Baren Digest Saturday, 10 August 2002 Volume 20 : Number 1922 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jean Womack" Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2002 09:12:13 -0700 Subject: [Baren 18879] Re: Vandercook Presses Frank, A Vandercook press is a great experience to operate. It's really a lot of fun to run and actually mildly addicting. I ran a Vandercook in college. I printed a book of my mother's poetry. People worked long hours to produce their little letterpress books--the time involved is extraordinary. Yes, you can print woodcuts on it if they are type high. Lino cuts do best. It would be best if you could run it before you accept it unless you are a great repairman. The owner probably doesn't have anyone to work on it with him or the time to do it, or else he would not be giving it away. The hazards are handling the lead and working with solvents. You don't want to get lead poisoning. I don't know how much it takes to get lead poisoning, but I do know that lead poisoning was at one time an occupational hazard in the typesetting industry. There's a whole discussion group devoted to letterpress stuff. It is a huge field. You can still make a living with an old letterpress. I have heard or read that they have converted those letter presses to work with die cuts--that's the main commercial use for them now. We were about to accept an old letterpress from the university that had fallen off a truck and broken a little piece off it, but it was raining so hard that we didn't go get it when we were supposed to and then the teacher said she was going to keep the rollers because they were worth about $300 apiece. A letterpress without rollers is not much good. You can take a course in letterpress at some universities and then decide whether you just can't live without it. If you think about lead poisoning, then you can say thank you God for sending us offset presses and computers. Also there are new plate making machines that make plastic printing plates--I think it is the solar printmaking technology, so you don't have to deal with lead type if you have one of those things. I have a case of lead type and a tiny press that I intend to use when I retire, if I ever retire. I am planning to work as long as I can. Jean > From: Frank Trueba > Date: Thu, 08 Aug 2002 16:01:01 -0700 > Subject: [Baren 18877] Vandercook press question > > Hi all, > > I seem to have a chance to grab a free Vandercook 13-28 > press. The person who owns says he only used it once, a > number of years ago but seems to feel it is in working order. > He says this thing weighs about 700 pounds so before I > make arrangements to haul it around, I was wondering if > anyone knows anything about this type of press? > > Any advice on what I should be wary about? > Does this type of press work well for block printing? > > Any help I can get would be greatly appreciated. > Thanks in advance, > > frank > > P.S. I've asked a couple of Bareners individually, but > I thought I'd open it up for any additional help. ------------------------------ From: Frank Trueba Date: Fri, 09 Aug 2002 09:17:55 -0700 Subject: [Baren 18880] Re: Lead Type Jean, Thanks for the info. And the warnings about lead type. Hope all is well. frank ------------------------------ From: Mike Lyon Date: Fri, 09 Aug 2002 11:27:49 -0500 Subject: [Baren 18881] Re: Baren Digest V20 #1921 Just my two cents on lead type -- lead is poisonous when eaten or inhaled (like in the type industry -- all that fuming molten lead, old lead bearing fuels, and old lead-based paint eaten by kids for some reason), but I don't believe it is at all hazardous when handled unless you drop a box of type on your bare foot, of course -- you can play with lead type all day every day without risk -- well, that's my understanding anyway... Mike At 09:17 AM 8/9/2002 -0700, you wrote: >Jean, >Thanks for the info. >And the warnings about lead type. > >Hope all is well. >frank Mike Lyon mailto:mikelyon@mlyon.com http://www.mlyon.com ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2002 11:45:32 -0500 Subject: [Baren 18882] Re: Last call for entries.... 08/09/2002 11:48:21 AM Is about that time again to get the next Baren newsletter off to press...as they say...please get any articles or photos you want published off-list to my email address. Wanted & For Sale ads are always welcome. Please try to get entries in by 8/15. This is you chance to get published and/or have some input into what you want to see in YOUR newsletter. Otherwise you are stuck with what the editor likes....and that's me! thanks again for all your contributions....Julio Rodriguez (Skokie, Illinois) ------------------------------ From: "Philip Smith" Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2002 10:43:53 -0700 Subject: [Baren 18883] Re: Baren Digest V20 #1921 Mike I believe you're right. Way back at the early dawn of time when I was in high school, I took print shop for three years. That's three hours a day. And I ran a linotype, hot-lead. I was covered in lead when I left class. 'Still alive and kicking and I handled lead slugs every day too. 'Luck Philip Hammond, OR USA ------------------------------ From: FurryPressII@aol.com Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2002 17:59:25 EDT Subject: [Baren 18884] Re: Baren Digest V20 #1921 i don't think the lead is a problem on new type but the old lead type does oxidixe and that might be a problem. a vander cook with out the inking rollers can still be used to print wood blocks but you have to hand ink them . have printed many blocks on a vandercook but hand inked them. i have a non inking vandercook ------------------------------ From: Legreenart@cs.com Date: Sat, 10 Aug 2002 02:23:52 EDT Subject: [Baren 18885] Re: Baren Digest V20 #1921 My studio partner is selling a few litho stones on Ebay. So far she has just one listed, the others should be up soon. The one listed is a good size for a quarter sheet. The bid strted at just $25, no reserve. http://cgi.compuserve.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1757100217 Le Green ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V20 #1922 *****************************