Letterpress whisperings

The title of the post is an odd one, but it is how I have come to feel about getting access to letterpress materials - presses and type in particular.  Its not easy to find presses or type or the other bibs and bobs you need in Australia.  We don't have many left, and they seem to be part of an underground world, where messages are passed around between this one and that. Letterpress whisperings...

I felt beyond belief fortunate to have been part of the whispering network through the week. The fellow I visit to rummage around in his shed and see what sort of odd sets of type he might still have, emailed to say he had come across a stash of things if I was interested.

If!

So Barry and I enlisted the help and the car of my dad and headed south again - the second trip in ten days to gather more type and drawers and things...

It took two cars, packed to the gills and quite heavily laden, but it was worth it. I have spent the weekend sorting, cleaning, hauling, lifting  and detailing what I gathered and I remain elevated on a cloud by the sheer volume of it and its gorgeousness.

Loading some of the trays into the back of our car.

A pile of the trays on the floor in the studio.

And on the paper drawers...

I think there were 27 trays all up.

Full. Of type.

Barry spent most of his Saturday cleaning, sanding and oiling the cabinet to return it to its aged grace. What a gem he is.

I loved the back of the cabinet and its many many stories...

Barry also cleaned the furniture rack for me. I won't need to go looking for furniture for a very long time!

The small Adana that we bought up as well.

With all of this stuff strewn round the studio, I decided "Holy Exploding Studio Batman"
would be an apt title for this panorama shot.

This is where I got to by cob Saturday - cleaning the drawers and slotting them back in.

And when I pulled up stumps this afternoon, it was nearly done. Or at least there was enough room on a table for me to make and cover some book covers for a job I must do (when I am not distracted by type...)

And to add to the wonder of the week, I got an email asking if I would like to be gifted a book press, a sewing frame and sundry bookish bibs and bobs. Clearly yes was the only appropriate answer, so off we went on Saturday morning to collect that as well - lots of whispering going on amongst the binders and the letterpress folk. And lots of heavy lifting going on for Barry and I!