To the library

I love libraries because...

1. They have books there
3. Librarians have the neatest supplies.

So, I'm very excited about this little addition to my hardcover notebooks. Library cards! A perfect place to write your name and contact information in case your book is ever lost.

:: now with library cards ::

I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of seniors from Tyler School of Art this morning. They came and visited my studio and we talked about what happens after art school, setting up a studio, finding work, making ends meet so you can make your work, etc. It was really nice meeting them all and I wish them the best.

I got to my studio a bit early and while I was there photographed a few books I've recently acquired.

I love the odd pinkish color of this illustration of the Red Eyed Vireo.

:: birds that every child should know ::

Then there's this vivid and bold cover. Love the giant V. Whenever I hear something about victory gardens, it makes me think of Rascal.

:: victory garden manual ::

The last one is Nature's Notebook which has beautifully drawn illustrations of wildlife. I wish Kingfishers lived in Philadelphia. I'd like to look over and see one of those on a wire.

:: nature's notebook ::

There's a lot going on.

Oh my goodness, there's just so much going on right now, all good and exciting things too!

On April, 2nd I'll be at the Philadelphia Photo Art's Center for their second annual book fair, where I'll be selling my books alongside such awesome folks as Gottlund Verlag, David Graham, and much much more. I have a feeling I will be leaving with zero dollars, having spent all of it on other vendor's books.


Also, the schedule is out for the spring and summer letterpress workshops I'll be teaching at Red Wheel Press. Come for a 6 hr hands-on letterpress workshop— covering the basics of printing, typesetting (wood + metal type), Vandercook press maintenance, how to troubleshoot press + printing issues, inking, paper use + cleaning. For more info, and to sign up, go here.

The dates are:

Saturday, April 9th, 11-5

Saturday, May 7th, 11-5

Saturday, May 21, 11-5

Saturday, June 4th, 11-5

Saturday, June 25th, 11-5

So tell your friends, and hope to see you there!

:: Spring + Summer Letterpress Workshops ::

And I printed some baby shower invitations for a friend, who's having a sailor baby.

:: Ahoy! ::

Yo Teach!

:: that's me leaning on the press in my jaunty vest ::

I taught my first class last Saturday, hosted by Aimee Wilson of Red Wheel Press and I had a great time, thanks to our wonderful students. The class covered the fundamentals setting type and printing on and maintaining a Vandercook proof press.

:: setting type ::

After the demo, everyone designed, set the type for, and printed their own personalize stationery. We're going to post a schedule of upcoming workshop dates very soon, so I'll keep you updated and please spread the word if you have any friends that might be interested.

:: printing ::

Last Friday (it was a busy week) I also bought a press, his name is Junior and he is a 8x12 Chandler & Price New Style. Thanks to my friend Mike who lent us his time and truck and my boyfriend Mike, who helps me so much... I can't even tell you, and the other Mike who sold me the press, the move went without a hitch and it was in my studio, safe and sound, in 3 hours.

Those of you who have been following the blog for awhile will know that I've been spending the last year restoring another press, a 10x15 Chandler & Price Old Style. After many ups and downs, hours and hours of research and elbow grease, and sometimes tears, I finally decided to let it go. I posted an ad on Briar Press and am selling it in parts, in hopes that it'll be of use to other printer's restoring their presses.

The old press wasn't a total loss though, I learned so much, and this time around made a much wiser purchase. The press needs a good cleaning, but it's complete so, fingers crossed, it should be up and running in a month or two.

:: oil wells ::

The niftiest thing about the new press, Junior, has got to be these little lidded wells for oiling. They're adorable and functional!

:: monkey ::

That's all for now, it's going to be a very busy next couple of months, so I'll be posting new work and progress on the press whenever I can. Thanks for reading!

New Books

Some of the things I've been working on.

:: one of a kind notebooks ::


I finished binding a set notebooks which are going to New York. They are a new kind of book I've started making. I decided to add inset vintage encyclopedias to their covers because they are really neat... and to make front and back more easily identifiable.

