Freebie Bookmarks for the Raymond Carver Writing Festival. Edition of 600. Types cast at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry. I'm not sure what Dwiggins would think about the psychedelic-americana treatment to his Caravan 1287 Decorative border slide, but I like it. Raymond Carver Writing Festival is this weekend, May 17th and 18th. Clatskanie, Oregon. www.raymondcarverwritingfestival.org
Raymond Carver Writing Festival Poster
It's Raymond Carver Writing Festival time again. This weekend, May 17th and 18th. Clatskanie, Oregon. www.raymondcarverwritingfestival.org
12" x 18" Poster made from types cast at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry, and also some worn but loved wood and foundry type. The photo engraved magnesium halftone of Carver was recycled from last year’s poster. Also, we had fun with the "split fountain" background, though in reality the fountain wasn't used. "Split distributor roller." Doesn't quite roll off the tongue. Edition 300.
Fiddle Tune Challenge 2024 tune number 125
Fiddle Tune Challenge 2024 tally thus far. Tonight's tune was Buckhorn Handle and a Barlow Blade from Jimmy Triplett. I love that guy's fiddling. It soars. My version is pretty rough, but still fun to play along with Jimmy's recording.
1/1/24 1 Boatin' up Sandy, Bull of the Wagon
1/2/24 2 Bull of the Wagon
1/3/24 3 Bull of the Wagon
1/4/24 4 Bull of the Wagon, The Logger
1/5/24 5 Bull of the Wagon
1/6/24 6 Bull of the Wagon
1/7/24 7 Bass Fiddle String Band Session
1/8/24 8 Eighth of January
1/9/24 9 Bull at the wagon
1/10/24 10 All Young
1/11/24 11 Elk Rive Blues
1/12/24 12 Bull at the Wagon
1/13/24 13 Lady of the Lake
1/14/24 14 Bull at the Wagon and Elk River Blues
1/15/24 15 Bull at the Wagon and Lady of the Lake
1/16/24 16 Bull at the Wagon
1/17/24 17 Bull at the Wagon
1/18/24 18 Bull at the Wagon, Devil in the wood pile
1/19/24 19 Lady of the lake
1/20/24 20 Bull at the Wagon, Cumberland Gap, Salt River
1/21/24 21 Bull at the Wagon, Cumberland Gap, Boatin' up Sandy
1/22/24 22 Bull at the Wagon
1/23/24 23 Highlander's Farewell
1/24/24 24 Bass Fiddle String Band Session
1/25/24 25 Greasy String
1/26/24 26 Breaking up Christmas, Greasy Coat
1/27/24 27 Greasy String
1/28/24 28 Greasy String, Breaking Up Christmas
1/29/24 29 Greasy String
1/30/24 30 Big Scioto
1/31/24 31 Big Scioto
2/1/24 32 Big Scioto
2/2/24 33 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/3/24 34 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/4/24 35 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/5/24 36 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/6/24 37 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/7/24 38 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/8/24 39 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/9/24 40 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/10/24 41 No Tunes! Travel Day
2/11/24 42 Big Scioto, Gimme Chaw Tobacco
2/12/24 43 Big Scioto, Gimme Chaw Tobacco
2/13/24 44 Big Scioto, Gimme Chaw Tobacco
2/14/24 45 Big Scioto, Gimme Chaw Tobacco, Cumberland Gap
2/15/24 46 Lady of the Lake
2/16/24 47 Gimme Chaw Tobacco
2/17/24 48 Bull at the Wagon, Big Scioto, Gimme Chaw Tobacco
2/18/24 49 Session with David Pugh
2/19/24 50 Big Scioto
2/20/24 51 Big Scioto
2/21/24 52 Stacked Them Up in Piles
