I recently returned from a week-long workshop on Japanese papermaking at a shop in Japan. The workshop ran from March 15th-21st, and was held at Oguni Washi, located in Oguni, about 20 minutes’ drive south of Nagaoka, in the Niigata… Read more ›
I recently returned from a week-long workshop on Japanese papermaking at a shop in Japan. The workshop ran from March 15th-21st, and was held at Oguni Washi, located in Oguni, about 20 minutes’ drive south of Nagaoka, in the Niigata prefecture of Japan. The workshop was organized and facilitated by Paul Denhoed, who in the distant past was also involved in the origins of the Papertrail, and hosted by Hiroaki and Chihiro Imai who run the paper mill. Paul is originally from Toronto but has been living in Japan for 25 years. The Imais only know a few words of English, so Paul, who speaks fluent Japanese, provided services as an interpreter. Paul did most of the teaching, with Hiroaki, whom we called Imai-san (more or less “Mr. Imai” but gender-neutral) doing most of the demonstrations and material preparations. Chihiro (also “Imai-san” when Hiroaki was not around) filled in the gaps when Horiaki was out on an errand or busy with other work. There were four participants from diverse backgrounds: myself, Alex Bonton from Montreal but originally from France, Michele (an Italian name, so pronounced mee-kay-lay) from Singapore but originally from northern Italy, and Clara from Florida but originally from Argentina. Alex has recently hosted a su-making workshop at Bishop’s University which I attended. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4487" class="wp-image-4487 size-large" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61726744-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="340" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61726744-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61726744-300x169.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61726744-768x432.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61726744-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61726744-100x56.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61726744-150x84.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61726744-200x113.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61726744-450x253.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61726744-600x338.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61726744-900x506.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61726744.jpg 1706w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> L-R: Clara, Michele, Paul, Alex, myself, and Imai-san in front of the studio The Imais got into paper-making over 25 years ago, sort of inheriting the craft from Chihiro’s parents. They have been running the paper mill as a commercial enterprise for many of those years. Some of the paper they make finds its way onto labels for bottles of sake (rice wine) produced in the area, and their paper was also used as wallpaper (and ceiling covering and upholstery) throughout the Nagaoka civic centre. They produce paper from kozo that they grow, when possible cooked using alkali from wood ash from their own cooking stoves, with other materials like kaki-shibu, konnyaku, and tororo-aoi roots being supplied from elsewhere. Some of the paper they produce qualifies as Oguni-gami (a controlled name referring to paper made using particular traditional materials and methods), but in the interests of commercial viability they will also use other methods, such as cooking with soda ash or beating using a naginata beater instead of by hand, producing paper which cannot be sold as “Oguni-gami”. The workshop covered papermaking starting from the kozo bark all the way to finished paper, plus some additional topics such as traditional Japanese stab bindings, decorative sheet-forming, and paper treatments with konnyaku and kaki-shibu. In this spring workshop we also covered snow bleaching; there is also sometimes a fall workshop where the participants instead get a try at harvesting and stripping the kozo stems. This post is the start of a series covering our journey through the papermaking process.
Monotype Computer Interface—Creeping Obsolescence
It appears that my progress on my Monotype computer interface is so slow that parts obsolescence is catching up with me. A few months ago I was looking into future supply of parts for the interface and found that the… Read more ›
It appears that my progress on my Monotype computer interface is so slow that parts obsolescence is catching up with me. A few months ago I was looking into future supply of parts for the interface and found that the UDN2987 IC’s I was using had been discontinued by the manufacturer and were no longer available. These convert the individual air line signals from the low-power digital outputs of the microcontroller to high-current sources that can activate the solenoid pneumatic valves. There was nothing else with similar functionality (8 logic inputs driving 8 high-current loads) available either. All the new high-current drivers either use a custom single-bit interface to control them or use I²C (a standard for communications between digital components). This would ultimately simplify the circuit because these can all be chained and so use only one digital output on the microcontroller , whereas the current circuit needs 31 digital outputs, one for each air signal. But is still requires changing the circuit and PCB layout. Just this week, I received a notification that the NXP LPC1343 microcontroller chip I’m using was also becoming obsolete, and only available up until about a year from now. It is also implied that the entire family of microcontrollers was discontinued. I might switch to one of the ATMega microcontrollers used in Arduino products. That should at least ensure me reasonable support into the future. So it looks like I’m in for a major circuit redesign, but it should ultimately simplify the circuit and require a lower-line microcontroller. All that will be needed is one or two digital outputs (or I²C lines) and one analog (A/D) input to read the caster cycle sensor, a far cry from the 32 signals in the current design. On the other hand, this will allow the PCB to shrink a bit, providing an easier fit (it looks like the current version will require removing the ribbon take-up spool). The new controller version would also move the cycle sensor and re-arrange some of the other parts. And of course the firmware for the microcontroller will also change, but the basic logic should be the same. What would need to be adapted is timing code and USB handling. All this while I’m still making the bracket to attach the power supply to the controller I have, to finally make it into a single unit with no dangling wires!
