I was casting some type this week when I noticed an oddity on the font schemes listed in the back of the The Monotype Casting Machine Manual, which is the basis for my usual casting font schemes. The font scheme… Read more ›
I was casting some type this week when I noticed an oddity on the font schemes listed in the back of the The Monotype Casting Machine Manual, which is the basis for my usual casting font schemes. The font scheme gives the count of how many of each sort are cast to make up a font, and these were based on English text from around the early twentieth century. Although some foundries would sell type with uppercase, lowercase, points (punctuation), and figures each being packaged separately, allowing the customer to make their own upper-/lowercase balance, the Monotype schemes are for a complete set including both upper- and lowercase as well as figures and points. There are two basic schemes: The ‘body’ scheme represents the letter frequencies encountered when composing running text in full sentences and paragraphs. The ‘jobber’ scheme represents the frequencies encountered when composing titles, headings, point-form lists, and other such items which generally require many more uppercase letters. If you compare the two classes of schemes, it is generally the case that the counts of lowercase are the same, but in the Jobber schemes, the uppercase count if increased by about 2 less than 0.28 times the count of the corresponding lowercase. So, for instance with the letter ‘e’, either scheme has 118 lowercase, the body scheme has 12 uppercase, and the jobber scheme has 44 uppercase, which is close to 12+0.28×118-2 (equaling about 43). That 0.28 figure is very vaguely in the ballpark of the reciprocal of the average word length (5 letters), and so what you would expect for titles, where pretty much every word is capitalized. For the rarer letters, this formula gets fudged a bit, with uppercase ‘Z’ having 4 sorts in either case, and ‘F’ having 6 in body and 10 in jobber, but with 24 lowercase, the formula yields 13. Some other letters are one or two extra uppercase away from the formula as well. The real outlier, though, is M, where the jobber scheme actually has 4 fewer than the body scheme, 14 in jobber, 18 in body. It seems that the inconsistency is in the count in the body scheme, where, for instance M far outnumbers L, C, or U (6, 8, and 6 respectively) which have similar lowercase counts (14 or 16). It is not clear if this is a typo in the table itself, showing 18 instead of 8, or whether they did not, in fact use general English text as their sample, but instead their own books and literature, which would be peppered with the capitalized “Monotype” trademark throughout! As an aside, my earlier remark about using “early twentieth century” text as a sample is reflected in the figure frequencies, where 1 and 9 are heavily represented, as one would expect when usually referring to years in the 20th century. I should probably modify the schemes I use to add more 2’s and 0’s to better reflect the years one might now be mentioning.
Monotype Computer Interface Compatibility Woes
Equipment Acquisition, Repair, and Maintenance
MS Windows So far, I have been using a MS Windows system to connect to my Monotype computer interface. The software that runs on the computer is written in Java so it can be run on other operating systems without… Read more ›
MS Windows So far, I have been using a MS Windows system to connect to my Monotype computer interface. The software that runs on the computer is written in Java so it can be run on other operating systems without needing to be modified or compiled for that system. All you need is to have a sufficiently new Java installation on the computer. Moving to Linux I had recently set up a Linux system (specifically, Ubuntu) and one thing I wanted to try was my computer interface. After a bit of fiddling around, one change in the Java code, and one change in the firmware on the interface, I got it to work. Sort of. There are some issues, though: The first is that, as with many other devices, Ubuntu presents the connected USB devices as special files in its file system. By default, only root (the “super user”) can access these files, so for now to get things to work I must use the root account to grant access to these special files to my (unprivileged) user account. Each time the USB is disconnected and reconnected, a fresh special file entry is made, so the permissions must be fixed again. Ubuntu provides a solution to this problem. There is a specific shell script which is run when changes are made to these special files, and this script runs as root, so it can sniff the new files and, based on what it finds, do things, including setting permissions, to suit. For this interface, code can be added to the script to recognize the Monotype interface and set the required permissions automatically. The second problem is that the communications seem a bit flaky. At times the Java code is unable to obtain even basic information like the device type. It seems that the code on Linux that is communicating with the USB interface does not do any retrying if there is a transient error. Some analysis reveals that at some level this appears as the standard Linux error code EPIPE, but other USB-specific code is referring to a STALL condition on the interface. For some reason this is not a problem on my Windows systems; perhaps either the transient errors are not occurring, or some code in Windows automatically retries on error. This still needs some investigation. The final issue, for which I currently have a fix on Linux, is that in the Monotype interface, I am using the code provided in the microcontroller’s built-in ROM to manage the device end of the USB interface. This code, however, only gives me the choice of two USB device classes: Mass Storage (like thumb drives and external hard drives) and Human Interface Devices (like mice, keyboards, and such). Of the two only the HID class really matches my communications requirements. Having some weird unknown HID plugged in doesn’t bother Windows at all, but on Linux, any plugged-in HID gets “claimed” by the system—whether or not it knows what to do with it—and so my Java code was told it could not access the interface because it was already in use. Fortunately, the USB library I am using (known as ‘libusb’ and its Java wrapper ‘usb4java’) has the ability to claim the interface from the system when necessary. What about MacOS (Linux but not really) ? I also want this interface to work