:: bees! ::

Also working on some new leather pocket notebooks.

:: this one is on etsy ::
:: letterpress printed page and vintage book page with drawing ::

Here I am.

:: little scraps ::

I feel like I've been holed up for weeks, there's so much to do. Making things, looking for things, watching things...

Many new books, and other projects in various stages.

:: hardcover books in progress ::

I was very happy to look in the mailbox a the other day to find some mail from my friend Beth, including an erratum to add to my collection. Thank you, Beth!

:: Oh Beth, you know me well, greenland, erratum, and birds... ::

:: studio ::

Basically, spending a great deal of time working in the studio and at home. Already starting to miss the cozy feeling of winter.

Letterpress Printing Workshop

hello Mr. Vandercook

I'm very excited to announce that I will be teaching a beginning letterpress workshop on Saturday March 5th in Philadelphia hosted and organized by Aimee Wilson of Red Wheel Press. It's going to be a really fun and exciting day of letterpress geekery so I hope you can join us.

See below for more information about the class and how to register.


VANDERCOOK LETTERPRESS PRINTING WORKSHOP

SAT MARCH 5 // 11AM to 5PM with morning tea/ coffee & a break for

homemade Thai lunch @ 1pm!

Come for a personal 6 hr hands-on letterpress workshop-- covering the basics
of Vandercook press maintenance, typesetting (of wood and metal type), how to
troubleshoot press and printing issues, inking, paper use & cleaning.

This class will provide you with the skills to operate a Vandercook Press
safely and efficiently, as well as return & rent time for your own printing needs at
Red Wheel Press.

The class will be taught by Marianne Dages. Marianne is the owner and operator of Huldra Press, where she makes custom and original handmade books and letterpress prints. She recently completed a two year fellowship studying letterpress and bookbinding at Penland School of Crafts, and has taught classes at The University of the Arts and in North Carolina.

Please dress in comfortable clothes and shoes. All supplies provided.

Workshops cost $125/ per student

Contact Aimee Wilson- redfactorye@gmail.com to reserve your spot, &/or send
questions.

Red Wheel Press | 3215 East Tioga Street | Philadelphia, PA 19134

Gone Thrifting

If I could some how make it my job to go to the thrift store every day, I would. I love it. Looking through row after row of ceramic mugs, books, and sweaters has a calming effect on me. It's also a place where I look for supplies for making my books, old encyclopedias and children's books being a favorite source for illustrations.

books in progress, with letterpress printed page

I'm on the hunt for new materials since I've been working on making more hardcover books with mixed pages, and I think they're looking lovely so far. Every batch is a little different, because the materials are unique and change depending on what I have on hand.

So I went to a couple thrift stores in my neighborhood and came home with these little treasures.

Alaska

A National Geographic book about Alaska bound with sage book cloth and printed cover, which I've been reading. When I'm done, I think I'm going to make a notebook using the cover, though. It's so simple and sweet.

McCoy Mug

I also bought this mug...because I have a weakness for vintage brown mugs.

Old Books

I recently put out a call to my friends asking for old paper and books. I'm planning on making a whole bunch of new mixed paper books in the next couple weeks, so I need all the paper I can get. A friend of mine sent me a few old books, including this school reader.

:: a children's reader ::

When I got it, it was wrapped in very dirty printed fabric which protected the original cover from becoming bleached or worn. It's such a beautiful design, especially for a children's school book.

:: run, hen, run! ::

Inside are detailed engravings of animals, people, and activities. One thing I found striking is how the lessons are centered on much more agrarian topics (and a lot more rats...) than what would be addressed in today's textbooks.

:: i too am a stationer and bookseller ::

Wilmington is where I grew up. I wish I could go back and time and visit this store. I bet they had some pretty great notebooks for sale.

:: bluejay ::

My friend also sent me a couple of books with illustrations of birds. I especially love the colors of this illustration of a bluejay from a children's guide to birds.

