This is a classic. In my own mind. This print was born 11 years ago, so yeah, it's a classic in that sense as well. A lot has happened in 11 years. I still contemplate the night sky, though the sky that you and I observe is quite a bit different than the "letter-filled sky" of this guy's universe. Linotype Ionic No. 5 is the type that makes up the speaking bubble. More on the print here.
Some good hard work accomplished with friends and community this past weekend at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry
initial election result thoughts; some strength from bottomless lows
Good morning friends, family, chosen family, colleagues, comrades
Tough news to wake to, eh?
I'm attempting to get sorted - enough so to simply "take the first step" forward. I sent some texts to friends, my first inclination was to make light of the situation. That didn't feel right. So, I wanted to reach out by sending this note. It's really just meant to say: I'm thinking of you, thinking of our community and feeling lucky to have you all in my life.
We've got work to do. I thought that 2016 was the bottom. But we've reached a new "bottom" I suppose. Okay. So, there's that:
Take away #1: New lows will be established. The bar for bottoms will be lowered. 2016 marked what I thought was a new low. Welp, we beat that, didn't we? Okay. Fine. We won't let new lows surprise us any longer. Let that knowledge be a strength to help us reach the high bars, too.
Number 2: Get those feet moving forward. It doesn't mean that you need to come up with a solution to change the world. Just move the feet forward. Baby steps first. Small things. For me, that meant turning off the news. Dropping a record on the turn table - "Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane" and making a cup of coffee. That was my first step. It helped.
Number 3: Oh yeah, the news. Hey! At least we don't have to be constantly immersed in a ridiculous cycle of drama and circus antics for a while, or maybe we can even avoid this soul-suck entirely in the future. We've learned our lesson, right? Okay, at least for now we can give that noise a break. Stay focused, stay present, stay face to face and avoid constant screen to face. Along with keeping your feet moving forward, keep 'em on the ground. Treat yourself by cutting back on the screen-media intake.
Number 4: Make a list of your American heroes. Totally random list: James Baldwin, Robert Johnson, Charlie Poole, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Eugene V. Debs, Toni Morrison, Henry David Thoreau, Ian Mackaye, Jack Kerouac, Thomas Edison, Martin Luther King, Mother Jones, Charles Mingus.... these names keep on rolling off of the top of the head. I'm sure that you have plenty, too. It's nice to think of the brilliant and talented souls who have positively contributed to our American reality.
Number 5:
I'll leave you with this to help get your feet moving forward. This is extracted from a social media post from fellow printer and friend Graham Moss who lives in Oldham, UK:
"No matter who is elected, our job remains the same, to act with courage and imagination, resist evil, and stand and work for virtue and justice. Nothing prevents us from doing that; our duty always remains unchanged.
How is today different? What we should be doing hasn't changed, so there is no reason to feel despondent or let down - the idiots, the weak-willed, the uncaring, those who would take advantage of the gullible, have always been with us. In the face of that, we don't change."
Thank you Graham for this timely post and for these words.
Take care, friends. I'm thinking of you and feeling grateful for you and for what you all do.
Upcoming Events hosted by the C.C. Stern Type Foundry
"Night Palace" book release this Sunday at the Birkenfeld Theatre in Clatskanie! Info here.
Raymond Carver Writing Festival Bookmarks
Freebie Bookmarks for the Raymond Carver Writing Festival. Edition of 600. Types cast at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry. I'm not sure what Dwiggins would think about the psychedelic-americana treatment to his Caravan 1287 Decorative border slide, but I like it. Raymond Carver Writing Festival is this weekend, May 17th and 18th. Clatskanie, Oregon. www.raymondcarverwritingfestival.org
Raymond Carver Writing Festival Poster
It's Raymond Carver Writing Festival time again. This weekend, May 17th and 18th. Clatskanie, Oregon. www.raymondcarverwritingfestival.org
12" x 18" Poster made from types cast at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry, and also some worn but loved wood and foundry type. The photo engraved magnesium halftone of Carver was recycled from last year’s poster. Also, we had fun with the "split fountain" background, though in reality the fountain wasn't used. "Split distributor roller." Doesn't quite roll off the tongue. Edition 300.