on MacOS, and using Java should be able to make this work; MacOS is essentially Linux under the covers. Unfortunately, based on my reading, MacOS has its hold on HIDs well locked down, and it is essentially impossible to wrest control of an HID from the system. There is the possibility of using another library called ‘hidapi’, which was originally separate from libusb but now appears to be part of newer versions of libusb. It also appears to be part of newer versions of the usb4java Java wrapper so I should be able to access it from Java. Whereas libusb uses ‘ioctl’ (“I/O Control”) system calls to do its work and so needs to own the interface, hidapi uses ‘read’ and ‘write’ system calls instead. This means the system can keep its hold on the interface, and so, at least in theory, this should work on MacOS as well. The only oddity is that the data for the read and write calls includes an extra byte or two, apparently to tell the system which “endpoint” (a USB concept) to communicate with. So this solution needs me to find and use a newer usb4java that also supports hidapi, and also to ascertain what these extra bytes really are in the read and write data. But the real root of the problem is that the Monotype interface is not an HID; it is really a custom device and should not be masquerading as an HID-class device at all. The ROM in the microprocessor is only really providing a thin wrapper for the actual embedded hardware USB controller, and I should be able to make my firmware use this controller directly, and identify itself as a custom-class device. This may, however, open its own can of worms, for instance making Windows freak out and try (and fail) to find a suitable driver every time you plug in the USB cable. As well, I don’t know if there actually is an official “custom class” to use; if I just pick some random class ID it could turn out to be a real published class (or could become one in the future), with standards that my device does not follow at all. But I think the latter approach is the better one in the long run, though it could run into a roadblock that requires me to roll back to the HID approach and using hidapi. This approach also means that if I end up having to change which microcontroller I use, I’m not relying on the ROM support and so any microcontroller with a USB interface should suit.
Arrival in Nagaoka I arrived in town about an hour before the other participants and walked to my hotel, the Route Inn Nagaoka Ekimae just across the street from the train station. It was before the check-in time of 3pm,… Read more ›
Arrival in Nagaoka I arrived in town about an hour before the other participants and walked to my hotel, the Route Inn Nagaoka Ekimae just across the street from the train station. It was before the check-in time of 3pm, and I expected to have to leave my luggage in storage until then, but my room was already ready so I got to check in early. Paul Denhoed, the workshop organizer, had already made all the booking arrangements including my extra night’s stay after the workshop due to the timing of my return flight. I returned to the train station to meet everyone else as they arrived, and we all trekked back to the hotel and checked in. Paul actually lives in Tokyo so he was also staying at the hotel. One interesting perq of the hotel was that you had the option to forego some of the full daily room cleanings, and instead receive tokens for either of the dispensing machines near the lobby, one for alcoholic beverages, and one for non-alcoholic. The tokens are different and so you have to decide when you collect the tokens, though I expect you could trade them at the front desk. Daily schedule Every day, we would get breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Breakfast was a buffet which included some western items (generally scrambled eggs, bacon or sausages, and bread) but was mostly Japanese food usually also with some other Asian offering like a curry or stir-fry. There was always soup, and a rice dispensing machine—you put your bowl on the stand and press a button for a small, medium or large serving! <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4516" class="wp-image-4516 size-large" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070053-1-649x1024.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="955" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070053-1-649x1024.jpg 649w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070053-1-190x300.jpg 190w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070053-1-768x1213.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070053-1-973x1536.jpg 973w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070053-1-1297x2048.jpg 1297w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070053-1-100x158.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070053-1-150x237.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070053-1-200x316.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070053-1-300x474.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070053-1-450x711.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070053-1-600x947.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070053-1-900x1421.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070053-1-scaled.jpg 1621w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> The rice dispenser. I had already learned the kanji for small (小) and large(大) from the flush buttons on the toilets <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4517" class="wp-image-4517 size-large" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070437-1024x679.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="401" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070437-1024x679.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070437-300x199.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070437-768x509.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070437-1536x1018.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070437-2048x1357.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070437-100x66.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070437-150x99.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070437-200x133.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070437-450x298.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070437-600x398.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260317_070437-900x596.