The 48th Grimsby Wayzgoose book arts fair will be held on Saturday, April 25th, 2026, and the Grimsby Public Art Gallery in Grimsby, Ontario. This fair features dozens of artists and artisans selling their book-arts-related wares, including paper, marbling, fine… Read more ›
The 48th Grimsby Wayzgoose book arts fair will be held on Saturday, April 25th, 2026, and the Grimsby Public Art Gallery in Grimsby, Ontario. This fair features dozens of artists and artisans selling their book-arts-related wares, including paper, marbling, fine press books, and printed ephemera. the Papertrail will have a table there selling some of our handmade paper, marbled paper, and other supplies for the book arts. If there is something specific you want to purchase from us, contact us ahead of the fair and we can bring your order along with us, so you avoid shipping charges. This event takes place at the Grimsby Public Library building, 18 Carnegie Lane, Grimsby, Ontario, and runs from 9am to 5pm. Admission is free, and free parking is available at both the front and rear entrances of the library as well as any of several nearby municipal parking lots. If you want to use public transit, the library is less than a block away from the Grimsby GO station (note this is a bus-only service; the GO Train does not stop in Grimsby, though there is infrequent Via Rail service).
BOUND Book Arts Fair, December 7th, 2025
The annual BOUND Book Arts Fair will take place this year on Saturday, December 7th, 2025, at the Arts & Letters Club, 14 Elm Street, in Toronto (just west off Yonge, a block south of Gerrard). This fair will feature… Read more ›
The annual BOUND Book Arts Fair will take place this year on Saturday, December 7th, 2025, at the Arts & Letters Club, 14 Elm Street, in Toronto (just west off Yonge, a block south of Gerrard). This fair will feature limited edition handmade books, artist’s books, prints, broadsides, cards, ephemera, and more. We’ll have a table there (on the third floor) selling paper, both marbled and handmade, bookbinding tools and supplies, as well as a few letterpress things too! The fair is open from 11am-5pm and admission is free.
Equipment Acquisition, Repair, and Maintenance
When setting up the Mackenzie Printery‘s Whitlock press for this summer’s Marshville Heritage Festival, I noticed that the press bed has a line marked across it clearly labeled “H L”. I assume this stands for “Head Line”, which is the line… Read more ›
When setting up the Mackenzie Printery‘s Whitlock press for this summer’s Marshville Heritage Festival, I noticed that the press bed has a line marked across it clearly labeled “H L”. I assume this stands for “Head Line”, which is the line on the bed which aligns with the leading edge of the sheet of paper (or, perhaps, just clears the grippers). I had noticed that the actual forme of type on the bed, which was printing at the correct place on the paper, was well over this line and in fact almost hanging over the edge of the bed. I felt this might be an issue with the timing of the press. I took a copy of the poster that had just been printed, placed it on the inked forme still in the press (in the same orientation as the original impression), with the edge of the paper lined up with the “H L” mark, and rubbed the back of the paper to take a crude impression of the form. The two impressions were about 1⅛″ apart. This made me feel that the bed was off by a tooth in the gearing that drives it. I also took an impression of the bed drive gear using the oil/grease that was on it, and determined that the drive rack had a pitch of ¾″. Later, when the forme had been removed, I placed some lumps of Plasticine on the press bed to measure exactly how the edges of the impression area of the cylinder lined up with the bed. This required a bit of timing finesse and manual turning of the press to get good measurements rather than just smearing off the top of the Plasticine. This is how things looked at the leading edge; unfortunately, camera perspective distorts the apparent measurements off the measuring tape. The 7″ mark lines up with the “H L” line, and the impression in the Plasticine is about at the 5⅞″ mark, confirming my other measurement.<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4453" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Leading-edge-1024x1003.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="593" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Leading-edge-1024x1003.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Leading-edge-300x294.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Leading-edge-768x752.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Leading-edge-1536x1504.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Leading-edge-100x98.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Leading-edge-150x147.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Leading-edge-200x196.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Leading-edge-450x441.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Leading-edge-600x588.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Leading-edge-900x881.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Leading-edge.jpg 1876w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" />There is another fainter line on the bed ¾″ from the “H L” line, but this seems so faint, it might not be factory-original. I did the same sort of measurement at the trailing edge, and found that the trailing edge of the cylinder was ¾″ away from the raised edge of the bed (again, perspective distorts the apparent measurement):<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4454" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trailing-edge-788x1024.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="786" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trailing-edge-788x1024.jpg 788w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trailing-edge-231x300.jpg 231w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trailing-edge-768x998.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trailing-edge-1182x1536.jpg 1182w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trailing-edge-100x130.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trailing-edge-150x195.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trailing-edge-200x260.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trailing-edge-300x390.