'Pressing

The letterpress is on its way to functionality! The hope was to have it ready this weekend, when my partner in crafty-crime will be here to help decipher the mystery, but we are not certain some vital parts will arrive in time. Disappointing. But exciting to finally be on the verge of learning how all this works!


Tools of the trade: The lovely man at Ace Hardware recommended the SOS pads, and let me tell you, those things are like magic at getting off the rust. And of course the trusty WD40 (which I always accidentally call DW40 and therefore completely lose face with the Ace Hardware man I'm sure) was put to good use. I think I used the entire can.


Not quite entirely clean, but a good two hours scrubbing and oiling I would say, and the parts that are supposed to move seem to move, and the hinges and springs are well lubricated, and the platen is as shiny as my arms and those fantastic SOS pads could handle in one sitting.


She's a beaut, yessiree! I just can't wait to ink up and make the first print!

Inherited

I did not actually know the old man across the street. To be perfectly honest, the only times I ever saw him were late at night when he was being rolled into a waiting ambulance. My part of town is full of these shadowy people, living in the myriad apartments that pack the old houses and hold a surprising number of inhabitants.

Early this Spring, the ambulance came again, and soon thereafter, the apartment across the street was emptied, and the old man's possessions were left on the front porch, a cardboard sign offering them free to whomever stopped by. I didn't go over right away, it felt strange. As if I were trespassing into his life.

About a week later, a friend and I decided to have a look. Another older gentleman, the owner of the building, was there as well. A friendly man, he remembers my parents from when they visited and asked about them. He told us that the old man form downstairs was dying, that he would not return home, and that now the decades worth of possessions that filled his generously sized apartment were his landlord's responsibility. He walked us through the apartment, an old house with beautiful dark woodwork and worn green carpet.

On the front porch, in a pile of old clothes and sheets, I came upon a treasure. Someone's handwork, unfinished. How did it come to be in this old man's possession? I somehow doubt it was his work. Was he once married? Was it a project inherited from some other relation?



I don't know what I will do with this, but it seemed too good, too intriguing, to pass by.

This Little Piggy

These little piggy salt and pepper shakers came home with me today from my new favorite local antique shop. The "Shed" is run by an elderly man, who, I have a suspicion, doesn't really want to part with the hundreds upon hundreds of items in his care. And I do not exaggerate the extent of his inventory; Christmas ornaments, Tiffany-style lamps, and kettles hang from the ceilings; old library card catalog chests hold corks in many sizes, old power cords, hundreds of decks of playing cards, drawer pulls, and knitting needles; There are buckets of door handles and spigots and an entire aisle of salt and pepper shakers. There really is very little room to walk and the prices are a tad high (as I said, I don't think the owner really wants to sell), but if you are in need of an antique cane, or a Hall escargot server, this place is tops!

Antique Treasures

When my parents were here for graduation weekend, we took a little trip to some local antique stores. In my mind there are two types of antique shops - there are the places just packed full of stuff, where you dig through stacks and peer behind dusty frames to find that one amazing piece, and the austere, clean places where each item is a treasure, handpicked by an antique expert and usually quite pricey.

For me, the first kind is exciting in a way I feel in the pit of my stomach, with the possibility of coming upon the most wonderful treasure unexpectedly in each pile of brittle magazines or stack of discarded license plates.



I came home with three purchases. This ceramic cup, which I am considering a vase and which has such a perfect shape for holding that I carried it around the rest of the afternoon like a toddler with a security blanket.



An old-fashioned egg beater, something I have been wanting for along time. When I was little, there was a certain lady I used to visit who had a miniature version of this along with other tea set items. The rest have become faded in my memory, but I always thought the eggbeaters were terrific and wanted one of my own. And now I have one!

The third item was the striped rug in the pictures of the rotary press. Its a bit worn, but I feel like that means I can use it without trepidation.