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> One day’s partially-eaten breakfast. Selection and camera framing varied from day to day Through the workshop, after breakfast we would meet in the hotel lobby around 8:30. From there, Imai-san would ferry us in a rented van to the Oguni studio, perhaps a 20 or 30 minute drive. On the way out of Nagaoka we would stop each day at a Harashin grocery store and each of us would pick out some take-out pre-made meal for lunch. The Oguni studio is out in the countryside so there are no convenient lunch places nearby. Lunches were included with the workshop fees, so Imai-san (or, perhaps, Paul) would purchase all our chosen food. Once at the studio, we would go through the morning program for the day, and then eat lunch in the studio where one section was set off as a sort of meeting area with chairs and a large table. We’d make tea or coffee and miso soup to accompany the lunches we had picked out. Most days, someone will have chosen some dish, often strawberries or other fruit, to share amongst ourselves with lunch. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4518" class="size-large wp-image-4518" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/75732BCE-2CAB-407D-98D3-A869288A8DB9-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="340" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/75732BCE-2CAB-407D-98D3-A869288A8DB9-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/75732BCE-2CAB-407D-98D3-A869288A8DB9-300x169.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/75732BCE-2CAB-407D-98D3-A869288A8DB9-768x432.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/75732BCE-2CAB-407D-98D3-A869288A8DB9-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/75732BCE-2CAB-407D-98D3-A869288A8DB9-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/75732BCE-2CAB-407D-98D3-A869288A8DB9-100x56.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/75732BCE-2CAB-407D-98D3-A869288A8DB9-150x84.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/75732BCE-2CAB-407D-98D3-A869288A8DB9-200x113.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/75732BCE-2CAB-407D-98D3-A869288A8DB9-450x253.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/75732BCE-2CAB-407D-98D3-A869288A8DB9-600x338.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/75732BCE-2CAB-407D-98D3-A869288A8DB9-900x506.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> The meeting table where we ate lunch. Here we are actually examining booklets of sample papers Paul has prepared for us The lunch area was also sort of the display area for products when customers visit the studio, so there was a rack of paper samples, as well as various cards and gifts. After lunch we had the afternoon program for the day. Once that was done, if we has spare time, we’d sit around the lunch table and talk paper or papermaking tools, or explore the studio asking questions about things not specifically covered in the workshop. Generally around 5 or 6pm, we’d all pile back into the van and Imai-san would drive us to someplace for dinner, a different place each day. Dinner was not included in the workshop but for convenience Imai-san would pay, and the cost would be divided and appear on our final accounting for the workshop (as would our hotel rooms). Usually around 8 or 9pm we’d be back in our rooms for a good sleep. Imai-san would return home (almost right next to the studio) for the evening, perhaps stopping at the studio for some unfinished prep work for the next day. Outings and side trips In the late afternoons and evenings we had several activities outside of the studio. I may have the schedules a bit mixed-up here because this is mostly from memory, and of the photos we shared amongst ourselves only the few I took had date-stamps. Wednesday Mid-afternoon we had a short craft project, making a traditional style of home decoration from rice straw. This was hosted at Chihiro-san’s father’s house (IIRC), which is just across the river from the studio and next to the Imai’s own house. These items are actually more than just decoration, but traditionally are also, for lack of a better description, a sort of fertility charm to ensure a good harvest of rice. The craft is called shimenawa, and I’m sure my description underplays its social and spiritual significance. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4519" class="size-large wp-image-4519" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61620253_0-768x1024.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="807" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61620253_0-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61620253_0-225x300.jpg 225w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61620253_0-100x133.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61620253_0-150x200.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61620253_0-200x267.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61620253_0-300x400.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61620253_0-450x600.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61620253_0-600x800.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61620253_0-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/S__61620253_0.jpg 1108w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> This was the instructor’s; ours did not all turn out quite as pretty Afterwards we returned to the studio, and Paul handed out booklets of paper samples he had made up for us, so we could see how variations in materials and techniques affect the final paper. In the evening, we went to dinner in Nagaoka, and while waiting in our private room for the food to arrive, Chihiro-san entertained us with free-hand paper cutouts of animals we requested. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4527" class="size-large wp-image-4527" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Animal-Cutouts-1024x436.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="258" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Animal-Cutouts-1024x436.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Animal-Cutouts-300x128.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Animal-Cutouts-768x327.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Animal-Cutouts-1536x654.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Animal-Cutouts-100x43.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Animal-Cutouts-150x64.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Animal-Cutouts-200x85.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Animal-Cutouts-450x192.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Animal-Cutouts-600x255.