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trailing-edge-450x585.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trailing-edge-600x780.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trailing-edge-900x1170.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trailing-edge.jpg 1510w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" />Together, these observations imply to me that the bed should be shifted one tooth on its rack, so that the printing area of the cylinder lies between the “H L” line and the stop at the foot of the bed. This ¾″ shift would still leave a ⅜″ discrepancy, but I think this represents the difference between the leading edge of the cylinder and the area that is safe from gripper damage. This allows a generous ⅜″ space for grippers to grab the sheet edge between the cylinder leading edge and “H L”. One of the formes we had been printing has a border all round which we want close to the edge of the paper, so this would have to be placed on the bed beyond the head line, but this is fine because the grippers on the press are set very close to the edge of the sheet. However, the same timing discrepancy might also be caused by the cylinder itself being out of position by one tooth so I would like to do a bit more research before actually shifting the bed. The grippers and sheet lifters are all driven by the cylinder itself and would not be affected by retiming the cylinder, but changing the timing these two ways would have subtle differences in the relative motion of the cylinder and bed, particularly on the bed’s return stroke. I would have to look closely at the relative timing of the bed motion vs. when the cylinder lowers to impression height and rises again. Changing the timing would mean that printing close to the end of a full-height sheet would require the forme to be right against the raised edge at the foot of the bed, with no room for a chase. As things stand currently there is ¾″ of room for a chase frame. There is another Whitlock press in Cumberland, near Ottawa, and although it is not identical (it does not have the reversing stacker), I’m hoping the bed and cylinder motion are the same. I’d like to get the chance to visit it and make some measurements on it next time I’m in the area. I could measure the actual limits of the bed’s motion, and also observe the cylinder position when the bed stops moving at either end of its stroke.
Last year I had noticed that the Ludlow Typograph Model L at the Mackenzie Printery was taking a long time to warm up and was also producing poor slugs unless it was casting more or less continuously. Some investigation with… Read more ›
Last year I had noticed that the Ludlow Typograph Model L at the Mackenzie Printery was taking a long time to warm up and was also producing poor slugs unless it was casting more or less continuously. Some investigation with an ohmmeter revealed that the throat heater circuit was open. The pot on the Ludlow has three heaters, a main one for the pot proper, one for the mouthpiece that contacts the mould when casting, and one for the throat which is a passage between the pump and the mouthpiece. With the throat heater out of commission, the only thing keeping the type metal in the throat molten was conduction from the main pot or constant flow of metal from the main pot by casting a lot. The Printery had a collection of used and new-old-stock Ludlow throat heaters, part of a donation of items from Ruth Black a few years ago, so I started working on replacing the heater. This requires removing the pot, which in turn pretty much requires draining the pot (though even then it is still quite heavy). Once the pot is removed it can be flipped over and the covers for the throat heater and underside wiring can be removed. I left the wiring from the controller to the pot connected, so I had the pot perched on a chair behind the caster.<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4442" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-heater-1024x270.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="160" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-heater-1024x270.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-heater-300x79.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-heater-768x202.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-heater-1536x405.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-heater-100x26.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-heater-150x40.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-heater-200x53.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-heater-450x119.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-heater-600x158.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-heater-900x237.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-heater.jpg 1845w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" />I got the old heater out. It consists of a sandwich of two steel plates with mica insulation and the heating wires in between. I later did a post-mortem on this heater—see below. This is quite different from any of the replacement heaters we had: they were all tubular heating elements cast into a rectangular block of metal, perhaps zinc. They were also generally thicker than the old heater (they were not all the same thickness) and would not fit into the cramped slot provided for the heater in the pot.<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4443" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Measuring-Heater-Thickness-485x1024.jpg" alt="" width="485" height="1024" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Measuring-Heater-Thickness-485x1024.jpg 485w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Measuring-Heater-Thickness-142x300.jpg 142w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Measuring-Heater-Thickness-768x1623.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Measuring-Heater-Thickness-727x1536.jpg 727w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Measuring-Heater-Thickness-100x211.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Measuring-Heater-Thickness-150x317.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Measuring-Heater-Thickness-200x423.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Measuring-Heater-Thickness-300x634.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Measuring-Heater-Thickness-450x951.