Fiddle Tune Challenge 2024 tune number 125
Fiddle Tune Challenge 2024 tally thus far. Tonight's tune was Buckhorn Handle and a Barlow Blade from Jimmy Triplett. I love that guy's fiddling. It soars. My version is pretty rough, but still fun to play along with Jimmy's recording.
1/1/24 1 Boatin' up Sandy, Bull of the Wagon
1/2/24 2 Bull of the Wagon
1/3/24 3 Bull of the Wagon
1/4/24 4 Bull of the Wagon, The Logger
1/5/24 5 Bull of the Wagon
1/6/24 6 Bull of the Wagon
1/7/24 7 Bass Fiddle String Band Session
1/8/24 8 Eighth of January
1/9/24 9 Bull at the wagon
1/10/24 10 All Young
1/11/24 11 Elk Rive Blues
1/12/24 12 Bull at the Wagon
1/13/24 13 Lady of the Lake
1/14/24 14 Bull at the Wagon and Elk River Blues
1/15/24 15 Bull at the Wagon and Lady of the Lake
1/16/24 16 Bull at the Wagon
1/17/24 17 Bull at the Wagon
1/18/24 18 Bull at the Wagon, Devil in the wood pile
1/19/24 19 Lady of the lake
1/20/24 20 Bull at the Wagon, Cumberland Gap, Salt River
1/21/24 21 Bull at the Wagon, Cumberland Gap, Boatin' up Sandy
1/22/24 22 Bull at the Wagon
1/23/24 23 Highlander's Farewell
1/24/24 24 Bass Fiddle String Band Session
1/25/24 25 Greasy String
1/26/24 26 Breaking up Christmas, Greasy Coat
1/27/24 27 Greasy String
1/28/24 28 Greasy String, Breaking Up Christmas
1/29/24 29 Greasy String
1/30/24 30 Big Scioto
1/31/24 31 Big Scioto
2/1/24 32 Big Scioto
2/2/24 33 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/3/24 34 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/4/24 35 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/5/24 36 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/6/24 37 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/7/24 38 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/8/24 39 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/9/24 40 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/10/24 41 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/11/24 42 Big Scioto, Gimme Chaw Tobacco
2/12/24 43 Big Scioto, Gimme Chaw Tobacco
2/13/24 44 Big Scioto, Gimme Chaw Tobacco
2/14/24 45 Big Scioto, Gimme Chaw Tobacco, Cumberland Gap
2/15/24 46 Lady of the Lake
2/16/24 47 Gimme Chaw Tobacco
2/17/24 48 Bull at the Wagon, Big Scioto, Gimme Chaw Tobacco
2/18/24 49 Session with David Pugh
2/19/24 50 Big Scioto
2/20/24 51 Big Scioto
2/21/24 52 Stacked Them Up in Piles
2/22/24 53 Stacked Them Up in Piles, Highlander's Farewell
2/23/24 54 Big Scioto
2/24/24 55 Big Scioto
2/25/24 56 Stacked Them Up in Piles
2/26/24 57 Stacked them up in Piles
2/27/24 58 Stacked Them Up in Piles, Hannah at the Springhouse
2/28/24 59 Hannah At the Spring House
2/29/24 60 Stacked Them Up in Piles
3/1/24 61 Stacked Them Up in Piles
3/2/24 62 Stacked Them Up in Piles, Session with David Pugh
3/3/24 63 Salt River
3/4/24 64 Salt River
3/5/24 65 Salt River
3/6/24 66 Salt River, Stacked Them Up in piles
3/7/24 67 Stacked Them Up in Piles
3/8/24 68 Stacked Them Up in Piles
3/9/24 69 Stacked Them Up in Piles
3/10/24 70 Salt River
3/11/24 71 Square Dance
3/12/24 72 Lady of the Lake
3/13/24 73 Stacked Them Up in Piles
3/14/24 74 Gimme Chaw Tobacco
3/15/24 75 Little Boy in the Boat
3/16/24 76 Greasy String
3/17/24 77 Shelvin' Rock
3/18/24 78 Square Dance
3/19/24 79 Shelvin' Rock
3/20/24 80 John Brown's Dream