2/22/24 53 Stacked Them Up in Piles, Highlander's Farewell
2/23/24 54 Big Scioto
2/24/24 55 Big Scioto
2/25/24 56 Stacked Them Up in Piles
2/26/24 57 Stacked them up in Piles
2/27/24 58 Stacked Them Up in Piles, Hannah at the Springhouse
2/28/24 59 Hannah At the Spring House
2/29/24 60 Stacked Them Up in Piles
3/1/24 61 Stacked Them Up in Piles
3/2/24 62 Stacked Them Up in Piles, Session with David Pugh
3/3/24 63 Salt River
3/4/24 64 Salt River
3/5/24 65 Salt River
3/6/24 66 Salt River, Stacked Them Up in piles
3/7/24 67 Stacked Them Up in Piles
3/8/24 68 Stacked Them Up in Piles
3/9/24 69 Stacked Them Up in Piles
3/10/24 70 Salt River
3/11/24 71 Square Dance
3/12/24 72 Lady of the Lake
3/13/24 73 Stacked Them Up in Piles
3/14/24 74 Gimme Chaw Tobacco
3/15/24 75 Little Boy in the Boat
3/16/24 76 Greasy String
3/17/24 77 Shelvin' Rock
3/18/24 78 Square Dance
3/19/24 79 Shelvin' Rock
3/20/24 80 John Brown's Dream
3/21/24 81 John Brown's Dream
3/22/24 82 John Brown's Dream
3/23/24 83 Breaking up Christmas, John Brown's Dream
3/24/24 84 Breaking up Christmas
3/25/24 85 Little Boy in the Boat
3/26/24 86 Wild Hog in the Red Brush
3/27/24 87 Wild Hog in the Red Brush
3/28/24 88 Breaking up Christmas, Wild hog in the Red brush
3/29/24 89 Greasy String
3/30/24 90 John Brown's Dream
3/31/24 91 John Brown's Dream
4/1/24 92 Square Dance
4/2/24 93 Little Boy in the Boat
4/3/24 94 Little Boy in the Boat
4/4/24 95 Greasy String
4/5/24 96 Greasy String
4/6/24 97 Greasy String
4/7/24 98 Moon Session
4/8/24 99 Square Dance
4/9/24 100 Ways of the world
4/10/24 101 Big Scioto
4/11/24 102 Big Scioto
4/12/24 103 Granny Will your Dog Bite
4/13/24 104 Granny Will your Dog Bite
4/14/24 105 Granny Will your Dog Bite
4/15/24 106 Granny Will your Dog Bite
4/16/24 107 Granny Will your Dog Bite
4/17/24 108 Granny Will your Dog Bite
4/18/24 109 Lady of the Lake
4/19/24 110 Granny Will your Dog Bite
4/20/24 111 John Brown's Dream, Flat Foot in the ashes
4/21/24 112 Bull at the Wagon
4/22/24 113 Bull at the Wagon
4/23/24 114 Big Scioto
4/24/24 115 All Young
4/25/24 116 Devil among the yearlings
4/26/24 117 No Tunes! Travel Day
4/27/24 118 No Tunes! Travel Day
4/28/24 119 Devil among the yearlings
4/29/24 120 Devil among the yearlings
4/30/24 121 Lady of the Lake
5/1/24 122 Buckhorn Handle and a Barlow Blade
5/2/24 123 Buckhorn Handle and a Barlow Blade
5/3/24 124 Buckhorn Handle and a Barlow Blade
5/4/24 125 Buckhorn Handle and a Barlow Blade
The "Pioneer machine" at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry
The "Pioneer machine" at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry. (Named after the job shop where this Linotype Model 31 originated) It's a workhorse, and makes some mighty fine slugs. You can tell that it is a workhorse by all of that paper attached to it. Oh, also there's a reminder that the thermometer is still in the pot, so don't go pulling the clutch just yet.
2024 25th annual Portland Old Time Music Gathering Graphics
The 25th annual Portland Old Time Music Gathering is here. It has been 25 years, folks. It's amazing that what started as a small, scrappy, DIY grass-roots volunteer-run mini-festival, has grown to become a much bigger scrappy, DIY grass-roots volunteer-run-festival. I say this with all the love of course. There's a lot of heart and a lot of community around this event.
