Believe it or not, there’s a patron saint of printing presses. She’s Irish, her name is Saint Brigit, and her feast day runs from February 1st to February 2nd. What’s this got to do with Harebrained? Well, I found out about Saint Brigit’s feast after running the last page of my book (page 136) through the press on that very evening: February the 2nd. I’m taking this as an auspicious sign!
Yes, friends, after three years dedicated solely to printing, this stage of my book’s production is complete. Now, it’s all about bookbinding: techniques, materials and tools. I’ve been reading up on it, watching Youtube videos—even dreaming about it. As soon as I’ve attended some workshops and built up my skills, I’ll get started, turning my press sheets into pages, and my pages into actual books.
Also, I’ve decided to take on another project. Meet Ethane, my new, 130-year-old platen printing press, manufactured in Boston Massachusetts. Unfortunately, Ethane came to me through sad circumstances. In November of last year, the equipment from the Melbourne Museum of Printing was auctioned off, following its shutdown. It’s the end of an era, since this museum was the largest private collection of printing equipment in Australia, and the place I began my letterpress journey. The good news is that Ethane (and much of the equipment from MMoP) will be restored and used.
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