3/21/24 81 John Brown's Dream
3/22/24 82 John Brown's Dream
3/23/24 83 Breaking up Christmas, John Brown's Dream
3/24/24 84 Breaking up Christmas
3/25/24 85 Little Boy in the Boat
3/26/24 86 Wild Hog in the Red Brush
3/27/24 87 Wild Hog in the Red Brush
3/28/24 88 Breaking up Christmas, Wild hog in the Red brush
3/29/24 89 Greasy String
3/30/24 90 John Brown's Dream
3/31/24 91 John Brown's Dream
4/1/24 92 Square Dance
4/2/24 93 Little Boy in the Boat
4/3/24 94 Little Boy in the Boat
4/4/24 95 Greasy String
4/5/24 96 Greasy String
4/6/24 97 Greasy String
4/7/24 98 Moon Session
4/8/24 99 Square Dance
4/9/24 100 Ways of the world
4/10/24 101 Big Scioto
4/11/24 102 Big Scioto
4/12/24 103 Granny Will your Dog Bite
4/13/24 104 Granny Will your Dog Bite
4/14/24 105 Granny Will your Dog Bite
4/15/24 106 Granny Will your Dog Bite
4/16/24 107 Granny Will your Dog Bite
4/17/24 108 Granny Will your Dog Bite
4/18/24 109 Lady of the Lake
4/19/24 110 Granny Will your Dog Bite
4/20/24 111 John Brown's Dream, Flat Foot in the ashes
4/21/24 112 Bull at the Wagon
4/22/24 113 Bull at the Wagon
4/23/24 114 Big Scioto
4/24/24 115 All Young
4/25/24 116 Devil among the yearlings
4/26/24 117 No Tunes! Travel Day
4/27/24 118 No Tunes! Travel Day
4/28/24 119 Devil among the yearlings
4/29/24 120 Devil among the yearlings
4/30/24 121 Lady of the Lake
5/1/24 122 Buckhorn Handle and a Barlow Blade
5/2/24 123 Buckhorn Handle and a Barlow Blade
5/3/24 124 Buckhorn Handle and a Barlow Blade
5/4/24 125 Buckhorn Handle and a Barlow Blade
The "Pioneer machine" at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry
The "Pioneer machine" at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry. (Named after the job shop where this Linotype Model 31 originated) It's a workhorse, and makes some mighty fine slugs. You can tell that it is a workhorse by all of that paper attached to it. Oh, also there's a reminder that the thermometer is still in the pot, so don't go pulling the clutch just yet.
2024 25th annual Portland Old Time Music Gathering Graphics
The 25th annual Portland Old Time Music Gathering is here. It has been 25 years, folks. It's amazing that what started as a small, scrappy, DIY grass-roots volunteer-run mini-festival, has grown to become a much bigger scrappy, DIY grass-roots volunteer-run-festival. I say this with all the love of course. There's a lot of heart and a lot of community around this event.
Stumptown Printers handled the graphic work during the early days of the gathering. Since this current year marks a big anniversary for POTMG, Bubbaville Board President Kate Sheie asked me to do the graphics again. It was a fun project to revisit. I thought that we should list as many musicians, bands, volunteers, sponsors, venues as possible that have helped to build this Portland Old Time Music community over the years. We managed to compile 781 names. (The small type that makes up the "flame" shapes is the list of names) 781 names! That's amazing. I know we've missed names, so big apologies if you or your band name is not on the list. We didn't establish a consistent way to archive year to year info, but after this exercise, we're a little closer to having a complete archive within the Bubbaville collection of info.