Stumptown Printers handled the graphic work during the early days of the gathering. Since this current year marks a big anniversary for POTMG, Bubbaville Board President Kate Sheie asked me to do the graphics again. It was a fun project to revisit. I thought that we should list as many musicians, bands, volunteers, sponsors, venues as possible that have helped to build this Portland Old Time Music community over the years. We managed to compile 781 names. (The small type that makes up the "flame" shapes is the list of names) 781 names! That's amazing. I know we've missed names, so big apologies if you or your band name is not on the list. We didn't establish a consistent way to archive year to year info, but after this exercise, we're a little closer to having a complete archive within the Bubbaville collection of info.
Graphic notes:
Print Method: Offset litho in 2 spot colors (Warm Red and K)
Finish Size: 14" x 20"
Paper: Royal Sundance 80# Felt Text Warm White
Source types are arranged from a combination of Repo Proofs from cast Linotype typography and decorative border (cast on Pioneer Press Model 31 Linotype Machine at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry) and Linotype digital type (6pt Excelsior and some Franklin Gothic). I made a rule for myself in creating the fiddle graphic - all the figures are proportionally true to their original form in relationship to surrounding figures - meaning I did not scale the individual figures. This includes the wave border matrix slide rule that forms the fiddle strings. I did increase the scale of the overall fiddle once it was complete and digitized. The repo proof components were all digitized and combined with the digital type faces. Film was generated from the digital file, metal litho plates were made and then printed offset on a M.A.N. Roland 200 by Richard Gwinner.
There will be a limited number of these posters for sale at the Gathering. Proceeds go to Bubbaville to be used for continued community music programming. So pick one up while you're at the Gathering!
The Point. Volume 4. December, 2023 in the mail...
The Point, Volume 4. Miscellaneous Missives From the C.C. Stern Type Foundry. Heading out this week to foundry volunteers, supporters, as well as fellow members of the Amalgamated Printers' Association and friends of the C.C. Stern Type Foundry. Read about what we've been up to, and count how many times I name-drop type casting and printing wizards who are doing the good honest work. Cast in Monotype Baskerville 353 and 8pt Linotype Spartan heavy. A companion blog to printed newsletter with reference photos, videos and links can be found at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry site here.
Linotype in the news October 24th, 2023
Today's "Linotype Machine in the news" appears to be a repost from a year or so ago entitled: Machine that 'revolutionised' printing brought back to life. It's a short article and video of what looks like a very nicely refurbished Model 8 located at the Armarie Room at Nelson's Founders Park in New Zealand. The machine is a real smooth runner, but the plunger is not in place in this video, so who knows if it's a real good caster. Most likely our man Colin was put on the spot by the video crew and decided that he didn't want things to get too exciting so pulled the plunger as a precautionary measure. Just my theory, because I've been there, done that. Anyway, this is a nice glimpse at a what appears to be a well cared for machine. Published on a website called "Stuff." Article written by Katy Jones.
Coaxing machines out of hibernation at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry
Now that they are well acclimated to the new space, we're coaxing the machines back to life. We're quite pleased with the VFDs (used for 3 phase conversion). So far so good. We chose the WEG-CFW300 VFD, which seems to be a no-frills unit with a relatively user friendly display.
C.C. Stern Type Foundry 2023 Volunteer Picnic
Thanks to volunteers, thanks to you, thanks to we, thanks to all of us. The "us" being the immediate and wider printing and type casting community, wordsmiths and bibliophiles. We are grateful for you and your everyday heroic actions that go towards supporting our community. Your time, your energy, your experience and in some cases your hard earned cash - all contributed towards efforts that seem impossible and impractical. Like for instance, building, maintaining and operating a type foundry. Yup. It's the kind of thing that doesn't quite pencil out on paper, but the meaningful and memorable things in life often aren't easily explained. It's something to be grateful for. Pics above are from the C.C. Stern Type Foundry volunteer appreciation picnic. Type was cast, prints were made, poems were recited, projects were shared.
Raymond Carver Writing Festival Posters
No-Nonsense heavy-ink printing for the Raymond Carver Writing Festival. This poster incorporates some fresh type that happens to be some of the first type cast at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry's new location in Clatskanie.
A worker at a bookshop where one of these prints was posted commented that it looked like an old poster promoting a boxing match. Yes! I like it. Somehow this seems fitting for Carver's work.
