Musing: Lizard not Salamander

Today I discovered that lizards live in this part of the world. In the cold rainy Pacific Northwest. Approximately 45 minutes from where the film "Goonies" was shot. If that helps you get a picture of how very un-lizard this environment is, or at least one would think so. But, sure enough. Lizards. Not Salamanders. How did I learn this? Our resident lizard told me. I'm at the new location of the print shop, also the new location of the C.C. Stern Type Foundry. Or rather, soon to be. Construction is under way. It's a place we're calling "Type Hive" in part because two owners of the property are beekeepers, and in part because it is a "hive" of print activity. But now, it's quiet. And this lizard tells me that we disrupted its house during our construction. Which was a strange thing, because the lizard and I don't speak the same language, but I knew. We are making a path from the new Type Foundry building to the Print building. That's where the lizard was living. Under some bricks which were recently moved. Of course we didn't know that before we moved the bricks. After the lizard confronted me, I realized that its home was quite nice. Those bricks held whatever southern sun warmth was available in this otherwise cold and wet environment. The lizard is a Northern Alligator Lizard. Life span up to 10 years. Imagine that. The brick move happened about 5 days ago. The lizard had "words" with me today. It didn't leave the area where its original house was. I'm hoping that this means the lizard will find its new digs acceptable. I re-built a brick house for it, near the original home but out of the way of the direct path of the new Type Foundry building. I made sure that the new structure is south facing, and added multiple entrances and pathways to the new home. It's a decent place. Or seems to be. I hope the lizard moves in.

Resident Northern Alligator Lizard near the new C.C. Stern Type Foundry Building

"Continue Us" Now available for purchase.

During a hike at Eagle Creek well over ten years ago, and well before Eagle Creek caught on fire (but that's another story), my good buddy Marko Whens and I discussed opportunities for collaborating on a print project. At that point, Marko had amassed a collection of his interactive poems, and I had just amassed another chunk of cast iron in the form of a Linotype machine. The machine needed work, and I needed work to move beyond my fledgling knowledge of Linotype machine operation. A deal was struck. After the work day was complete at Stumptown Printers, I would sift through matrices and molds, and use Marko's poems as material to test the machine and my knowledge. Slowly type was set, the machine was repaired and I gained some Linotype chops. But, job work took over and the type was stashed on galleys to gather dust for many years. In late 2018, and once we faced the reality that the increasing cost of rent for the shop was no longer tenable, I rediscovered those galleys and prioritized casting the remainder of the type before the machine would be placed in deep storage. Typecasting was complete, but the shop move took over, and once again the type sat - this time in boxes until our temporary garage shop was finished. The book was finally completed in late 2019. Marko had planned to hold an event in the Spring of 2020 to launch to book release. But, a pandemic happened. So, I'm excited to let you know, that after many years, that book release finally happened on April 2, 2022 at Passages Bookshop. The book is also now available for purchase here on this site. For more details on the book, go here.

C.C. Stern Type Foundry End of Year Newsletter

If you’re not already subscribed, here’s a link to the C.C. Stern Type Foundry’s latest newsletter. Yup, this link will take you to the newsletter.

C.C. Stern Type Foundry "The Point" 2021 newsletter is in the mail

The 2021 issue of the C.C. Stern Type Foundry Newsletter "The Point" is in the mail. See previous posts here and here) We're pleased with the quality of the type, the metal is consistent, face is clean and weight is solid. We did have an issue with the casting of the exclamation point (this is a "note to self" to check it out when I'm back at the Foundry) it did not print cleanly - I suspect that there is some flashing stuck in the matrix. Luckily we had cast plenty of sorts, and were able to use the best (!) to achieve a satisfactory exclamation.

If you are not on the C.C. Stern Type Foundry mailing list and you would like to receive a copy of "The Point" 2021 newsletter cast and printed with metal type, visit the website and sign up for the mailing list and/or donate (The C.C. Stern Type Foundry is an Oregon 501(c)3 non-profit organization) some funds towards postage. I believe there are about 30 prints remaining after this current mailing.

C.C. Stern Type Foundry "The Point" newsletter progress

Type has been cast, Linotype border material also cast (see previous blog) and ink is going down on the C.C. Stern Type Foundry “The Point” newsletter as I type this. We should have them in the mail by the end of the week. Would you like one? Visit the C.C. Stern Type Foundry Donation page and donate some funds towards postage (or however much your generous-type-foundry-supporting-heart desires ) and we’ll get you a copy hot off the presses.