Graphic notes:
Print Method: Offset litho in 2 spot colors (Warm Red and K)
Finish Size: 14" x 20"
Paper: Royal Sundance 80# Felt Text Warm White
Source types are arranged from a combination of Repo Proofs from cast Linotype typography and decorative border (cast on Pioneer Press Model 31 Linotype Machine at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry) and Linotype digital type (6pt Excelsior and some Franklin Gothic). I made a rule for myself in creating the fiddle graphic - all the figures are proportionally true to their original form in relationship to surrounding figures - meaning I did not scale the individual figures. This includes the wave border matrix slide rule that forms the fiddle strings. I did increase the scale of the overall fiddle once it was complete and digitized. The repo proof components were all digitized and combined with the digital type faces. Film was generated from the digital file, metal litho plates were made and then printed offset on a M.A.N. Roland 200 by Richard Gwinner.
There will be a limited number of these posters for sale at the Gathering. Proceeds go to Bubbaville to be used for continued community music programming. So pick one up while you're at the Gathering!
The Point. Volume 4. December, 2023 in the mail...
The Point, Volume 4. Miscellaneous Missives From the C.C. Stern Type Foundry. Heading out this week to foundry volunteers, supporters, as well as fellow members of the Amalgamated Printers' Association and friends of the C.C. Stern Type Foundry. Read about what we've been up to, and count how many times I name-drop type casting and printing wizards who are doing the good honest work. Cast in Monotype Baskerville 353 and 8pt Linotype Spartan heavy. A companion blog to printed newsletter with reference photos, videos and links can be found at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry site here.
Linotype in the news October 24th, 2023
Today's "Linotype Machine in the news" appears to be a repost from a year or so ago entitled: Machine that 'revolutionised' printing brought back to life. It's a short article and video of what looks like a very nicely refurbished Model 8 located at the Armarie Room at Nelson's Founders Park in New Zealand. The machine is a real smooth runner, but the plunger is not in place in this video, so who knows if it's a real good caster. Most likely our man Colin was put on the spot by the video crew and decided that he didn't want things to get too exciting so pulled the plunger as a precautionary measure. Just my theory, because I've been there, done that. Anyway, this is a nice glimpse at a what appears to be a well cared for machine. Published on a website called "Stuff." Article written by Katy Jones.
Coaxing machines out of hibernation at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry
Now that they are well acclimated to the new space, we're coaxing the machines back to life. We're quite pleased with the VFDs (used for 3 phase conversion). So far so good. We chose the WEG-CFW300 VFD, which seems to be a no-frills unit with a relatively user friendly display.
C.C. Stern Type Foundry 2023 Volunteer Picnic
Thanks to volunteers, thanks to you, thanks to we, thanks to all of us. The "us" being the immediate and wider printing and type casting community, wordsmiths and bibliophiles. We are grateful for you and your everyday heroic actions that go towards supporting our community. Your time, your energy, your experience and in some cases your hard earned cash - all contributed towards efforts that seem impossible and impractical. Like for instance, building, maintaining and operating a type foundry. Yup. It's the kind of thing that doesn't quite pencil out on paper, but the meaningful and memorable things in life often aren't easily explained. It's something to be grateful for. Pics above are from the C.C. Stern Type Foundry volunteer appreciation picnic. Type was cast, prints were made, poems were recited, projects were shared.
Raymond Carver Writing Festival Posters
No-Nonsense heavy-ink printing for the Raymond Carver Writing Festival. This poster incorporates some fresh type that happens to be some of the first type cast at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry's new location in Clatskanie.
A worker at a bookshop where one of these prints was posted commented that it looked like an old poster promoting a boxing match. Yes! I like it. Somehow this seems fitting for Carver's work.
The C.C. Stern Type Foundry is a co-sponsor of the Raymond Carver Writing Festival. Some of us foundry members will host “Parking Lot Poetry” in the Safeway parking lot alongside Highway 30 in Clatskanie at noon on Friday, May 19th. "Parking Lot Poetry" commemorates an impromptu poetry reading that Raymond Carver and his wife Tess Gallagher held at that same location back in 1984 during a visit back to his birthplace of Clatskanie.
The C.C. Stern Type Foundry crew will also be at the reception with a tiny press ready to help *you* print a writing festival keepsake created from type cast at the foundry. We hope to see you there.