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Measuring-Heater-Thickness-600x1268.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Measuring-Heater-Thickness-900x1902.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Measuring-Heater-Thickness-rotated.jpg 954w" sizes="(max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px" />I took a rough measurement of the thickness of the old heater and used my mill to thin out the chosen replacement heater, taking care not to cut into the tubular heater element embedded in the metal block. The particular heater was chosen because the angle of the emerging terminals seemed to be the best fit into the cramped cavity under the pot. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4444" class="size-large wp-image-4444" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Flycutting-the-surface-1024x615.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="363" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Flycutting-the-surface-1024x615.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Flycutting-the-surface-300x180.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Flycutting-the-surface-768x461.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Flycutting-the-surface-1536x923.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Flycutting-the-surface-2048x1231.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Flycutting-the-surface-100x60.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Flycutting-the-surface-150x90.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Flycutting-the-surface-200x120.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Flycutting-the-surface-450x270.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Flycutting-the-surface-600x361.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Flycutting-the-surface-900x541.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Using a fly cutter on my Sherline mill to thin out the heater <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4445" class="size-large wp-image-4445" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Modified-Heater-323x1024.jpg" alt="" width="323" height="1024" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Modified-Heater-323x1024.jpg 323w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Modified-Heater-95x300.jpg 95w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Modified-Heater-768x2438.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Modified-Heater-484x1536.jpg 484w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Modified-Heater-100x317.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Modified-Heater-150x476.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Modified-Heater-200x635.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Modified-Heater-300x952.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Modified-Heater-900x2857.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 323px) 100vw, 323px" /> The heater ready to install. There is a small steel pin, visible near the top, which keeps the heater centered when the metal block is cast. I installed the new heater, which involved some fiddling to get the covers to fit. The cover for the throat heater is designed to sort of wedge in place and hold the heater tight against the internal surface of the throat for good thermal transfer, and there is a thin layer of thermal insulation between the heater and this cover which had to be just right to get the cover installed. After this fix, the Ludlow heats up and casts good slugs again, even the first slug of the day. I later took apart the old heater. The two side plates were held together by seven flat-head steel screws, which required a manual impact screwdriver to remove (several actually snapped off). With one of the plates removed, the heater fell apart into a pile of mica along with the actual heater strips. This mica was likely more solid when new but decades of heat and humidity caused it to delaminate and fall to pieces.<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4446" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-Heater-Disassembled-1024x553.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="327" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-Heater-Disassembled-1024x553.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-Heater-Disassembled-300x162.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-Heater-Disassembled-768x415.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-Heater-Disassembled-1536x829.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-Heater-Disassembled-2048x1106.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-Heater-Disassembled-100x54.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-Heater-Disassembled-150x81.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-Heater-Disassembled-200x108.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-Heater-Disassembled-450x243.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-Heater-Disassembled-600x324.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Old-Heater-Disassembled-900x486.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" />The fault in the heater was not the heating wire, but the connection to the the lower terminal; you can see in the photo how this terminal tab is disconnected from the heating wire. The mica insulation around the terminals was less crumbly and stayed more or less as one piece, but it shows evidence of this connection overheating and probably arcing as it failed—it was actually hot enough to melt the mica! <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4447" class="wp-image-4447 size-large" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Insulation-Damage-668x1024.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="927" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Insulation-Damage-668x1024.jpg 668w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Insulation-Damage-196x300.jpg 196w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Insulation-Damage-768x1177.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Insulation-Damage-100x153.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Insulation-Damage-150x230.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Insulation-Damage-200x307.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Insulation-Damage-300x460.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Insulation-Damage-450x690.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Insulation-Damage-600x920.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Insulation-Damage-900x1379.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Insulation-Damage.jpg 905w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Melted spot in the mica caused by failing electrical connection