Typetober

The machines were humming at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry today. Connie, Joe, and Rebecca were working on the comp caster and had success in casting type for our upcoming issue of The Point. Jeff and I filled a Linotype galley with decorative border rule (also for The Point) and type to be used for bookplates. It has been a gorgeous day out here in the Pacific Northwest, made better with the gathering of the type casting crew and happy machines.

Linotype wave rule 6pt 134B Fiddleink print 007

Mixing verticals and horizontals. Wave border 6pt 134B cast with 8pt mold. 9 pieces trimmed to 6 picas makes a perfect square and creates an opportunity for some overprinting shenanigans. I was surprised at the results of the overprint - I hadn't expected the pattern to look like this, but I'm not going to argue with the magic of print and Linotype wave border rule.

Making Waves

Fresh silver. Cast from two matrix slides, wave rule 6pt 134B and regular rule 407. This casting was the result of an afternoon of making adjustments to the Linotype Model 31 at the C.C. Stern Foundry this past weekend. The machine is now in adjustment, and these beauties are ready for ink.

Machine adjustment notes

Problem: border slide block would not cast

Fix: Left and Right vise were slightly out of adjustment when 30 em line was set. At the 30 em setting, the locking block on the adjusting rod was set so that there was excessive space between border matrix slide block and vise which caused the pump stop to activate when attempting casting. Both left and right vise jaws were adjusted, as well as the em scale guide on the adjusting bar.

Comments: There is a wicked looking brazing repair towards the back of the vise closing lever. At some point in this machine’s history, something caused the lever to crack, or perhaps entirely break off. I'm guessing this happened while Don White was operating this machine in his shop under the Morrision bridge years ago. He loved this machine. As I recall, I believe that Don was the original owner, which is a big deal for a small job shop back in the day. I can only imagine that Don’s heart hit the floor right along with the thud of this heavy cast iron lever if that break happened while he was behind the keyboard.

When you see repairs on the machine like this, it sends up the red flags - perhaps this is why the machine is slightly out of adjustment? To prevent what ever caused this break to reoccur? Or did it happen when the vise was lowered to the second position? Just something to ponder before pulling out the wrenches and making bold adjustments. Incremental is the key, and take it slow.

I was happy to (re)discover that the left vise jaw wedge is spring activated, not cam driven, so it gave me a little more confidence that at least the left jaw adjustment wouldn't cause a nasty lever-breaking jam. But again, take it slow, bro. Discovering that spring mechanism was another moment to bow down to the Mergenthaler crew. These engineering features offer yet another a glimpse into the brilliance of Ottmar and his team.

Note to self: Those felts along the left vise jaw wedge need some love.

Following the maintenance steps on page 131, chapter 11 in Linotype Machine Principles, the adjustments were successfully completed, and in the process I ended up with a partial galley of decorative border. Not a bad work day at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry.

Don't be a Jerk. Read Moby Dick!

Recently, my brother and I challenged (encouraged?) each other to read Herman Melville's Moby Dick. It's something we both have wanted to do, but hadn't prioritized until these quarantine times. So we hatched a plan to read it daily in small sections, roped some friends into reading along with us, and dubbed the project: "Don't be a Jerk. Read Moby Dick!" Pictured above is a sign printed in a very limited quantity to celebrate the reading event.

The cutting dies have come home to roost.

Musing: Pat Stan*

* Beware of amateur use of the term "stan."

Several weeks ago while waiting in line to punch the clock and close out my graveyard shift at the train yard, I was gray-eyed-zombie-scrolling through tweets on my phone along with my fellow zombie-scrolling co-workers. Yeah, you don't have to tell me - it's a bit of a sad scene. But, the smiling face of Pat Randle rolled across my phone screen in the form of a tweet, and man, that cheered me up. It was so good to see that guy first thing in the morning, minutes before I was to conclude my work day.

I've been thinking of him a bunch recently. And thinking about reaching out to him, but for some reason, haven't managed to actually do it. So, look, I'll do it now. Perhaps before, or maybe after this screed posts.

Anyway, the tweet was posted by Angie Butler during the socially distanced 2020 Print and Book Festival hosted by Centre for Fine Print Research. Thanks Angie for putting the word out! Here's a link to it. You can see what Pat has been working on recently. He discusses the production of "2020 Vision." As always, it's beautiful stuff. Considering the variety of wood engravings included within those pages, I'm in awe of the production that went into this book - it certainly would require extensive and meticulous make-ready. Fantastic work, Nomad crew.

After viewing the short video from Angie's link, I went on a Pat Stan fest, or a Stan Pat fest(?). Here's his website so you can go down that path, too. You won't be disappointed. Check out Pat's Monotype Border series - the prints are an excellent example of how classic hot metal composition is continuously re-imagined to create current innovative designs.

