Things typographical and printerly

To St Brides Foundation to see a lovely film about Jim Rimmer, five decades a typographer, designing and casting a font in his workshop at the bottom of his garden in New Westminster, BC. See a trailer here. The showing was introduced by the project's instigator, Richard Kegler.

Demonstrations included lettering artist and illustrator Ruth Rowland and Fenner Paper. Downstairs in the workshop, lots of presses -

I was drawn to the tool roll of Peter S Smith, and seduced by the woodcutting tools. Having made a few marks on the trial block, I'm very tempted to do one of his courses (there are letterpress courses too) -

In the 80s, he said, box wood was in short supply, so wood engravers started experimenting with plastics, and found that the best one was the sort used in police riot shields.

"Shadow Curtain" by Peter S Smith (via)