A Day in LA

Yielded this somehow. . . reedicklewockleness. You heard me right. There's a certain wrongitude about this notice. . . unfortunately the shop was closed when a friend and I happened by at dusk. I'd have tried the sushi anyhow, lack of shrimp notwithstanding.

Phierce Phidian

Ordinarily a loving, soft marshmallow, the appearance of his natural enemy, the dread Toypennatus, can make this furry gentleman a Phierce Phoe. . . Mr. Phidian L. Golding, in all his Pherocity!

Chasing a Dream, err a. . . Chase

Ever since acquiring my 1886 Golding Official (a tabletop 8 x 12!), I've wanted a second chase. They seem even more rare than Pearl chases by the same maker. So I asked Robert to saw me a chase-size piece of plywood.

A chase needs shaping before it can seat in the bed of a press: there are lugs which hold it in place which require corresponding notches in the chase. There is also a spring-loaded clamp to hold the chase securely. The chase edge must be the correct shape for the clamp.

We accomplished shaping a few days ago. I began by trying to match the original chase's lug bevel on all four corners, with rounded-over edge in the center. But the crude tools we were using (belt sander & rasp) weren't up to detail. We ended up with one whole edge beveled and the other one rounded. That's all it really needs-- roundness to match the chase clamp, and a bevel to fit snugly into the lugs. Below is the result:

Right side bevelled to correspond with the lug bevel; left side rounded for clamp.

Bevel matches lug bevel, but it's not an exact science.

Chase fits exactly, with no side play. Rounded top fits clamp. Success!

Next month I will have a chance to put this chase to the test! Needless to say, it will not carry work which I have to lock up too tightly. I'm thinking it will be the perfect thing to hold cuts or second-color infills for jobs locked up in the original chase. Done- is beautiful!

Font ID, part two: Radient No. 1

I followed a friend's tried-and-true recipe for cleaning my new/old font (see previous post). Mr. Clean, believe it or not! I soaked the type for a few minutes, then slowly wiped down each separate piece on all sides. The face was last, swiped against a soft, Mr. Clean-dampened rag on the workbench.

Once each piece was dried, I then wiped them down all over again. Yes, each piece. This time I used paint thinner (mineral spirits). Its oily residue will protect the type from possible corrosion. It's an uncommon survivor, at 134 years old, and I hope it stays around for another 134. Or so.

See how clean it looks now! DO click to biggify-- and see the entire font, now beautifully clean.

Another Font ID

Several years ago I bought out a hobby shop which was long disused. It had not been well-kept, and it has taken me this long to begin taking a closer look at what was in the cases.

One case was labeled "Antique Egyptian Shaded," but I looked more closely at it while cleaning up today. Oh my-- it is an old face, and the pinmark tells me it's from Johnson typefoundry in Philadelphia. I'm posting the photo so my listward friends can see it, and determine if the name on the case was correct. I don't have a Johnson specimen book to check it against.

Stay tuned. Under all that dirt, the font is in pretty good shape.

CLICK TO BIGGIFY (and hopefully see the entire font!)


And the rest of THIS story, courtesy of Letpress and Steve Saxe:

Your type is Radiant No. 1, designed by Herman Ihlenburg, patented 18 July 1876 for MacKellar Smiths & Jordan. (I'm happy to say that it's in my new book, Loy's  "Nineteenth-Century American Designers and Engravers of Type".) [ SHAMELESS PLUG: $59.95, Oak Knoll Press, with 800 high-resolution scans of typefaces pictorial borders.]   It's very similar to Condensed Ray Shaded, the Bruce foundry's competing face. . It's not an Antique or Egyptian - no slab serifs, they are bracketed.

After the death of Lawrence Johnson, the new owners, who had been his former employees, continued to call the new company ( MacKellar, Smiths & Jordan) "The Johnson Foundry" out of affection for their former employer. This type was designed well after the new owners were in place, from 1868 on.

Back to Letterpress

Actually!

Since my return from the Wayzegoose, I have been shoveling out the Den of Iniquity to make room for my new type purchases. In the process, I've been finding some interesting or odd things that I set aside to find out about later.

I took my copy of Rob Roy Kelly's Wood Type book (recently available from Liber Apertus Press) to try to identify some of my previously acquired wood type. Not that there's a lot-- but I like be able to call it by name, affectionately, as I use it.