Aside from the website prowling and zombie scrolling, once I arrived at home, Angie's tweet inspired me to pick up and re-read the real life and very much not in the zombie world Double Dagger number 3 of which Pat and Nick Loaring are editors, printers and designers. Again, it was an inspiration to hold those oversized pages created from hot metal and hand craft. Printed with love and sacrifice. Check Double Dagger here.

This all reminds me to report that way back in February 2019, Mr Randle made a trip up to Portland for a visit after attending the Codex book fair. This was shortly after I started the 3rd shift train yard job, and shortly after it was necessary to hastily downsize our commercial print operation and move much of the equipment into storage. I was a bit shell shocked by the time Pat arrived - but I imagine that my state of mind was a good match for Mr. Randle's likely jet-lag, though he seemed to be in good form. Regardless, we still managed to have some good times. We took a drive out to the Columbia Gorge, viewed some spectacular Pacific Northwest Scenery and talked to some locals who were very intrigued by Pat's accent and charm. We then meandered to a small-town brew pub located in the shadow of the Bridge of the Gods where we sampled some pacific northwest style IPAs. Then it was back to Portland to drop off the car, go for tacos, tequila, and embark on a proper bar crawl while discussing type, print, future projects. When it was all said and done, we both made it back to our places in one piece, so the day was a success. Later that weekend, Pat was the featured presenter at a C.C. Stern Type Foundry "Type Jam" where local type casters and printers were happy to share shop talk and print work with the exotic world traveler.

We very much appreciated his visit to our part of the world - it was a good follow up to our visit to his Gloucestershire stomping grounds back in 2015. We look forward to crossing paths again.

Signed, Brian Scott Bagdonas, member of the Pat Randle Stan Club. Can I just say "Fan Club?" I don't get it.....

Musing: Toilet Flush Swirl

As 2020 continues its excruciatingly slow toilet flush swirl towards the clogged drain that is November and the United States Presidential Election, many of us are finding ways to catch our collective breaths and imagine a life again free from clogged toilets and their contents (apologies for that laborious and perhaps too pertinent metaphor, brother Eric). Oh well. Tedious or not, I'll continue with the toilet metaphor. (My brother is very generous and forgiving in that way) It takes a lot of effort now-a-days to keep your head out of this poop swirl. Baby steps, my friends. But you gotta take care of yourselves before you can fix all of the corroded pipes of 2020. Here's some suggestions on how to do it: Write a note to a pal. Write a thank you note to someone you may or may not know. Read printed words, give the phone and computer screens a rest more often. Put more music into your ears, reduce the amount of talking heads going to your brain. Go explore Bandcamp to find your new favorite music. Practice identifying birds that you see in your neighborhood. Catch up on writing. Perhaps catch up on writing blogs. These small things are helping me keep my head up, I hope that you can find similar activities which help you stay out of the swirl, at least to give yourself a bit of a break. I'm not suggesting that we keep our heads buried in the sand - not at all, now is the time to speak up, call out the poop swirls when you see them. Just don't fall in. Balance, buddies. Onward!

Foghorn Stringband - Mother's Prayers Were Not In Vain

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, Vocals and myself on string bass.

I don't recall playing this song much. But a memorable occasion was when we played the song (perhaps for the first time) in Golden Gate Park after a passerby requested a song "about momma" Kevin made it through a verse or so before the fella broke down into tears. It was a little awkward to be playing in the park while an audience of one was rolling around in the grass wailing, but I suppose that's one way music can move you. When we finished the song, he thanked us and moved on. It was a sobering moment for all involved.

Join the C.C. Stern Type Foundry on-line for a "Type Jam" with Jason Dewinetz at Greenboathouse Press

C.C. Stern Type Foundry's Summer Type Jam will be held via Zoom and hosted by Jason Dewinetz at Greenboathouse Press.

Monday, August 24, 2020
12:00 PM (Pacific Time)

Jason is up and running in his recently constructed shop space. I’m excited to have a peek at his new digs and hopefully see some of his recent work. I’m sure it’s going to be good. The guy is an amazing craftsman – his print work will make your jaw hit the floor. And I see on his website that he is wearing a “Skull Skates” printer’s apron. I didn’t know such a thing existed. Jason is that kind of fella. Please join us later today! Here's a link to the official invite and additional information. While you're there, please consider signing up to the C.C. Stern Type Foundry Mailing list to learn about current happenings and future events.

"Going Down to Georgie-O" Melvin Wine at Mt. Airy Fiddler's Convention, 1992.

Looks like Melvin's having some fun in this session. Nice sound quality, and nice camera angle to study Melvin's bowing. Posted by Bob White. If the above image does not play, click here to go directly to youtube. While you are there, check out more of Bob's channel - there's a lot of good stuff there. Thanks for posting, Bob!

