up some little tubes of Kelsey ink in Peacock Blue and Bronze Embossing. I had my eye on some VanSon tubs originally, but the alluring color names and Kelsey brand of the smaller tubes did me in. Who could resist Peacock Blue?

Anyway, no luck picking up new trucks to fit my new rollers so I am still sans-printing over here. John B. did have some good suggestions for work-arounds in the meantime which I will try after my son goes to bed tonight. I think I have the necessary metal file and I know I have twine. I can try filing notches into the old trucks so the roller arms will fit onto the roller cores with the trucks in place.

As of right now, the trucks can't slide far enough onto the cores due to the notches on the cores without the corresponding notches into the truck. I can also gain some grip by looping twine between the core and the inside surface of the truck. Luckily, I do have an extra truck (for some reason the press came with 5) so I can experiment on one first. We'll see what happens.

Still in the box

2007-12-30T13:05:00.001-05:00

Exciting Holiday Acquisitions!

2007-12-26T09:24:00.000-05:00

It was a good Christmas for Chrysanthemum Press. I received a good sized drawer of miscellaneous blocks, yet to be examined. I also received two incredible type faces I have been dreaming about! My dad, being crafty-like, read my previous blog post of my type wish list and got me Cochin and Della Robbia!! Wow, Thanks Dad!

Look at those beautiful ligatures!

Kelsey Type Cases

2007-12-15T18:19:00.001-05:00

Kelsey Type Faces

2007-12-14T15:28:00.001-05:00

Before and After

2007-12-01T23:41:00.001-05:00

(before)

(after)

sorry for the photo quality...It is actually alot cleaner now, although it is hard to tell.

And now, for a PSA:

Letterpress and Safety

I learned a valuable lesson this past week: wear gloves, either rubber of otherwise, for two reasons. The first is to avoid dingy fingers (which I now have). I had to go buy special orange pumice soap that mechanics use to get my hands clean. The second and more important reason is to avoid Tetanus. Here is my cautionary tale. I didn't wear any gloves and while cleaning and scrubbing I did manage to nick myself a few times and cut myself mediumly-bad once. Today, upon telling my dad that I had finally cleaned my (rusty) press and subsequently cut myself, he asked if I had a Tetanus shot. "Hmmm", I thought, "When was my last Tetanus shot?" Well, folks, after 20 minutes on hold with my doctor's office and a short conversation with a nice nurse, the answer is at least 17 years ago, so now I have to go get a Tetanus shot. Let that be a lesson to you. Ok, let that be two lessons to you.

Wear gloves while cleaning your press
Get a Tetanus shot every 7-10 years

Thank you and goodnight.

Restoring a Kelsey Model P 5x8

2007-12-01T20:48:00.000-05:00

Hi folks. This evening I finally had time and motivation aplenty to tackle a medium-sized project that felt like a large-sized project. I cleaned and restored my Kelsey press, which until now has been sitting patiently in my office, awaiting the love and attention that it deserves. I bought my press from a really nice woman in Rochester, NY, but she had never used it herself and it sat in a garage for an extended period of time. I even drove all the way out there to pick it up myself, not trusting any package carrier to not damage the fragile cast iron machine. Needless to say, it needs some TLC before it can be expected to print anything at all.

So, to begin, here is my supply list for this project:

WD-40
3-1 oil
Scotch Brite pad
paper towels
stick brush (large)
wash bin
white vinegar
lemon juice
a plastic trash bag
lacquer thinner
I also highly recommend rubber gloves, which I failed to use and really wish I did...

First, I cut open a trash bag and put that down on my work surface (my dining room table). Then I assembled the rest of my tools and had my lovely husband bring the press down from upstairs and put it in the middle of the table.

I used the WD-40 around the ink plate and chase bed. Then I removed the chase, bed, and ink plate, along with the roller hooks, springs, and nuts. Mixing the vinegar and lemon juice about 2:1 in the wash bin, I gave the chase, bed, and accessories and a quick wipe and put them in to soak. It took about 25 minutes before they were ready for scrubbing.

I continued to apply WD-40 liberally to all moving parts, screws, and bolts. I used the Scotch Brite pad and the stiff brush to scrub any dirty areas and applied more WD-40 as I went. When I felt it was clean enough, I checked my soaking pieces. I used to Scotch Brite pad on the pieces and gently rubbed off the rust. I dried them thoroughly and placed them on paper towel.

I used the lacquer thinner on the ink plate and gave it a nice once over. It is also sitting on paper toweling. The roller hooks, nuts, and springs are still soaking, because I put them in last with the chase. Once they are dried off, I will reassemble (and reapply lubricant) and put the new rollers on.