One of the fonts I bought on eBay (before prices skyrocketed) turned out to be "French Antique" (page 255, Kelly), without its lower case or numerals. It's almost exactly the same size as pictured in Kelly. There is a very odd sort associated with the font, however. It doesn't fit with any of the characters in Kelly's showing, yet its size and style clearly associate it with the font I have.

Kelly says this font was "First listed by William Page in the Typographic Messenger during 1869." My font has no maker's mark, but it is exactly the design shown in Kelly.

But what is the odd sort below?

 

The Rest of the Story: I love my APA and Letpress lists! Less than 10 minutes after I first posted on the lists about this odd sort, I had an answer! Thanks to Greg Walters (APA) and Alan Brignull (Letpress), each of whom identified this as an "fl" ligature. Since I have no other lowercase sorts, it was difficult for me to imagine. Kelly doesn't show the ligatures with the lowercasee.

Broken Spring- a Detour

My Baltimorean No. 2 (4 x 6) (we're back to printing presses here) has a broken spring. So this is a "commercial" break in the Sespe Wilderness tale, while I post photos and ask for help in getting a new, specialty spring made so I can restore this press.

First the actual photos. The gripper bar works because the spring sits on it and has a long, straight extension resting on the press frame. The spring is broken at one of its coils, so there is now no resistance. This makes the gripper flop uselessly forward when the press is closing, and when the rollers come back down they ink right over the gripper. Not so good.

Photo #1: you can see the broken part of the spring. It used to continue around to the bottom of the bar, where its end was poked into a small hole in the bar, which you can't see from the top.

Photo #2 A view from the outside, showing the long extension which feeds through a hole in the frame casting, under the platen.

And finally, my schematic of the way it works. The broken piece of the spring is the last round (bottom most); the X shows where, underneath the gripper bar, the end of the spring fits into a hole.

If you can PLEASE suggest where to start-- I need to order this spring remanufactured. Would I contact a blacksmith? a machinist? Thanks for any input! Also-- to keep this available on Letpress, please duplicate your comments to the list, if you will be so kind.

Who can resist wildflowers and ruins?

Not many words to add. Wildflowers & ladybugs, then a tumbledown rock chimney between the creek and our camp.

These were really lovely, if no quite in full bloom. Silvery foliage with lavender bursts of flowers. Each flower cluster had a ladybug or two. I guess ladybugs like nice homes too.

These bright yellow wonders seemed to grow everywhere. The bushes are about 2 feet high and loaded with blooms.

And I could simply not resist a scenic ruin. This chimney was build not far from its source, the creek. Stones are tumbled smooth by annual floods.

Click! Biggify!

Further amenities, more flowers

Our first day in camp was a kickback kind of day. A leisurely breakfast, some good coffee mocha, and a slow pace were welcome after the ride the day before. All six of the ladies decided to hike up to the hot springs, which is only about a mile away. Why bother? In one phrase: hot tub!

Off we went, up a trail that's steep in places, but had amazing views of the creek & valley below. I took no photos of our hot tub experience, but I'm sure you'll understand that for some things, a discretely drawn curtain is really the best choice. We loved the hot tub! All too soon it was time to return to camp for lunch.

On the way back I was able to take a few more wildflower shots; I will probably edit this post when I figure out the flower names. The wildflower book is full of possiblities, but I can't see some details in my shots.

 I had to lean over the bank and focus in as close as I could to take this one:

I don't know what it's called-- but I liked its pink-to-white transformation. And yes, the bank below is really that steep.
 Don't forget to click and BIGGIFY!

Amenities

Exploring our campsite the next morning, I was quite taken with the CCC camp we were next to. They were camping there while doing trail work so we hardly saw any of them. They got back to camp in the evening and were usually asleep by the time we finished dinner. What caught my eye was their hot water heater. That's a 40 (?) gallon garbage pail over the fire, and a chimney with spark arrester on top!

Up the trail in the background are the scenic restrooms. They offer a lovely view: 360 degrees! They are shielded by the trees, but little else. In actuality, of course, they are nothing more than a seat over a pit. Hey. This is real camping, after all. We're in the back country. Scenery is everything.

Even better, though: we had running water! Not in the privies, but where it counts: the kitchen and the horse trough. There's a natural, 365 day spring. The water is delicious.