Flat Foot in The Ashes
Flatfoot in the Ashes print and fiddle tune. This is a quick video to provide some context for those of you who have received this small-run print composed with handset metal type and Linotype ornamentation.
C.C. Stern Type Foundry Newsletter April 30th, 202
Rebecca and Connie put together a brief newsletter and quietly sent it out into the world last weekend while we were at the American Typecasting Fellowship Conference in Maine. Here it is. The images above and below were taken moments ago of the C.C. Stern Type Foundry on this rainy May 4th 2023 evening. We’ve got work to do, but things are coming together nicely.
New 2023 C.C. Stern Type Foundry Guild Cards
Printed entirely (almost) from type and ornamentation cast on the C.C. Stern Type Foundry equipment (The "almost" refers to the two arrows. Those are likely a product of American Type Founders, and were re-discovered hiding in plain sight on a galley labelled "arrows" appropriately enough).
Have you renewed your support to the C.C. Stern Type Foundry at the Printer's Devil level or above? If yes, you'll receive your very own limited edition guild card like the one pictured above.
Completing the new guild cards made a good excuse for me to bust out that beautiful Remington portable typewriter. I love that thing. I loaned my original Remington portable to a friend... oh, lets see.... I think it was almost 30 years ago. Yup. Now I recall that it was around 1994. A good year, that 1994. I'm getting side tracked on a side track. Back to the loan of the typewriter: my friend is a film maker, and he needed a good typewriter for the sound foley for his film project at the time. I don't recall the name of the film he was working on, or if the sound of my typewriter made it to the silver screen or not. Regardless, the typewriter is in good hands, so I didn't prioritize reclaiming the little machine before I pulled up stakes and left Dayton, Ohio. I foolishly forgot about the typewriter - until I didn't - many years later. At that point I kept my eyes out for the same model. I finally tracked one down about a year ago. This one was meticulously cared for by its owner who lived in Corvallis, Oregon. It was the same model and year as the one that I longed for over the last couple decades. It was pretty magical putting those familiar keys back under my fingers. I'll be happy to let you use the typewriter, but I may be a little more careful about lending it out for too long.
Soundtrack for the moment
It's Friday, November 25th.
Soundtrack for the moment is Melvin Wine's "Hannah at the Springhouse." That tune always gets me. Mean and gritty but haunting and hopeful. Sounds like a misty cold morning with a hot drink and warm fire waiting on the other side of the mist. The tune has been quite elusive for me, over the years I've attempted to play it on the fiddle, but it has always been out of my league. This evening I had a bit of break through. I had the bow working in a way that flowed a bit, and sounded a little closer to Melvin's playing.
Pictured above is the "fiddleink" Linotype model 31 machine located at its former digs on North Interstate Avenue in Portland. A keyboard close up, showing the famous Etaion Shrdlu arrangement.
Soundtrack for the moment 11-14-22
It's Monday, November 14th.
Soundtrack for the moment:
Charles Mingus Quintet - Haitian Fight Song
Defiant. Rolling. Thumping and blowing.
Mingus: "Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity."
Pictured above is the "fiddleink" Linotype model 31 machine located at its former digs on North Interstate Avenue in Portland.
Foghorn Stringband: Satan's Jeweled Crown
Here's another song from recently found DVDs which contain a couple Foghorn Stringband gigs in Ireland from back in 2006. Documented by Bill Whelan (Rough Deal String Band, OXO boys). Thanks Bill! This is first generation Foghorn Stringband; at the time the line up was: Stephen "Sammy" Lind - Fiddle, Caleb Klauder - Mandolin, The Reverend P.T. Grover, Jr. - Banjo, Kevin Sandri - Guitar, and myself on string bass.
At some point we decided it was okay to play nonsecular songs even though we didn't think we were, err, the most appropriate ambassadors of religious music.
Foghorn Stringband
Live at the Séamus Ennis Cultural Centre
Naul, Co. Dublin, Ireland
May 7th, 2006
Video by Bill Whelan
Fiddleink brand makeready
I’ll hook ya up. It’s good stuff. Let’s go!