Most of a recent letter to my friend Larry

January 17, 2025

I feel as if my head has been shattered by the election.  Humor is no longer a luxury item.  

Thanks for your fine letter.   

I shall attempt to answer all of your questions.

1. Chandler & Price printing press.  Thanks for the link to the video.  Her press is 20-30 years newer than mine, but the same size.  (I misstated mine.  I think its chase is 12 x 15 inches.  Mine has a motor with a friction wheel that engages the big spoked flywheel.  I bought the press from a local printer who had been using it as a die cutter.  I promised him I’d use the press and the cases of type for printing, not for selling in the antique markets.  Gerry, the printer, put the press in the big doorway of his shop.  I took the thing apart and loaded it into that green VW van you helped me buy in Stevensville when you pulled through Missoula in your giant station wagon.  The largest component is the platen, massive, standing on two legs that ride on their respective bearings.  It weighs hundreds of pounds, but in 1986, or so, I was able to walk it up the back steps, across the kitchen, and down a straight stairway to the basement, one step at a time, pulling it down toward me.  My daughter Clara was home from school that day and she wondered at the clunking sound as I eased it down.  Putting it together with big old nuts and bolts required an adjustable wrench and lots of rags to wipe off the oil, grease, grime, and Gojo hand cleaner.

Come Spring, I figure I’ll take all the parts upstairs myself, except the platen, of which I’ll try to estimate the weight before asking strong persons to carry it up.  I’ll do that by asking one of my kids to try lifting up one end and asking him what he thinks it weighed.

Once in the garage, I plan to fasten the platen onto a sturdy pallet so a fork lift can put it into a U-Haul trailer.  

This isn’t the press’s first encounter with a rando with tools.  Gerry’s daughter, I think, painted it black, gold, red and blue.  Also, the ears of the platen have been welded (bronzed, I think) after what I assume was breakage caused by it falling.

2. Wood working.  I built another foot stool.  This one was my best effort to date.  I’ve become more creative in making doweling jigs that actually work.  I’m using douglas fir I bought at Lowe’s.  I tried staining the pine top of the stool, and it looks terrible.  I stained three such tops, and I’m sanding and planing off the stain.  Looks better unstained.  

3. Paper making.  Coincidentally, my daughter in law is an artist who got a grant to pursue paper making.  I have been prowling around Billings looking for materials.  My efforts to make paper are like the first steps of a child.  She said you have to learn on the job tactilely to create and manipulate the paper pulp.  I bought a pound of dry paper mache at an art supply, so I’ve mixed it with water to make friable, lumpy sheets of paper.  I couldn’t get the fibers to separate enough in the slurry to make an honest sheet of handmade paper.  Yesterday I mixed up some corn starch to add to the slurry.  The paper was somewhat improved.  Stronger, didn’t break when I folded and creased it.  Still tore readily, not satisfactory, but the last of the slurry made a bit of strong, thin paper.  I’m going to try to physically mix the pulp with an immersion blender that I ordered online.

Also, how do they give the paper wet strength?  Glue?

Sincerely, etc.

4.  I hope to print a poem on the paper if it comes out good.

Penny and I have been volunteering here and there.  Couple of WASP do-gooders, we.  Still, we’ve made some new friends.  I gotta go.

Dan