Su-making Workshop at Bishop’s University
Last weekend, along with about ten other people, I attended a 2-day workshop on making (and using) a su (screen for Japanese-style paper making). The workshop was hosted in and around the Molson building at Bishop’s University in Lennoxville (Sherbrooke)… Read more ›
Last weekend, along with about ten other people, I attended a 2-day workshop on making (and using) a su (screen for Japanese-style paper making). The workshop was hosted in and around the Molson building at Bishop’s University in Lennoxville (Sherbrooke) Québec. This event was organized by Régine Neumann, who teaches at Bishop’s, and Alexandre Bonton ran the actual workshop. Alex has been experimenting with alternative materials and techniques for making a su because the traditional bamboo splints and silk thread are nearly impossible to obtain locally. Many aspects of our su construction were guided by Tim Barret’s book Japanese Papermaking, with adaptations for availability of materials. The original plan for the workshop was to use fine nylon thread and the seed-head stems of local grasses instead of the traditional silk thread and bamboo splints. However, recent weather has left the grass plants too green for this purpose, so instead we used the stems of flax plants which Régine and her students had already harvested and dried. These stems were generally about 1.5 to 2.5mm diameter, so this would produce a rather coarse su (in the real thing the bamboo splints are about 0.5-0.7mm diameter), and to provide adequate water flow through the screen, we used a coarser nylon thread for the stitching. On the upside the flax stems were long enough that no joints were required in the su, and the coarser materials made for faster construction. During Alex’s presentation Friday night before the workshop, he showed various sus he has made, including one made from carbon-fibre composite rod, but he said this material, as well as the glass fibre rod suggested in Tim Barret’s book, was not very suitable because the hydrophobic nature of the resin used to make the rods prevented water from passing between the rods to drain the pulp. The weaving stands we used were a simplification of Barret’s, with a single notched board and attached legs:<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4426" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-weaving-stand-1024x485.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="287" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-weaving-stand-1024x485.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-weaving-stand-300x142.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-weaving-stand-768x363.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-weaving-stand-1536x727.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-weaving-stand-2048x969.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-weaving-stand-100x47.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-weaving-stand-150x71.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-weaving-stand-200x95.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-weaving-stand-450x213.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-weaving-stand-600x284.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-weaving-stand-900x426.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" />The weaving bobbins were short pieces of ½″ rigid PVC water pipe, weighted with epoxied-in lead shot, and fitted with two rings of ½″ inside-diameter flexible (vinyl, perhaps) tubing to form the “sides” of the bobbin. The groove left for winding the thread was a bit small for the heavier nylon we were using, but otherwise these worked fairly well, and the vinyl hoses made for relatively quiet weaving. Alex had had problems with the epoxy, and also finding lead shot (hunters are moving to other metal shot to avoid scattering lead through the environment), so we discussed other ways of making bobbins, and particularly weighting them. I think a relatively easy method would be to take short (1″ perhaps) lengths of round ½″ steel rod, and add two rings of rubber or vinyl hose to form the sides. These should both be available from pretty much any hardware store; you just need to find hose that fits tight enough. Alex provided some previously-made rudimentary ketas (the frame that supports the su and forms the deckle), with just two frames and ribs to support the su but no hinges or latches, and each of us made a su to fit, about 30×22cm (12×8½″). <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4427" class="size-large wp-image-4427" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-waiting-for-string-trimming-1024x602.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="356" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-waiting-for-string-trimming-1024x602.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-waiting-for-string-trimming-300x176.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-waiting-for-string-trimming-768x452.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-waiting-for-string-trimming-1536x903.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-waiting-for-string-trimming-2048x1204.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-waiting-for-string-trimming-100x59.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-waiting-for-string-trimming-150x88.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-waiting-for-string-trimming-200x118.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-waiting-for-string-trimming-450x265.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-waiting-for-string-trimming-600x353.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/su-waiting-for-string-trimming-900x529.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> My completed su, waiting to get the threads trimmed Although making the su was the centrepiece of the workshop, we also spent some time harvesting tororo-aoi (to make neri formation aid) from the community garden, collecting the seeds, and processing the roots: <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4428" class="size-large wp-image-4428" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-harvest-831x1024.