printing press???

[John of the Skulkers Mess]

Just wondered if there was any primer for persons portraying period printers. I'd like to find out more about 19th century printing, mainly newspapers.

FWIW,

[surveypunk]

Re: printing press???

Wife is in the printing biz and sent me this:

http://www.historybuff.com/library/reftechnology.html

Hope it helps.
Had a minor stroke this past Monday and when I read your post , out loud, to her I dribbled coffee all over my chin.
Doing fine. Just wouldn't be much help in a skirmish.

Huzza!
Jim Baugh

[FlatLandFed]

Re: printing press???

Thanks for the link. At a future event I intend to portray an itinerate journalist/scribbler who has a past in selling type faces/fonts/familes for making circus posters and the like.

Knowing more about the pre-Lynotype days can only help my persona.

Cheers,
Paul Hadley
Pied Typer Mess

[Jim of The SRR]

Re: printing press???

Tony Patton is coming as the Printer. Tony works in the printing industry today and does have knowledge on period printers. John, email me and I will give you his contact info.
Westville does not have a full-size printing press. Only a handbill size printing press. But, Tony is pre-printing items before the event to bring to it.

Thanks,
Jim Butler

[Charles Heath]

Re: printing press???

John,

An entire hobby exists around small printing presses, and these items and their accessories are often seen on eBay. They are suitable for labels, cards, and small products, but may not work well with what we would consider a newspaper of the era beyond two sides of a single page. Poke around a little bit, and you'll see what I mean. By the way, a phone conversation with Boyd Miles may be helpful, although I believe his dad's newspaper and job printing equipment is long gone.

As an aside, it was mighty tempting to wheel into the Stars & Stripes Museum on our way back from Marmaduke's Raid this past weekend, but daylight hours burned in the morning provide a certain amount of woe once the sun sets, and we were running a little behind schedule anyway. Heck of a nice photo of you guys printing out a paper on that site way back when, if I remember correctly.

Remembering when we used to use those common Linotype slugs as weights in HO scale model railroading equipment.....

[John of the Skulkers Mess]

Re: printing press???

There are interesting stories on soldiers and newspapers. There was CDV at (ILL.) state capitol showing a soldier (14th or 15th Ill. Inf.) with a 'captured' printing press. I always wondered what the story was there.

The Stars & Stripes version was courtesy of soldiers of the 8th and 18th Ill. Who knows - Jim Butler's ancestor may have held a copy way back then. I've seen a reference to another Ill-related soldier newspaper in the latter part of 1861 near the front.

The Bloomfield editor (who left town) was named Hull. I believe he was from Illinois. But there was another editor named Hull in Carbondale, Ill., the same place many 18th Ill. soldiers were from. Yet another story to look up.

Too bad you couldn't have made the Stars & Stripes musuem. But one of the main movers there was one of the CS cannon cockers that weekend!

They have many nice items (militarywise) on up to modern-day (Desert Storm if I recall) but I'd leave it all for just one - that four-sheet newspaper dated from 1861!

The Stars & Stripes LHs are among my most cherished events. I did some researchin' for the second version but seemed to have 'forgotten' most of what I learned. Never know when that might be handy...

Out bummin'

[Drygoods]

Re: printing press???

The only period style printer that I ever talked with was Marty Resnick in Ohio. Some years back, and this is nearly a decade, he used to hand print a neat large format paper called the Rebellion Constitution which had period advertisements and articles reprinted from period papers, both No. & So. I have to say, it was one of my favorite selling items, period reproduction papers, done well, were always a welcome interest to all. Hellofa nice guy, but I've not taken the time to see if he's still around, anyone here know him?