Speaking of delicious, so was our food. Thanks to Shannon's inventiveness we ate well indeed. First night she kept it simple, and we had spaghetti. With venison. Delicious with salad and some garlic bread. It was so windy that she used a Coleman stove inside the tiny bunkhouse. There are four bunks, but most of us slept outside for the night.

The first night was restless. The wind was strong, making the tents flap alarmingly. The horses don't like wind, so they were moving around the pasture a lot: hoofbeats all night. False dawn really looked like dawn, so I slept fitfully from then on, grateful for a nice warm sleeping bag. I wasn't getting out unless I had to.

By daylight we could see the lupine in camp: all blue, but some were pinker than others. On my computer screen I can tell the difference, but  I am noticing that colors once posted  to the blog are less than stunning. So click to biggify, as always, and enjoy! Hint: first pic is the pinker variety.

Evening pasture

A few more Sespe Creek crossings and quite a few meadows later, here we were. Willit Hot Springs is about a mile from camp, but camp benefits by a natural spring of its own. Water pressure is so good that the tap for the watering trough must be left on a little so it won't blow its hose connection. The pasture for the horses is about 5 acres.

Low hills between us and the Topa Topa range show in the foreground. We scanned them for signs of larger wildlife, but didn't see so much as a deer. This view is looking southeast toward Santa Paula. Our tents are just off camera to the left.

What a lovely restful scene at the end of a long day.

Scarlet Bugler? Bridges' Penstemon?

Those are the possible names for this enchanting red flagged wildflower which was growing everywhere we looked. It seems without closer inspection one can't tell the difference. The first is common in dry places, California coastal to Baja. The second shares the range. Eaton's Firecracker is another, but usually occurs further south, toward San Bernadino. In this picture you can also see some round purple flower clusters which I'll also try to identify. The (for want of real knowledge) Scarlet Bugler seemed always to occur in tandom with the large burned-out bushes left over from the devastating Day Fire a few years ago.

I actually saw the beginning of the Day Fire from the air. I was flying back from my friends' the Gists on Memorial Day (from which it gets its name). Two remarkable sights from that flight are still visible in my mind's eye. The first was a huge collection of thunder clouds over Las Vegas, with magnificent lightening bolts, all the more beautiful because it was night. The second, as we flew over the wilderness, was too large to be a campfire, illuminating a mountainside with furious flames. I remember worrying about it, especially since it had all night to spread before the borate bombers could hit it. The following day we began hearing reports of the Day Fire.

Most of the area through which we rode had been burned over by the Day Fire. You could see areas of trees that had black branches and new growth; and areas of trees that were more robustly green. It's all recovering, but the house at Willet Hot Springs is no more. A few ramshackle outbuildings survive, and are used infrequently by backpackers and the Forest Service. Chris Smith, whose "Big Wakoo" organization runs these horseback adventures, has used Willet Hot Springs as a camp for many years, and remembers visiting the former ranchers as a teenager. So now this blog will ride on, crossing Sespe Creek a few more times, and settle in for the windy night at Willet Hot Springs.

Topa Topa Range

What a pleasure it was to ride along, cross, or look down on, Sespe Creek. From this angle you can't see the water, but it was rushing right along, and at least waist deep in places. Clouds made the sky look like a postcard. In the distance, just above the cloud shadow, you can see the cliffs behind the Topa Topa Range north of Santa Paula. The clouds were traveling much faster than we were. There was quite a gusty wind blowing along the creek bed.

Lupine & Lunch

I simply could not take my eyes off this gorgeous display while we were eating. Afterwards, I walked over and got my camera-fill of the lovliness. Why ruin it with mere words! (but DO biggify it, because the sight was utterly wondrous)

As you see, the trail goes on, through the lupine, between the trees, and further into the wilderness. Another river crossing was just beyond this scene.

Dudes

When we stopped for lunch we lined up for a photo op. I think we were all giddy with the views, the enjoyment of riding, and the trip in general. Because I had "costumed" my helmet (bicycle, not riding!) with a sunshade, the ladies decided it looked like Saturn with its rings! But it did the job: protect my head from any possible falls, and my face from sunburn. Worked for me.