The C.C. Stern Type Foundry is a co-sponsor of the Raymond Carver Writing Festival. Some of us foundry members will host “Parking Lot Poetry” in the Safeway parking lot alongside Highway 30 in Clatskanie at noon on Friday, May 19th. "Parking Lot Poetry" commemorates an impromptu poetry reading that Raymond Carver and his wife Tess Gallagher held at that same location back in 1984 during a visit back to his birthplace of Clatskanie.
The C.C. Stern Type Foundry crew will also be at the reception with a tiny press ready to help *you* print a writing festival keepsake created from type cast at the foundry. We hope to see you there.
Flat Foot in The Ashes
Flatfoot in the Ashes print and fiddle tune. This is a quick video to provide some context for those of you who have received this small-run print composed with handset metal type and Linotype ornamentation.
C.C. Stern Type Foundry Newsletter April 30th, 202
Rebecca and Connie put together a brief newsletter and quietly sent it out into the world last weekend while we were at the American Typecasting Fellowship Conference in Maine. Here it is. The images above and below were taken moments ago of the C.C. Stern Type Foundry on this rainy May 4th 2023 evening. We’ve got work to do, but things are coming together nicely.
New 2023 C.C. Stern Type Foundry Guild Cards
Printed entirely (almost) from type and ornamentation cast on the C.C. Stern Type Foundry equipment (The "almost" refers to the two arrows. Those are likely a product of American Type Founders, and were re-discovered hiding in plain sight on a galley labelled "arrows" appropriately enough).
Have you renewed your support to the C.C. Stern Type Foundry at the Printer's Devil level or above? If yes, you'll receive your very own limited edition guild card like the one pictured above.
Completing the new guild cards made a good excuse for me to bust out that beautiful Remington portable typewriter. I love that thing. I loaned my original Remington portable to a friend... oh, lets see.... I think it was almost 30 years ago. Yup. Now I recall that it was around 1994. A good year, that 1994. I'm getting side tracked on a side track. Back to the loan of the typewriter: my friend is a film maker, and he needed a good typewriter for the sound foley for his film project at the time. I don't recall the name of the film he was working on, or if the sound of my typewriter made it to the silver screen or not. Regardless, the typewriter is in good hands, so I didn't prioritize reclaiming the little machine before I pulled up stakes and left Dayton, Ohio. I foolishly forgot about the typewriter - until I didn't - many years later. At that point I kept my eyes out for the same model. I finally tracked one down about a year ago. This one was meticulously cared for by its owner who lived in Corvallis, Oregon. It was the same model and year as the one that I longed for over the last couple decades. It was pretty magical putting those familiar keys back under my fingers. I'll be happy to let you use the typewriter, but I may be a little more careful about lending it out for too long.
Soundtrack for the moment
It's Friday, November 25th.
Soundtrack for the moment is Melvin Wine's "Hannah at the Springhouse." That tune always gets me. Mean and gritty but haunting and hopeful. Sounds like a misty cold morning with a hot drink and warm fire waiting on the other side of the mist. The tune has been quite elusive for me, over the years I've attempted to play it on the fiddle, but it has always been out of my league. This evening I had a bit of break through. I had the bow working in a way that flowed a bit, and sounded a little closer to Melvin's playing.
Pictured above is the "fiddleink" Linotype model 31 machine located at its former digs on North Interstate Avenue in Portland. A keyboard close up, showing the famous Etaion Shrdlu arrangement.
Soundtrack for the moment 11-14-22
It's Monday, November 14th.
Soundtrack for the moment:
Charles Mingus Quintet - Haitian Fight Song
Defiant. Rolling. Thumping and blowing.
Mingus: "Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity."
Pictured above is the "fiddleink" Linotype model 31 machine located at its former digs on North Interstate Avenue in Portland.
Foghorn Stringband: Satan's Jeweled Crown
Here's another song from recently found DVDs which contain a couple Foghorn Stringband gigs in Ireland from back in 2006. Documented by Bill Whelan (Rough Deal String Band, OXO boys). Thanks Bill! This is first generation Foghorn Stringband; at the time the line up was: Stephen "Sammy" Lind - Fiddle, Caleb Klauder - Mandolin, The Reverend P.T. Grover, Jr. - Banjo, Kevin Sandri - Guitar, and myself on string bass.