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="746" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-harvest-831x1024.jpg 831w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-harvest-243x300.jpg 243w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-harvest-768x947.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-harvest-1246x1536.jpg 1246w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-harvest-1662x2048.jpg 1662w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-harvest-100x123.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-harvest-150x185.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-harvest-200x247.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-harvest-300x370.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-harvest-450x555.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-harvest-600x740.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-harvest-900x1109.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Harvesting the plants, roots and all. Frost has killed the foliage making the plants hard to see in the photo. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4429" class="size-large wp-image-4429" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/collecting-tororo-aoi-seeds-837x1024.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="740" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/collecting-tororo-aoi-seeds-837x1024.jpg 837w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/collecting-tororo-aoi-seeds-245x300.jpg 245w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/collecting-tororo-aoi-seeds-768x939.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/collecting-tororo-aoi-seeds-1256x1536.jpg 1256w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/collecting-tororo-aoi-seeds-1675x2048.jpg 1675w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/collecting-tororo-aoi-seeds-100x122.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/collecting-tororo-aoi-seeds-150x183.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/collecting-tororo-aoi-seeds-200x245.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/collecting-tororo-aoi-seeds-300x367.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/collecting-tororo-aoi-seeds-450x550.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/collecting-tororo-aoi-seeds-600x734.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/collecting-tororo-aoi-seeds-900x1101.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Breaking up the seed pods to save seeds for next year. The pods have fine spines so gloves were recommended but not essential. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4430" class="size-large wp-image-4430" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-roots-washed-1024x488.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="288" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-roots-washed-1024x488.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-roots-washed-300x143.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-roots-washed-768x366.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-roots-washed-1536x732.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-roots-washed-2048x976.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-roots-washed-100x48.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-roots-washed-150x72.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-roots-washed-200x95.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-roots-washed-450x215.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-roots-washed-600x286.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-roots-washed-900x429.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> The roots after rinsing off soil. This turned out to be much more that we needed, so unused roots went into the freezer. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4431" class="size-large wp-image-4431" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-root-crushing-1024x485.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="287" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-root-crushing-1024x485.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-root-crushing-300x142.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-root-crushing-768x363.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-root-crushing-1536x727.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-root-crushing-2048x969.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-root-crushing-100x47.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-root-crushing-150x71.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-root-crushing-200x95.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-root-crushing-450x213.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-root-crushing-600x284.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tororo-aoi-root-crushing-900x426.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Crushing the roots to release the sap. Overnight soaking in cold water will produce the slimy formation aid. The next day we squeezed the mucilaginous water through a cotton cloth to produce the formation aid which would help to suspend the fibres in the vat and produce the slow drainage required for Japanese sheetforming. After the workshop, unused formation aid was frozen, as an experiment to see if it keeps its slimy qualities when stored this way. Normally neri loses its potency within a day or two, so it would be nice if unused neri could be preserved by freezing (which works for the unprocessed roots). For actually making paper, we used kozo bark from Thailand which Régine had recently cooked in a solution of soda ash and rinsed off. We each spent some time doing the tedious process of chiri-tori, picking out black bits in the cooked bark generally caused by insect damage or other injury to the plant. These bits are considered undesirable because they form black flecks in the finished paper. This also allowed us to give the fibre a final rinsing before beating. For beating, we would take a ball of fibre about the size of a baseball, place it on a wooden plank and beat the daylights out of it with pounding tools: <!