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Animal-Cutouts-900x383.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Animal-Cutouts.jpg 1703w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Michele’s cat, my raccoons, and Alex’s “une loutre” (otter, I had to translate for him). Unfortunately I didn’t get Clara’s photo, but I believe she asked for a mermaid Thursday Thursday evening, we visited the Imai’s home for dinner. Afterwards we also each made little presentations of what sort of work we’re doing and how it connects to the workshop. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4521" class="wp-image-4521 size-large" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726742-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="340" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726742-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726742-300x169.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726742-768x432.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726742-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726742-100x56.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726742-150x84.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726742-200x113.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726742-450x253.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726742-600x338.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726742-900x506.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726742.jpg 1706w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Imai-san is behind the camera for this, and that’s one of his daughters at the table with us. The room dividers are all paper from his studio Friday With most of the workshop behind us, we went to Echigo Kawaguchi Onsen (public bath) to unwind. This place is a sort of resort, which includes hotel rooms, restaurants, rental houses, and exercise rooms in addition to the baths. Some of the outdoor bathing areas provide a spectacular view of the river valley below. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4525" class="size-large wp-image-4525" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260320_202238-1024x485.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="287" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260320_202238-1024x485.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260320_202238-300x142.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260320_202238-768x364.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260320_202238-1536x728.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260320_202238-2048x971.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260320_202238-100x47.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260320_202238-150x71.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260320_202238-200x95.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260320_202238-450x213.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260320_202238-600x284.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260320_202238-900x427.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Outside the onsen as we were leaving Clara went to the ladies’ public bath, and the four of us took a private room. This allowed us to talk freely, as loud conversation (or for that matter, pretty much any conversation) is frowned upon in the public baths, and also meant Michele would not have any hassle with his tattoos. Onsens do not allow tattoos in the public baths because of their historical association with Yakuza criminal gangs, although they will usually allow a small one if covered up. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4523" class="size-large wp-image-4523" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/990-1024x768.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="454" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/990-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/990-300x225.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/990-768x576.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/990-100x75.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/990-150x113.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/990-200x150.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/990-450x338.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/990-600x450.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/990-900x675.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/990.jpg 1477w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Unwinding in the lounge after unwinding in the bath (photo by Alex) <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4524" class="size-large wp-image-4524" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726743-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="340" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726743-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726743-300x169.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726743-768x432.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726743-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726743-100x56.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726743-150x84.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726743-200x113.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726743-450x253.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726743-600x338.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726743-900x506.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S__61726743.jpg 1706w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Further unwinding with a beer before dinner at the onsen (photo by Imai-san) Saturday The morning was spent at the studio, finishing off some odds and ends. We returned to Nagaoka just after lunch, and did a bit of local sightseeing on the way back to town. Then it was time for everyone to go on their way back home. Michele had to leave a bit earlier and had said his goodbyes the night before, but I was staying an extra night in Nagaoka so I accompanied everyone to the train station to see them off. I spent the late afternoon exploring the area around the train station and civic centre, and out of curiosity (and because I was admittedly getting a bit tired of rice) I walked to a nearby McDonald’s to see what a Big Mac was like in Japan. The answer: pretty much the same as back home, and about the same price too. Other western chain brands I saw included KFC and, at least in Tokyo, 7-11 convenience stores. Apparently it is a big thing to have KFC on Christmas day in Japan!