At some point we decided it was okay to play nonsecular songs even though we didn't think we were, err, the most appropriate ambassadors of religious music.
Foghorn Stringband
Live at the Séamus Ennis Cultural Centre
Naul, Co. Dublin, Ireland
May 7th, 2006
Video by Bill Whelan
Fiddleink brand makeready
I’ll hook ya up. It’s good stuff. Let’s go!
On-Line Launch of the C.C. Stern Type Foundry Poets Laureate Broadside series this evening!
As the dust has been settling from the recent C.C. Stern Type Foundry move to its new pole barn home in Clatskanie, my colleagues at the foundry have also been busy coordinating the release of a broadside that is the first in a series highlighting Pacific Northwest Poets Laureate. This first broadside features a poem by Samuel Green (Poet Laureate of Washington State 2007-2009), written in honor of the life of our friend, mentor, master craftsman and the organization's name sake: Chris Stern. Join us on-line for the launch of this broadside and of the series this Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Details for the event are here. The event is free, but an RSVP is required. I hope to see you there live on the internets.
Musing: Lizard not Salamander
Today I discovered that lizards live in this part of the world. In the cold rainy Pacific Northwest. Approximately 45 minutes from where the film "Goonies" was shot. If that helps you get a picture of how very un-lizard this environment is, or at least one would think so. But, sure enough. Lizards. Not Salamanders. How did I learn this? Our resident lizard told me. I'm at the new location of the print shop, also the new location of the C.C. Stern Type Foundry. Or rather, soon to be. Construction is under way. It's a place we're calling "Type Hive" in part because two owners of the property are beekeepers, and in part because it is a "hive" of print activity. But now, it's quiet. And this lizard tells me that we disrupted its house during our construction. Which was a strange thing, because the lizard and I don't speak the same language, but I knew. We are making a path from the new Type Foundry building to the Print building. That's where the lizard was living. Under some bricks which were recently moved. Of course we didn't know that before we moved the bricks. After the lizard confronted me, I realized that its home was quite nice. Those bricks held whatever southern sun warmth was available in this otherwise cold and wet environment. The lizard is a Northern Alligator Lizard. Life span up to 10 years. Imagine that. The brick move happened about 5 days ago. The lizard had "words" with me today. It didn't leave the area where its original house was. I'm hoping that this means the lizard will find its new digs acceptable. I re-built a brick house for it, near the original home but out of the way of the direct path of the new Type Foundry building. I made sure that the new structure is south facing, and added multiple entrances and pathways to the new home. It's a decent place. Or seems to be. I hope the lizard moves in.
Resident Northern Alligator Lizard near the new C.C. Stern Type Foundry Building
"Continue Us" Now available for purchase.
During a hike at Eagle Creek well over ten years ago, and well before Eagle Creek caught on fire (but that's another story), my good buddy Marko Whens and I discussed opportunities for collaborating on a print project. At that point, Marko had amassed a collection of his interactive poems, and I had just amassed another chunk of cast iron in the form of a Linotype machine. The machine needed work, and I needed work to move beyond my fledgling knowledge of Linotype machine operation. A deal was struck. After the work day was complete at Stumptown Printers, I would sift through matrices and molds, and use Marko's poems as material to test the machine and my knowledge. Slowly type was set, the machine was repaired and I gained some Linotype chops. But, job work took over and the type was stashed on galleys to gather dust for many years. In late 2018, and once we faced the reality that the increasing cost of rent for the shop was no longer tenable, I rediscovered those galleys and prioritized casting the remainder of the type before the machine would be placed in deep storage. Typecasting was complete, but the shop move took over, and once again the type sat - this time in boxes until our temporary garage shop was finished. The book was finally completed in late 2019. Marko had planned to hold an event in the Spring of 2020 to launch to book release. But, a pandemic happened. So, I'm excited to let you know, that after many years, that book release finally happened on April 2, 2022 at Passages Bookshop. The book is also now available for purchase here on this site. For more details on the book, go here.
