Spent a good few hours this afternoon and evening doing press maintenance, a thorough cleaning that my poor Vandercook badly needed and probably hasn't had in a decade. After being stored unused for years in a newspaper print shop, then in a leaky barn, a dusty garage and finally my studio space (which happens to be located between a surfboard shaper and a carpenter), most of the guts of the press were caked with a thick black layer of sawdust, dirt, grime and dead cypress leaves.
We carefully took the press apart, wiped each gear tooth clean of an ungodly amount of dirt and caked-on grease and dried ink, readjusted the tympan, cleaned the rust off the press bed, oiled every bit that needs oiling and put it all back together. The press is clean and the cylinder rolls easily along its track. Michael took me out for Indian food to celebrate.
A new year, a new start, a clean slate - a clean press, anyway.
Posted by kia at January 01, 2005 08:33 PMHEy, I tried to find a way to contact you, but i had seen your post about digital pinhole images and I thought you might be interested in looking at an article I put up about building one.
http://www.dennisonbertram.com/hackmaster/hack_index.htm
Every now and then I find a random document or email on my computer that brings be back into my past, and I spend some time reliving the moment, and trying to remember who I was at that moment in my life. It's a good feeling.
Sometimes I wonder about those that I knew back in that moment, and where their lives have taken them.
Kia, I have to say that I'm really impressed by your accomplishments and art! Your creativity and skill really capture the life within your photographs. I admire that you've stayed true to your creative nature and are living what you love.
And congratulations on getting married!
Anyway, I wanted to drop a note to say I really enjoyed visiting your blog this morning with my coffee and to lend some words of encouragement to continue what you're doing. Amazing!
P.
Posted by: Pagan on February 5, 2005 08:27 AM