:: mr. cardinal ::

And the simplicity of this illustration of a cardinal on the roof from a children's book of stories.

Thanks, friends!

Everything's Coming up Milhouse!


:: wood type and cat ::

I went on an adventure yesterday, to meet a fellow with some letterpress equipment for sale. I came back with a big box of wood type! The seller and his wife were very sweet, and I spent an hour getting to look at and talk about all kinds of interesting things. Searching far and wide for letterpress equipment can be a thankless pursuit, so when you meet honest, kind people who just want to see the stuff used, it's just swell. Yes, everything is coming up Milhouse, indeed.

New on Sale

The Huldra Press Etsy store is now updated with new books and prints. Here is a selection of some of things you'll find there.

yellow graph paper field book
(featured on mint design blog)
black pocket notebook with mixed paper

Thanks for reading, hope you find something you like.

Nostalgia

Today, I kept seeking out images and things from the past. A picture from 1909 a block from where my studio sits today from the wonderful Free Library of Philadelphia archives...




... Those red bordered labels that I use as if they were made of gold.




And the map I scanned today, from the geography text book that belonged to one of my ancestors a long time ago.



The most pleasant surprise was to discover that a company, named Esselte, still makes beautiful, sewn, acid-free ledgers so that, as they say on their site, you can "Be certain that important records stay in tact for a long, long...time!"
Esselte Ledger

That makes me happy, deep down in the cockles of my bookbinding heart.


P.S. I also wanted to say thank you to Ellie of the Mint Design Blog for her lovely feature about Huldra Press, and say hello to some new readers too. Hope you enjoy.

InPRESStigator!™

You know what? Fixing a press is not easy, especially if you're unfamiliar with the inner workings of the type of press you're trying to fix. I've used Vandercooks for years, and feel confident tinkering with one, because I know how it's supposed to act when it's working. But this press...

my press where it sat for 30 years unused

Is a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a vest. Recently though, I've made some more progress, and more importantly, I'm gaining confidence. I'm also coming to terms with the fact that this press will never look perfect, but it should work.

A few months ago, I found out that my press has some parts that weren't manufactured by Chandler & Price.

my press, ink disc bracket

My ink disc bracket is made up of three parts, two arms that bolt to the frame and one that lays over top, like a post and lintel. On a C&P, this is all one piece.


my press, ink disc lever

Another mystery was how come the ink disc lever, the mechanism with a little hook that turns the ink disc, was much smaller than a C&P's. It worked, it just didn't look like it was supposed to.

Lastly, there's the gripper cam.

my press, gripper cam

A C&P's gripper cam

Well, as you can see, one of these things is not like the other. I knew these parts weren't homemade repairs, because they had serial numbers on them, but I didn't understand where they could have come from.

So I did some research and found out that around 1887, Chandler & Price was not the only press manufacturer around. There were many regional manufacturers building nearly identical generic presses lumped under the description of old style Gordon jobber presses. The article George Gordon's Dream Press is a great resource if you want to learn more. I plan to buy A Catalogue of 19th Century Printing Presses by Harold E. Sterne when I have some extra dollars too.

Now that I knew that, I searched for images of "gordon jobber presses" and started finding some presses that had parts that looked like mine! Like this one, an S&L old style jobber press with a three piece ink disc bracket.

three piece ink disc bracket

And most striking, I found the Old Reliable. The Old Reliable was only manufactured for one year, 1888, and then the patents were sold to Chandler & Price.

Old Reliable

Chandler & Price Old Style

The two press's look nearly identical! So what I've come to realize is that my press is a mutt. The main frame and platen is from a 1887 Chandler & Price. The flywheel, gripper cam, ink lever, and ink disc bracket...not Chandler & Price. They could be from any number of regional press manufacturers that were around back then. I'm so glad I figured this out, because now that I know that there's plenty of other mystery presses out there that are working. Will it work even though it's a mutt? I think so.