Some machine gilding

My relationship with the darling gilding machine continues. During the past two months I have come to like this so much that I seem to prefer it over hand gilding. I tend to get sporadically interested in everything - this month it's the gilding machine and all possible brands of slightly kitschy gold foil, the next month something else. Hopefully fine binding and leather tooling. The good thing in this steady rotation is that when I'm interested in something I'm getting so intense about it that I usually learn a lot. When I have learnt a thing or two I move on, but only to come back some point later in time to learn more and to practise. This is also one of the reasons why I have never been able to accommodate myself in standard routines of work and school.



As I mentioned in my last post I have been busy binding newspapers and magazines. Here's a picture of some of them finished - the books are quite large and thick and I have covered them with black bookcloth. The set pictured features titles gilt with foil on separate pieces of Miradur (a type of durable PVC coated paper, easy to gild).

Alive and well, living only in theory!

Lately I have been very busy with work and other things. Because I haven't had much time to write anything, here's a picture of me drilling magazines. Oh yes!

Hand tooling with gold

I have spent an interesting summer week with Gianfranco Mombelli, who came from Switzerland to teach us hand tooling and gilding. I have never really done gilding with gold leaf so I learnt lots - even if I wasn't always around. My dear white enamel stove from the 60's ended his earthly life in the middle of the week with a loud crack and some smoke and soot, so I had to take one day off looking for a new one. To be honest I learnt so much on Monday that I just spent the rest of the week digesting all the information and pondering about different ideas and approaches. I did find a new stove too.


During the week I also bought a couple of pallets and punches which are pictured above. I don't own a great many tools so I'm always happy when I have the chance to buy some. Hand tooling with pallets and leaf gold was my favourite part of the week because it was easy enough for me to handle and I've always liked polishing my skills detail by detail. I have previously tooled with foil and found tooling with gold leaf much more delightful and rewarding. I created my first title with brass type and typeholder, tooled a bit of this and that, and practised some basic edge gilding with Franco.


This is my very first gilt edge, which was done with paste, Aurofix and gold leaf. It was surprisingly difficult to take a decent picture.. then again, now no-one can see how crappy the edge really is. Some parts of the edge dried so fast that the gold flaked off, some parts were just fine, and some parts still showed marks from the scraper. Ha! Always do your best with the prepping. I'm happy with it anyway, because I finally understand the process and am ready to practice on my own. Always do your best with the prepping, and always make sure your scraper has been sharpened the right way.

Typesetting

Last month our group had the chance to spend a typesetting weekend at the local industrial museum. We made some business cards and bookbinder's labels while learning a bit about typography and printmaking. Their workshop had an impressive selection of printing blocks, matrices and machines and most of them were at our disposal. Very exciting! To me the best part of the whole weekend was to see the Intertype linecasting machine in action.



The first linecasting machine, called Linotype, was built in 1884 and was relatively soon followed by the Intertype in 1914. The Intertype machine features a pretty 90-key keyboard and a magazine from which the matrices (molds of the letter forms) are being distributed as the operator is typing something. The complete line ie. a typed set of matrices is sent from an assembler rail to the casting section where the machine casts the set of matrices into a single block ("type slug") by using an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony. While the line is being cast and moved about, the operator can already start typing the next line. After casting the matrices are automatically elevated back to the type magazine. Because the machine has approximately 10 000 moving parts the whole process makes a heavenly sound.



I used parts of the type slugs in my imaginative business card, along with a couple of single types and spacers for the name. When combing through the type drawers I also managed to find this insane printing block depicting a truck speeding out from a massive car tyre. The block was neatly wrapped in some ancient yellowed paper and the museum staff let me open the package with an X-Acto knife. This all made me unreasonably happy. Maybe I will start a tyre business in the future then.


The random trivia of the day is also related to these machines: see ETAOIN SHRDLU.
See also Linotype: The Film!