Things to remember:

Keep your screws, nuts, bolts, pins, etc in order, so you can reassemble properly
Wear gloves, unless you like having gray fingernails
open the window for crying out loud (a.k.a. work in a well ventilated area)
Take pictures, share them, and enjoy the process!

I'll post some "before and after" photos when I reassemble, probably tomorrow night.

Field Trip to Letterpress Things

2007-11-19T11:05:00.000-05:00

Newest Acquisitions

2007-11-17T13:18:00.001-05:00

Took the nice ride out to Letterpress Things in Chicopee this morning to see John Barrett and his wonderful shop full of everything and anything the tabletop printer could need or imagine. OK, well, I'm sure I could imagine things that aren't there, but you get the idea.

John is an extremely helpful and friendly man and each trip I've made has been a pleasure. I purchased a good amount of wooden furniture, leads, thins (brass & copper), some quoins and a nice Wickersham key that doubles as a little hammer. I also got a line gauge, a nifty pocket line gauge, and a "Letterpress Things" tee-shirt. I resisted to urge to get some type. That'll have to wait til the next Saturday I make it back to Chicopee, which is about 45 minutes from my house.

Boy, am I lucky. I just happen to have the best letterpress resource in the entire country right in my backyard. Awesome.

Dreams of type

2007-11-16T22:03:00.000-05:00

on my holiday wish list:

18pt Bewick Roman with ligatures!
18pt Cochin
12pt Perpetua
14pt & 18pt Della Robbia

Type Log

2007-11-16T21:35:00.000-05:00

currently in the shop:

12pt Bell
12pt Light Old English
18pt Modernistic No. 72 border
18pt Arrighi ornaments
"bugs" ornaments

oh, and the ...

18pt unidentified serif script
box of pied type
lowercase of somewhat-sorted unidentified type

Lithic Dwellers Alert

2007-10-07T17:20:00.000-04:00

In case you do, in fact, live under a rock, here is a heads up:
Go check out Etsy to see some great letterpress, not to mention a gazillion other unique and novel crafts and design work.

Click Happy!

(did you know that gazillion is in the blogger spellcheck? You do now)

Cool Documentary

2007-09-17T13:12:00.001-04:00

Found this nice documentary over on YouTube (yes, there is meaningful content if you look hard enough). Kinda artsy treatment with a nice Fugazi (or is it Minor Threat?) soundtrack. It features the Independent Publishing Resource Center over in Portland OR. Check it out.

Just a tidbit

2007-09-10T19:47:00.000-04:00

Don't try to sort type when you are:

Tired
Drunk
Upset
Hungry
Preoccupied

This has been a public service announcement.

The Gear

2007-09-07T21:02:00.001-04:00

Here is my press, not in working order yet.

Some type in cases.

Cuts.
Needed parts are on the way. Hope to be up and running by the holidays.

in the library...

2007-09-07T15:54:00.000-04:00

Here are some of the books I have around the workshop for reference and ideas:

American Iron Hand Presses by Stephen O. Saxe
Printing as a Hobby by J. Ben Lieberman
Thinking in Type: The Practical Philosophy of Typography by Alex W. White
General Printing: An Illustrated Guide to Letterpress Printing with Hundreds of Step-by-Step Photos by Cleeton, Pikin, Cornwell
thinking with type: A critical Guide for Designers, Writers,Editors , & Students by Ellen Lupton
Typographic Systems by Kimberly Elam
Grid Systems by Kimberly Elam
an original "Printers' Supply Book" from the Kelsey Company
an original "The Printer's Guide Book" 6th edition, from the Kelsey Company

I also suggest a swipe book (for keeping track of other people's work) and making a binder with printed samples of all your fonts, dingbats, etc...

Necessities and Extras

2007-09-06T15:05:00.000-04:00

I ordered new rollers and tympan from NA Graphics today. I also ordered a really cool bugs ornament set! NA Graphics kicks ass! If you are into letterpress, this is the best online source for supplies that I have found to date.

Arrived

2007-09-04T22:30:00.000-04:00

The press arrived safely. It was a long drive. Details and maybe even pictures tomorrow. Tired.

Newest Acquisition

2007-09-01T14:31:00.001-04:00

Very vintage.

The press, the press, ...the press is finally found!

2007-09-01T13:57:00.000-04:00

After many grueling days and endless searching, I have found and purchased this press. Yes, I am the proud owner of a Kelsey Excelsior Model P 5x8 letterpress!

"The Press", as it is rightly referred to around here, is in Rochester, NY presently. But I am driving out on Tuesday to pick it up. Stay tuned.