I think I got this from Brownell’s Twitter account and it depicts Bob Brownell checking the company’s newsletter IIRC. I had an immediate moment of nostalgia because of the machine displayed: A Multilith 1250 Offset Printer. I had mentioned before that my dad had a print shop and that is the machine we had alongside a newer version of the same model. I started working them things when I was about 12 years old and kept working for 10 years till I went to college in the US. In fact, half the money I had for college was wages made working with that machine.
Dad sort of retired, but kept his printing shop as something to do or else mom would kill him for being a pest. He had only two clients and would work Monday through Wednesday only; Thursdays he and mom would drive to the beach and spend the long weekend in an apartment we had.
When he passed, one of the most difficult things I had to do getting everything set for mom was to sell the printing stuff. It was not easy and it showed me how nasty a moral-less could some people be. The machines did end in the hands of good people who paid well and appreciated the care we had given to the machines for decades.
Sorry to have gotten all mushy, but it guess sharing some personal stuff now and then is a requisite for a Blogger.
Ah, old iron. I never had anything quite that old in my shop press-wise (an ABDick 9810 with a swingaway T-head was our beast) I do have a scoring macing that is from the 60’s. Heavy as hell but still works.
When we switched to all digital we sold all our iron to a guy who shipped them to central america. Somewhere down there is my 9810 and a Ryobi 3302 2-head that were still in perfect condition.
My father was a machinist, and died from heart disease.
Every time I use his tools to build something or to measure something I feel a powerful connection to him.
I used to take my naps (1954) on the cut sheets for our letter press; the rhythms of the machines are like the rustling of trees in the woods – comforting, and predictable. My family made the transition to virtual printing, a step at a time, to offset and to networks, printing off-site and it is sad. All the tech is gone and recreating the network of hand presses would be slow and expensive.
I do have a roller press for lithography and etching, so there is that slower method of sharing. Prettier I suppose.