For my trip to Japan for the Oguni Washi intensive workshop, I opted to stay a few days in Tokyo beforehand. This gave me a better combination of travel time and airfare for the flights, and also gave me some… Read more ›
For my trip to Japan for the Oguni Washi intensive workshop, I opted to stay a few days in Tokyo beforehand. This gave me a better combination of travel time and airfare for the flights, and also gave me some time to adjust to the 13-hour time difference from home. One nice surprise was the cost of things, in general. I’ve heard that Japan has a reputation of being an expensive place to travel, but I found that the costs for meals and local transportation were not much different than back home, and the hotels, at least the ones I stayed at, were cheaper than at home. It was very convenient that at the time, the Japanese Yen was worth almost exactly one Canadian cent, so converting prices in my head was trivial. Given the high standards for the transportation systems, it was actually much better value that at home. The flight out I had a direct flight from Toronto to Haneda Airport on Air Canada, flight number AC 1 (!). I also booked Air Canada’s bus service from the Waterloo Regional Airport to Toronto. At the time there seemed to be no additional cost for this, and it has the big advantage that it is considered a leg of the journey so it the bus were late (for instance, due to traffic) and I were to miss the flight to Haneda as a result, I would be re-booked on a later flight. The flight was pretty much a great circle course (the equivalent to a straight line on a sphere), which took us over Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories. I didn’t get good pictures of these through the window, but I did get a good shot of the Mackenzie River. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4503" class="size-large wp-image-4503" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260310_184143-1024x485.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="287" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260310_184143-1024x485.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260310_184143-300x142.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260310_184143-768x363.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260310_184143-1536x727.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260310_184143-2048x969.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260310_184143-100x47.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260310_184143-150x71.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260310_184143-200x95.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260310_184143-450x213.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260310_184143-600x284.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260310_184143-900x426.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> The Mackenzie River, about halfway between Normal Wells and Fort Good Hope Only once over Alaska did we veer a bit more to the south and east to avoid some rough weather. The entire flight we were chasing the setting sun, but crossed the international date line, so we landed pretty much the same local time as the local time of departure, but one day later. Arrival and accommodations My flight arrived at Haneda airport, and I took the Keikyu train (which seamlessly converts to the Asakusa line) from there to the Takaracho stop, which was within a block of my hotel, the Sotetsu Fresa Inn Tokyo Kyobashi. Many of the train systems seem to share both track and rolling stock, so I quickly learned never to rely on the appearance of the train to identify the line or route. This was central Tokyo, so real estate is scarce, and this was true of the hotel room as well. The only place to open my suitcase was on the bed, but the bed was large enough I could leave the suitcase open there and still have room to sleep. The room rate included breakfast at the Sushi Japanese Bar Tokyobashi located on the ground floor which offered a 4-choice fixed breakfast menu. Although one of the choices was a western breakfast of sausage, eggs, etc. I opted for the Japanese breakfasts; one was the “Japanese Plate”, a somewhat traditional breakfast, the other was the “Omakase Seafood Bowl”, essentially sashimi on a bed of rice. A fourth choice was a vegetarian salad with bread. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4493" class="size-large wp-image-4493" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_075338-1024x485.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="287" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_075338-1024x485.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_075338-300x142.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_075338-768x364.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_075338-1536x728.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_075338-2048x971.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_075338-100x47.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_075338-150x71.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_075338-200x95.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_075338-450x213.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_075338-600x284.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_075338-900x427.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Japanese Plate. The little cup in the middle contains natto, a fermented soybean product. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4494" class="size-large wp-image-4494" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_075456-1024x485.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="287" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_075456-1024x485.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_075456-300x142.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_075456-768x364.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_075456-1536x728.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_075456-2048x971.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_075456-100x47.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_075456-150x71.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_075456-200x95.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_075456-450x213.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_075456-600x284.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_075456-900x427.