--[if lt IE 9]> <![endif]--> https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/beating-experimentation.mp4 We had various beating tools, including hammer-shaped mallets with notched faces, several sizes of paddle-shaped beating sticks, and just plain 1×2″ hardwood sticks, and people took turns with the tools to see what worked best for them. As beating progressed we collected all the beaten fibre in a pail. Sunday afternoon we made the paper (sorry, no photos of that). We had four vats set up and we took turns forming sheets and couching them off. As with the Japanese method, we did not have any couches; the sheets were laid directly on top of each other in the post. We placed coloured ribbons under the edge of each sheet to allow easy separation and also to identify which sheets belonged to whom. While we were cleaning up, we pressed all four posts together, using a bucket of water as a weight.<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4433" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pressing-the-posts-929x1024.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="667" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pressing-the-posts-929x1024.jpg 929w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pressing-the-posts-272x300.jpg 272w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pressing-the-posts-768x846.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pressing-the-posts-1394x1536.jpg 1394w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pressing-the-posts-100x110.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pressing-the-posts-150x165.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pressing-the-posts-200x220.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pressing-the-posts-300x331.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pressing-the-posts-450x496.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pressing-the-posts-600x661.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pressing-the-posts-900x992.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pressing-the-posts.jpg 1711w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" />Without couches to separate the sheets, slow pressing is essential, so every ten minutes we would add 2 more litres of water (1kg, or about 4½ pounds) to the bucket. When the bucket was full we added a second bucket (splitting the water between them) and continued adding weight. Over a period of about 2 hours we added a total of about 30 litres of water (30kg or about 66 pounds). This is very light pressure, about 0.7PSI or 5kPa, compared to the pressure used in western papermaking, but it seemed sufficient to allow handling the wet sheets, especially with the ribbon along one edge. We removed the pails and separated the sheets, placing them on melamine-surfaced Masonite boards to dry.<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4434" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/paper-drying-1024x600.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="354" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/paper-drying-1024x600.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/paper-drying-300x176.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/paper-drying-768x450.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/paper-drying-1536x900.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/paper-drying-2048x1201.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/paper-drying-100x59.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/paper-drying-150x88.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/paper-drying-200x117.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/paper-drying-450x264.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/paper-drying-600x352.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/paper-drying-900x528.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" />I made 6 sheets, and altogether the group made 48 sheets (including one in tatters). We left them on the boards to dry, and Régine will be sending us our sheets once the postal strike ends. Despite the coarse su I felt this was my most successful attempt at Japanese papermaking. This was from a combination of coaching from Alex (and other participants; there was a lot of exchange of ideas amongst us throughout the weekend), and the used of real neri rather than the synthetic PEO formation aid we sell (the two interact with the fibres differently). I had little trouble couching off the sheets, and after pressing they all separated cleanly as well, something I’ve always had problems with. It was great to meet some other papermakers and exchange ideas with them, and I want to thank Régine and Alex for organizing this.
When working on the computer to set up Monotype casting jobs, one thing one must specify is the Normal Wedge (commonly just called “the wedge”). This is a narrow wedge-shaped accessory to the caster which determines how wide the type… Read more ›
When working on the computer to set up Monotype casting jobs, one thing one must specify is the Normal Wedge (commonly just called “the wedge”). This is a narrow wedge-shaped accessory to the caster which determines how wide the type should be cast, depending on which row of the matrix case the mat is in. Monotype has many wedges, depending on the exact mix of widths required for any particular font, and the wedge is specified as a combination of the desired set-width and the layout of individual widths on the wedge. The latter is specified using a number that almost invariably starts with “S”, by far the most common being the “S5” wedge. I believe the “S” stands for “stopbar”, which is the corresponding accessory for the Monotype Keyboard which provides the widths so space widths can be calculated for filled lines of text. For some unknown-till-today reason, my fingers insist on typing “S9” instead of “S5”, and I was a bit mystified where my mind was coming up with “S9”. Today I finally realized that this dates back to early microcomputer days, before Windows, DOS, or even CP/M, where binary programs were entered as lines of text. One encoding was the so-called Motorola encoding (due to the popularity of the Motorola 6800 processor chip). These lines were each started with an “S” code, with “S9” (end-of-file) being the one that stuck in my head for so long!
