Not familiar with this type of type..
An older acquaintance of mine heard about my interest in letterpress and gave me some containers if type he’d had for years. I was excited until I opened the containers and found them full of brass-looking, very low profile (ie, nowhere near type high) metal letters that pretty obviously can’t be used with the type of presses I’m familiar with (although it does look like they’re made to do some kind of printing). Anyone know what these could be?
brass was used for foil stamping, pictures of the type might help identify it, there were several different kinds of type made for special machines.
It could also be Book-binding type. But again without a picture, it’s impossible to say.
I will try to get a picture of it tomorrow when I’m at school.
Here is a picture of the brass type: several sizes, but all of them 12 points high.
image.jpg
This is Brass type used in Bookbinding, to use them, you have to make a Master first, lay out the type as you intent to use them and than place them upside down, same arrangement on a piece of Binder’s Board, this is placed into a Blocking or (British) Arming Press, pressure is applied and you have a negative Pattern. This Pattern is glued down on another Piece of card stock which corresponds to the size of Cover to be stamped and correct placement. Place the Brass type into the Master, upside down, a special heat activated tape is applied and inserted into the heated Blocking Press, close the Press and the Letters adhere now wrong reading in correct placement to the upper Platen of the Press. The Cover is placed on the Table of the Press, Foil is placed over the cover and inserted (Table) and the Press is closed, one cover stamped.
If anybody needs to know more, I can add Pics.
Wow - interesting! I wondered how it could be locked up when it’s so thin - that explains it. Is this technique still used? Would there be a market for these pieces? I can’t think how they could be used with my little C&P.