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Omakase Seafood Bowl The natto was a new experience for me. I found that I liked the flavour, and the texture in my mouth was fine, but the slimy coating from the fermentation process made it very challenging to get the stuff from the bowl to my mouth in any neat manner. Having a beard did not help. There is clearly an acquired knack to picking up a bit of the stuff and giving it a spin around the rim of the bowl to break off the threads of slime that stretch from the bowl to the chopsticks! Tokyo Train station My first “sightseeing” task was to figure out the layout of the nearby Tokyo central train station, to be sure that I could catch my Shinkansen train to Nagaoka without having to arrive at the station too early. The station is almost split in two by a central area that you can only enter with a paid train fare. At street level, there is a somewhat unobvious passage at the north end of the station connecting the old red-brick station building (on the western Marunouchi side) to the more modern entrances (on the eastern Yaesu side), and each of these sides has fare turnstiles into the central fare-paid area. This area gets you the the platforms for most trains, but if you are taking the Shinkansen you must pass a second set of turnstiles to reach its special platform. Both sides of the station are packed with shops, and there is (at least) one basement level with more shops and restaurants. There is an entire “Ramen Street“, and also “Tokyo Character Street” lined with shops selling licensed merch. Underground also connects to nearby buildings, stores, and subway stations. One thing I noticed was that, other than in restaurants and toilets, there is absolutely no place to sit down in and around the station. I suppose they don’t want people lingering as it is busy enough as it is. Getting around Tokyo I purchased a 3-day Tokyo Metro (subway) pass to get around town and that proved very convenient. The trains run very frequently but the nine lines form a complex network so Google Maps was invaluable for trip planning. Some of the stations seem insanely complicated (for instance, see the diagram of Otemachi station, which services five subway lines) but all the lines are identified by colour and letter (mnemonic of the romanized name of the line) and all stations are clearly numbered. On the trains digital displays show the diagram of the line with current and next stops, connections at the next stop, and a diagram of the platform so you know which way to turn to make your next connection or reach the correct station exit. These signs (as well as audio announcements) are both in Japanese and English. Signs on the platforms give recommendations on which car to board to make the next connection more smoothly. Most of my trips started and ended at the Kyobashi station (G-10 on the yellow Ginza line), a block from my hotel. This station has nine exits, and at least once I took the wrong exit (7 instead of 6) and was completely disoriented trying to find my hotel even though I was less than a block away. Whether it is worthwhile taking the subway for just one stop often depends on which end of either station you are at or want to get to, since, at least downtown, the walking distance between the nearest exits of adjacent stations is about the same as the walking distance from one end to the other in any single station. I had good weather so I suppose that on cold or rainy days, the one-stop trip might be more worthwhile. Museum of Printing My longest subway trip was my visit to the Printing Museum, located at the base of the Toppan Building, an office tower that is home to the large printing and graphic media company of the same name. This museum includes a letterpress workshop, but either taking the workshop or touring the room requires advance booking, and this was all filled by the time I was planning things. You can, however, see inside the workshop through windows, and some equipment on display includes a Benton engraver, some sort of pivotal type caster, and an Albion printing press.<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4504" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Equipment-Montage-667x1024.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="929" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Equipment-Montage-667x1024.jpg 667w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Equipment-Montage-195x300.jpg 195w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Equipment-Montage-768x1179.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Equipment-Montage-1000x1536.jpg 1000w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Equipment-Montage-100x154.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Equipment-Montage-150x230.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Equipment-Montage-200x307.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Equipment-Montage-300x461.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Equipment-Montage-450x691.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Equipment-Montage-600x921.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Equipment-Montage-900x1382.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Equipment-Montage.jpg 1296w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> For workshop purposes, the room contains perhaps a dozen printing stations, each with a case of Japanese type and an Adana press. One other display showed the steps in the making of the famous “Wave” print, more formally “The Great Wave of Kanagawa“. The display include eight printing blocks (reproductions, I’m pretty sure), proofs of each block in its colour, and also proofs showing the cumulative image as each block is printed, all finishing with a reproduction of the final print.<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4505" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260313_120812-1024x485.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="287" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260313_120812-1024x485.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260313_120812-300x142.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260313_120812-768x364.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260313_120812-1536x728.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260313_120812-2048x971.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260313_120812-100x47.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260313_120812-150x71.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260313_120812-200x95.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260313_120812-450x213.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260313_120812-600x284.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260313_120812-900x427.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Much of the hall shows a history of printing technology in general, and one wall chronicles the history of typeface design and its relationship to printing technology advances. Most of the displays are in Japanese and English, and I used Google Lens to translate some of the Japanese-only signs. Imperial Palace On day I took a guided a tour of the Imperial Palace grounds, lasting about an hour. Although I could have easily walked there, I took the subway to the nearby Otemachi station so I would be on time for the early tour group. I had actually walked to the area of the palace the day before and taken a little walk in the outer gardens, but this day was an official tour of the inner grounds. You can book these ahead but you can also just show up and wait in line. They took groups of about 200 people at a time, but the tours are offered in 6 languages (Japanese, English, Spanish, French, and two others I forget) so I chose the French tour. This was nice because our own group was only about 8 people, including the guide. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4508" class="size-large wp-image-4508" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_103731-1024x485.