This week I’ve been trying to wrap up a type casting job on my Monotype Composition Caster, when an internal part on my 12-point Lanston mould broke. I had been casting some 12-point low spaces, and when I got down… Read more ›
This week I’ve been trying to wrap up a type casting job on my Monotype Composition Caster, when an internal part on my 12-point Lanston mould broke. I had been casting some 12-point low spaces, and when I got down to the em/6 size (only 2 points thick) I found that I had to run the caster very fast, around 165 RPM, to avoid nozzle freezes. The nozzle injects molten type metal into the mould, but if the caster is run too slow for the size of type and metal temperature, metal will remain solidified in the nozzle itself so no type is cast. At this speed, however, the low-quad mechanism was not acting reliably, instead chattering in and out of operation. This mechanism recognizes special matrices in the matcase and forces the mould to keep the upper blade closed so a short space is cast. If the upper blade opens with the main blade, you get a high space, the same height as the shoulders of a piece of type. These are generally undesirable because they can work up while printing and end up printing a small black rectangle instead of the required space. When I changed the caster to cast a font using the same mould I found that the upper mould blade was not opening properly, either causing low quads to be cast, or type with the face perched oddly on a small leg of metal. On disassembling the mould I found that the small latch that holds the upper blade moving in unison with the main blade was broken: <img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4412" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_220405-1024x506.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="299" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_220405-1024x506.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_220405-300x148.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_220405-768x379.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_220405-1536x758.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_220405-2048x1011.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_220405-100x49.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_220405-150x74.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_220405-200x99.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_220405-450x222.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_220405-600x296.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_220405-900x444.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" />Part of the latch is still attached to the pivot pin on the upper blade. For reference, those are 1″ (25cm) squares in the background. I don’t know if this was just metal fatigue at the most inopportune time (though really, is there ever a good time for a machine to break?), or caused by the chattering low-quad mechanism (probably itself due to worn parts). Monotype moulds contain many custom-fitted parts, and I’m hoping this is not one of them, so that I can replace this with the latch from another mould to get casting again. This latch is borrowed from another 12-point mould which I own:<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4413" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_223442-845x1024.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="733" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_223442-845x1024.jpg 845w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_223442-248x300.jpg 248w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_223442-768x931.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_223442-1268x1536.jpg 1268w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_223442-100x121.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_223442-150x182.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_223442-200x242.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_223442-300x364.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_223442-450x545.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_223442-600x727.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_223442-900x1091.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250817_223442.jpg 1591w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" />This does not look like a custom-fitted part, and there is no reason it would be, so I hope a simple transplant will work. The latch pivot pin presses in and out easily (it is trapped by the main blade once parts are assembled) so this should be a simple job. Even if this gets me up and running again, I’m left short one latch, so I’ll have to look at this part to see if I can make a replacement. The original part seems to be made from sheet steel 1/16″ (1.6mm) thick, probably punched and bent to shape, with a bit of grinding to form the actual latch surface (the top edge in the photo). The bending would have to be done hot to permit such a sharp bend. To make a replacement, probably machined from a solid block, I’ll need to identify the important features so I know which surfaces need precise tolerances. I don’t think it would be practical for me to make this from flat metal because I don’t think I could get the sharp bends on such a small part, but I will look into making it from a piece of square tubing if I can find something suitable. From the photo, the part seems to be about ⅜″ wide so there might be something available. I’d also have to check if the part is hardened, which would complicate making a replacement. Update The borrowed part fits, so it seems this is indeed an interchangeable part. I got my casting done.
Marshville Heritage Festival, Aug 30th-Sept 1st 2025
The Marshville Heritage Society will be holding their annual Marshville Heritage Festival over Labour Day weekend, Saturday August 30th-Monday, September 1st, 2025. The fair runs from 10am-5pm each day and is located on the fairgrounds next to the Wainfleet Arena… Read more ›
The Marshville Heritage Society will be holding their annual Marshville Heritage Festival over Labour Day weekend, Saturday August 30th-Monday, September 1st, 2025. The fair runs from 10am-5pm each day and is located on the fairgrounds next to the Wainfleet Arena at 31942 Park Street in Wainfleet, Ontario. The Mackenzie Print Group, who own and maintain much of the collection on display at the Mackenzie Printery & Newspaper Museum in Queenston, has a printing shop at the fair where we will be demonstrating printing technology from the early to mid 20th Century. We will be operating a Whitlock newspaper press and casting single lines of type for visitors on a Ludlow Typograph. Visitors will also be able to print their own bookmark on our Adana press as a keepsake of the fair. In addition to the Ludlow casts, we will also have cuts (printing blocks), year-at-a-glance calendars, typecases, and other printing-related items available in trade for donations to our organization to support the museum collection. The fair also has plenty of other attractions, including over 20 heritage buildings relocated to the grounds, a display of old farm equipment and machinery (some in operation), a classic car show (changing every day), demonstrations of various crafts, musical entertainment, activities for the kids, a miniature train ride around the grounds, and plenty of food. Fair admission is $8 for adults, free for children, and there is plenty of free parking available.