As with most proof presses, for quick printing jobs where absolute alignment is not essential the type on the bed of our Challenge MA-15 press is usually locked up lengthwise using the quick lockup bar supplied with the press. This…
Category: Letterpress
A Pump Stroke Counter for the Monotype Caster
I recently installed a pump stroke counter on my Monotype Composition caster, which will prove very useful when casting spacing and fonts of display type (fonts of composition type can be produced using the paper ribbon or computer interface). The…
Monotype Computer Control: Diagnosing Air Flow Problems 2
After about a year and a half of ignoring the project, I’m starting again to work on my computer-driven interface for the Monotype Composition Caster. When I left off I was diagnosing problems with the ports having inconsistent air flow…
Yes! Another Press!
We recently acquired a Vandercook 320 in somewhat rough shape. I plan on fixing it up and we will probably sell it because it is bigger than what we need (we think). Alternatively we might sell our Challenge MA-15 instead.
A Chase for our Sigwalt Press
We received our Sigwalt Chicago No. 11 press with no chase so it has been sitting collecting dust for a while. I recently cobbled together a chase from a scrap of the ¾″-thick high-density polyethylene (HDPE) sheet we use to…
the Papertrail on local TV
CKCO-TV (aka CTV Southwestern Ontario) recently did an item on the Papertrail for their Made Right Here series which features area businesses that have interesting products or services. The 3-minute item was broadcast April 28th 2018, but is also available…
Monotype Computer Control: Diagnosing Air Flow Problems
One observation I have made while testing out my Monotype composition caster computer interface is that not all its ports deliver the same amount of air flow. On some, the air pin in the caster lifts and drops crisply in…
Monotype Computer Control: A Long Overdue Update
My last post about this project was over a year ago, wherein I mentioned that I had purchased the aluminum stock to make the main parts of the valve unit. A lot has happened since then, to the point where…
A Little Printing Job
Last October I was printing some “Save the Date” cards for a customer, and decided to take a video of the work. It only too me 8 months to edit the clips into a single video, but, after much delay,…
Now I know…
…why the Monotype manuals say not to raise or lower the pot unless it is molten. They never explained why this could cause any problems, and the pump piston linkage is jointed enough to follow the pot up and down…
Top