Topic: Ephemera: Camera printing blocks

[Ed Wenn]

Hi all. My current flash hobby is using letterpress blocks to make t-shirt designs. Whilst trawling evilBay for an elusive letter "A" of the exact size and style for my next design I came across this awesome little set of camera blocks.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SELECTION-OF-CAMERAS-Printing-Blocks-/251956585423?roken=cUgayN via @eBay_UK

Surely someone here needs to own them!?

Also, this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KODAK-SIX-20-JUNIOR-ADVERTISING-Printing-Block-/371316888619?hash=item567436142b

[Francois]

Now that is so cool!

So you're getting into letterpress?
I don't know why, maybe it's related to the uniformity of computer type, but it somehow always looks so good and somehow heartwarming.

Last year, I got into lino prints. It's pretty relaxing and doesn't require lots of gear to do.

[Ed Wenn]

Yeah, I used to screen print t-shirts for a living (not much of one, I have to say!!) when I played in bands and didn't have "a proper job" and printing of any sort has always fascinated me. Using letterpress blocks seems like a fun/simple way to do small runs of t-shirt designs without spending a lot of money and without needing too much gear.

Lino prints sound awesome. I did some years ago; very satisfying. I think Andreas W (formerly of this parish) also did a lot of lino or woodblock printing. I have quite a lot of his prints, actually.

p.s.
Sorry for editing this post 45 time before finally leaving it!!

[Francois]

I know the first time I dabbled in lino printing was in high school and we had some real linoleum blocks to work with... that was a bit of a pain and I remember we had a bleeder in our class... that's what happens when you're an idiot and you put your hand in front of the gouge 
But now with those EZ-carve rubber blocks, it's much more fun and much simpler...

What I don't get is that people essentially throw all this old graphic arts stuff away... and I pick it up for cheap at charity sales. The only thing I didn't get was a publisher's waxer... I didn't know how to use it until much later...

But now I have a full lino printing kit, a nice calligraphy kit with all the nibs to practice my totally horrible handwriting, two airbrush kits, a nice set of compasses... all stuff I got for pennies on the dollar... I think the most I paid for anything in there was 2$...

[Jack Johnson]

So cool. That Ermanox block is awesome.

[Francois]

Just imagine the crisp print from it...

I once saw DiResta on youtube fix-up an old letterpress that was pretty much seized...