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="287" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_103731-1024x485.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_103731-300x142.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_103731-768x363.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_103731-1536x727.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_103731-2048x969.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_103731-100x47.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_103731-150x71.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_103731-200x95.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_103731-450x213.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_103731-600x284.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260314_103731-900x426.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> The Ishibashi bridge, seen from the Tetsubashi Bridge, both part of the ceremonial palace entrance route. After the formal tour I walked to Kitanomaru Garden, not actually part of the Palace but just to the north and ate lunch at a cafe there. That garden includes a Science and Technology museum, but looking online seemed to indicate that it is mostly kid-oriented, so I returned to the East Garden of the palace for a self-directed walk. The East Garden features several botanical collections including orchards, an iris garden, and a bamboo garden. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4507" class="size-large wp-image-4507" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bamboo-Garden-1-1024x953.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="563" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bamboo-Garden-1-1024x953.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bamboo-Garden-1-300x279.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bamboo-Garden-1-768x715.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bamboo-Garden-1-1536x1430.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bamboo-Garden-1-100x93.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bamboo-Garden-1-150x140.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bamboo-Garden-1-200x186.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bamboo-Garden-1-450x419.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bamboo-Garden-1-600x559.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bamboo-Garden-1-900x838.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bamboo-Garden-1.jpg 1594w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Some views of the bamboo garden. Note how there can be a pattern of alternating segments between the nodes. Old Shimbashi Station Railway History Exhibition Hall <img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4497" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_154637-1024x485.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="287" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_154637-1024x485.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_154637-300x142.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_154637-768x364.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_154637-1536x728.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_154637-2048x971.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_154637-100x47.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_154637-150x71.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_154637-200x95.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_154637-450x213.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_154637-600x284.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_154637-900x427.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" />When Japan first opened up to foreign, especially Western, trade during the Meiji restoration, one of the first things they did was set up railroads. The first line ran south from the Shimbashi Station in Tokyo to Yokohama. Shimbashi Station was destroyed in a 1923 earthquake, and passenger service now uses a nearby station of the same name, but a replica of the old station building has been rebuilt on its original location as a historic site. In certain parts of the building, glass panels show the original building foundations. It contains a permanent exhibit of some early railroad and station history in one of the wings, along with a gift shop. Unfortunately, most of the display had only Japanese signage, and phones and cameras were not allowed, so Google Lens was out as a translation tool. The rest of the building is general-purpose exhibit halls; one contained a collection of recent award-winning books from around the world, and in another area was the Oi Ocha Museum of Tea, a kids-friendly exhibit from a popular brand of green-tea-based beverages. The book display was for winners of book-design awards, including the Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada. Behind the station, alongside the platform, they have the mile zero marker post and a short run of the style of track used at that time. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4498" class="wp-image-4498 size-large" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_163223-1024x485.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="287" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_163223-1024x485.jpg 1024w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_163223-300x142.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_163223-768x363.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_163223-1536x727.jpg 1536w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_163223-2048x969.jpg 2048w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_163223-100x47.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_163223-150x71.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_163223-200x95.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_163223-450x213.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_163223-600x284.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260312_163223-900x426.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Unlike modern rails, these have a dumb-bell cross-section and sit on special saddles on each tie. You can just barely see in this photo the hardwood blocks used to pin the rails into the saddle plates. Nihonbashi Bridge On the day I had to board the Shinkansen to Nagaoka, I had a couple of hours to spare, so I just walked north from my hotel. On this otherwise quiet Sunday morning, they seemed to be filming a car commercial along the street as I saw several cars drive by trailed closely by another car with a remote-control boom camera aimed at it, with private security staff every block keeping an eye on things. In a few minutes I had reached one of the canals that form part of the old defensive network built around the palace area during the Edo period. The canal is almost completely roofed over by an elevated expressway on tall columns. The bridge that took my street across the canal turned out to have some history, though. This is the Nihonbashi bridge, which was built in 1603 by the Shogunate in Edo times and designated as being the starting point of the five major roads in Japan. The bridge had been re-built in Renaissance style in 1911, with an ornate marker in the middle celebrating its status as the terminus of all the roads. The marker has since been moved to a small square next to the bridge, along with other associated plaques and signage. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4495" class="size-large wp-image-4495" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091624-485x1024.jpg" alt="" width="485" height="1024" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091624-485x1024.jpg 485w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091624-142x300.jpg 142w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091624-768x1623.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091624-727x1536.jpg 727w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091624-969x2048.jpg 969w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091624-100x211.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091624-150x317.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091624-200x423.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091624-300x634.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091624-450x951.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091624-600x1268.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091624-900x1902.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091624-scaled.jpg 1211w" sizes="(max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px" /> The mile zero marker <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4496" class="size-large wp-image-4496" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091748-485x1024.jpg" alt="" width="485" height="1024" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091748-485x1024.jpg 485w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091748-142x300.jpg 142w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091748-768x1623.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091748-727x1536.jpg 727w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091748-969x2048.jpg 969w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091748-100x211.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091748-150x317.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091748-200x423.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091748-300x634.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091748-450x951.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091748-600x1268.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091748-900x1902.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_091748-scaled.jpg 1211w" sizes="(max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px" /> One of the lamp standards along the side of the bridge, with the elevated expressway as a back drop Off to Nagaoka On Sunday it was time to head to Nagaoka to join the rest of the workshop group. I had already booked and paid for my Shinkansen (often called the Bullet Train in Western culture) fare online. During my many visits to the train station in previous days, I stopped at one of the many ticket machines to get my actual tickets. I had a bit of trouble getting my return-trip tickets at the time, and this turns out to be because the QR code for my booking was rendered at an unfortunate resolution which gave the QR-pixels a staccato spacing. Some of the QR-code pixels were 4 image pixels wide and others were 3 image pixels wide. That and the anti-aliasing made the code hard to read, but I got myself an improved QR code later to get the tickets. The booking also includes a 17-digit reservation code which I could have used instead. In the train station, there are (at least) three separate types of fare machines, all looking generally the same. These are for the Tokyo Metro, the Shinkansen trains, and all the other trains in the Japan Rail network. I of course had to be using the correct machine to get my tickets. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4509" class="wp-image-4509" src="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_124827-485x1024.jpg" alt="" width="243" height="512" srcset="https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_124827-485x1024.jpg 485w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_124827-142x300.jpg 142w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_124827-768x1620.jpg 768w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_124827-728x1536.jpg 728w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_124827-971x2048.jpg 971w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_124827-100x211.jpg 100w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_124827-150x316.jpg 150w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_124827-200x422.jpg 200w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_124827-300x633.jpg 300w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_124827-450x949.jpg 450w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_124827-600x1266.jpg 600w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_124827-900x1899.jpg 900w, https://papertrail.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260315_124827-scaled.jpg 1213w" sizes="(max-width: 243px) 100vw, 243px" /> Green Car seating. The train was not busy so I had the entire row to myself I had booked seating in the Green Car service, which featured wider seats with more front-to-back spacing as well, for about a 50% fare premium. I mainly did this to get a reserved seat (not available on the regular cars) but the extra space was much appreciated. It turns out that there is usually plenty of room on the trains and reserved seating is not really needed, but in trip planning I wanted to avoid any missed-train anxiety. The only train that would have been time-critical was my return trip to eventually board my flight at the airport. The other advantage of a booked seat was to ensure a window seat, but that proved less useful than I had thought. Although the Tokyo area is itself very flat, once about halfway along the trip the train spent most of its time in tunnels through the mountains. Not just a few tunnels—the train would literally leave one station, enter a tunnel, and remain in that tunnel until the next station perhaps 15 or 20km down the line! I had one moment of confusion trying to pass the turnstiles at the train station. My Shinkansen ticket was in two parts, one for the basic fare and reservation, and one for the Green Car premium. To pass the turnstile it turns out you have to insert both these tickets, either together or in quick succession. On exiting the train (and also on the Metro) you scan your pass or ticket again to ensure you’re leaving at the destination you paid for. Unexpired passes are returned but tickets no longer of use are eaten by the turnstile—no souvenir tickets! Returning to Tokyo after the workshop, the inner Shinkansen turnstile kept one of the tickets and the outer turnstile kept the second one. If you get off your train at a different stop, for whatever reason, there are fare-adjustment machines where you can pay the extra fare for the extra travel so the turnstile will let you exit. I don’t know if you can get a refund if you get off early.
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 (photo by Imai-san) 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.
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