Rediscovered video of Foghorn Stringband at the Cobblestone Pub in Dublin, back in 2006

I recently rediscovered DVDs containing Foghorn Stringband gigs in Ireland from back in 2006. 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. This clip was from a gig at the Cobblestone pub in Dublin, documented by Bill Whelan who was kind enough to send me a copy of the DVD way back when. Thanks, Bill! The Cobblestone was one of our favorite places to play - as I recall, we traveled from the states that day, and played the gig that evening. The tune in this clip is "Black Mountain Rag." Kevin was working on replacing a guitar string so the melody section started the tune. The Rhythm section jumps in mid way through the tune.

Linotype casting for Barbara Tetenbaum's "Old Friends in Nebraska; Mesostics on the introduction to My Antonia"

Photo from Vamp & Tramp, Booksellers

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to see Barbara Tetenbaum's completed artist book "Old Friends in Nebraska; Mesostics on the introduction to My Antonia" which included Linotype composition which I had set and cast at Stumptown Printers shortly before we moved out of the Interstate Avenue shop space. Barb and I had proofed several faces before settling on 10 point 496 Caledonia.

From the perspective of Linotype composition, the mesostic form requires an unconventional alignment — the text is arranged so that a vertical phrase intersects lines of horizontal text. I first attempted to hand-insert thin spaces while keeping a close eye on the assembler slide em scale to achieve the alignment. It didn't work. It was labor intensive and provided less than ideal results. I settled on a more time intensive though much more reliable method, which was to employ the machine's quadder and the Hammond glider saw. Each line was cast twice with left and then right alignment, and trimmed to form the single “mesostic” aligned line. This allowed for more controlled letter spacing, in which a half point at a time could be cut with the saw.

The finished piece is beautiful and meticulously printed. I’m happy that the Linotype composition made the cut! Below are photos of the casting and proofing process.

Poetry Fire

Poetry Fire! This poster hangs on the backside of our garage in the window facing out towards our backyard. Printed in an edition of 8 or so, set in Kabel wood type and hand inked, it was designed to catch the attention of one person for whom the event was for. That is, my partner Rebecca. We were looking for an excuse to reacquaint ourselves with the poetry chapbooks sitting on our shelves in the house. So, during our first-stage* covid-lock-down-backyard-hang-outs (the two of us) we'd read poetry aloud around the backyard fire pit. We made a cocktail for the event as well. Recipe below.

Poetry Fire Cocktail

2 oz bourbon

1 oz lemon juice

¾ oz maple syrup

2 pinches fresh grated ginger

*During the first-stage of the pandemic, when very little was known about the Coronavirus - it was rumored that people could be stricken instantly with the bug, and drop dead to the sidewalk with no warning (remember that? yes, during the early months of 2020 this tale had traction). At this time the idea of transmission through aerosols was down-played, and the focus was on transmission through touch. At work we wore gloves, but didn’t wear masks. Impenetrable objects could host the virus for 72 hours or more, so you better not touch anything. That was the thought. Anyway, it was during this time that a lot of the world shut down. It was quiet. People were scared. The lock-down was on. Most people didn’t report to their workplaces in person. I was one of the folks who worked in-person with my colleagues as essential workers at the light rail train-yard. My brother was also one of the “essentials” showing up every night at the waste water treatment plant. People who turned wrenches, people who drove trucks, people who worked in the business of making food, moving food, delivering food, selling food, people who monitored systems of civilization did not slow their pace. At the time, many people who didn't work those types of jobs and who were sent home to hunker down recognized the importance of these “essential” jobs. Where would we be if we couldn’t go to the local market to pick up supplies? What would happen if while the rest of the city were shut down, my water, sewage and electricity was turned off because there weren’t workers monitoring those systems? Yeah, the essential workers were recognized. It was a sentiment that was very short lived. Anyway, I'll steer away from the bitter tone here. Perhaps another time will be appropriate to expound on those thoughts. Regardless, it was an interesting time, and Poetry Fire was born out of the surreal lock-down days.

C.C. Stern Type Foundry During Quarantine

Rebecca and I checked in on the Foundry last weekend, and fired up some machines while we were there. Rebecca continued casting type for "The Point" which exercised the monotype composition caster with Welliver interface, and I warmed up the model 31 and cast a galley of linotype slugs for an exercise normally meant for public open hours (see previous post). It was nice to be in the space after being away from it for over a month. We're looking forward to resuming regular programming when it is safe to do so. For the most current C.C. Stern Foundry news, here's a link to a recent newsletter.