Our lunch stop was so lovely we were a wee bit reluctant to ride on. We spent a bit of time there, lined up on the log, eating Shannon's delicious wraps (jalapeno tortillas filled with yummies). I was entranced by some lupine blooming nearby, but it was so lovely I will accord it its own post.

This stop: about 1.5 hours in, which is approximately halfway to Willet Hot Spring.

Imagine some happy dogs here!

No, really.  There were three, count'em, three, very cheerful dogs along for the trip: Maya, Bear, and Cheyenne (large black, medium black, and brown/white). Running ahead, around, and everywhere, they were romping in this field of fiddlenecks and blue dicks-- but wouldn't stay put! So my shot of three happy dogs is minus the dogs. They had made it out of range by the time I took the photo. I think the dogs put in at least twice the milage the horses did, loving every minute of it, as I did.

As always, click to biggify. Especially here. The flowers were amazing.

Behind a pack mule

This was my view for much of the ride in. Chris, the wrangler/leader on his horse Ghost. The pack animal behind the large white pack is Kelly Lopez, the mule, who's half Arab and has an attitude!
But what scenery. What clouds! My neck was on a swivel. I quickly found out that my camera skills while one-handed are not the greatest. Many of my "on the hoof" shots are blurry, despite admirable image stabilization on my camera.

Still. The sky really was that color. The clouds puffy and white. The hills green, and the air smelled so wonderful with sage and chaparrel. . .

Why No Printing Got Done by May 1

A couple of reasons: one, printing my cousin's wedding invitations (yay! completion!).

But preparing for, and then going, on a vacation took up the rest of April. I spent time on a four (yes four) day trail ride. Horses! Sespe Wilderness! Hot springs! Wildflowers! What's not to like! Hence, a series of short entries about the pictures.

Number One: the trailhead. Called Piedras Blancas (white rocks), it's east of Ojai, California. The trail follows the Sespe Creek on a forest service road. Lots of river crossings were in store for us, and fields of yellow, purple, and red wildflowers. Sunny, but breezy weather, which by Thursday had changed to huge gusts of wind by mid-afternoon. I felt as giddy as the breezes. I've always loved horses and camping, and this bid fair to be my adventure of a lifetime. Stay tuned.

Please. . . click to biggify. The views were spectacular.

The Boys Are Ready to Go Home

Yesterday, May 3rd, I picked the "boys" up after my 4-day trail ride adventure, about which more later. This was a new kennel for me- where they could share a run, something the Humane Society kennel did not allow.

I am sure they heard my car pull up next to the window where the boarding area is. Both Cicero and Phidian were staring at me from their window. It's a four-level run so they had plenty of room for play.

My next essay will have to be "what I did on my spring vacation," and why I have almost no printing done!

The boys were all over velcro last night. Life is sweet with two furrypurries.

Wow. A lot happened between the time of Miss Flora's passing and Saturday, April 24, 2010. Christmas. Several trips North to see grandbabies and work in the Museum Print Shop. And. . . Mr. Cicero insisting that he didn't like being an only cat. It was clear. He acted out, deliberately unrolling the TP next to me when I used the bathroom. He got all meowy, as if asking pleeeeze for a playmate. So in January I began looking for a companion for Cicero.

And in mid-January I noticed a young adult Siamese mix who had just arrived at the shelter. He was fairly large for a 10-month old, but his blue eyes and sweet temperment convinced me to try him. After a week of "footsie under the door" I introduced the two on neutral ground: the bathroom. They sat up and shadow-boxed, taking one another's measure. They sniffed each other all over, then did the room treatment, sniffing all the corners. The next day, they did the same thing. By the third introduction day they began playing in earnest. Days Four and Five saw tufts of gold and silver fur flying as the boys roughhoused and chased each other.

By Day Four, Phidian, the new kid, was sleeping curled up with Cicero on my lap, as content as if he'd always belonged. Same thing at bedtime. Instead of "this side for Flora, this side for Cicero," as before, it was "this is OUR side of the bed, but we'll curl up very close to Mom."

The Boys remain good buddies. In the evening it's slurp city as they give mutual baths and settle down to nap. They play, chase, and sleep together. I'm very happy with my two shelter boys.

As to names. Cicero is an old unit of printers' measurement, and also a 19th century font name. Phidian is also a 19th century font name. I have revival fonts of each design. One of these days I'll try to post examples here. And now, an image of Mr. Phidian L. Golding: