I bought almost all the supplies I need for my press today: new rollers, a Boxcar base, quoins, ink, gauge pins, and tympan paper. I just need a few pieces of furniture, California wash, and something to roll ink on and I should be good to get it set up for testing. I figure at least 95% of what I print will be on polymer plates, so I’m not too worried about collecting a ton of furniture at this point. Or type, for that matter. (Wood type will always be awesome… I’m sure I’ll start gathering that at some point!)
And, oh yeah… I still need something to put it on. As it weighs 200 pounds, I can’t just set it on any old table. I set up an alert on Craigslist and will keep my eye out for a small workbench or somesuch.*
I’m absolutely thrilled with the volumes of information available on the internet regarding my press. That’s making this whole process much less scary than I expected. (Briar Press makes up almost all of those excellent resources, both for learning/advice and finding supplies.)
I’m the kind of nerd who has set very specific goals for this, obviously. They are:
1) Get the press up and running and remember how to print. It’s been a few months.
2) Print our wedding invitations!
3) Make stuff to sell on Etsy, and develop a big enough portfolio that I can start printing other people’s wedding invite suites.
4) Recoup my investment… approximately $1400, or closer to $2000 if I include the classes at MCBA.
Step threefive: PROFIT.
Our Valentine’s Day was pretty much perfect. We made fondue (pretzel bread and Asian pears are the ideal vehicle for cheese, by the way), had champagne, and played this supernerdy game called Empire Builder, which features trains, maps, and logistics, so it’s basically my favorite thing ever.
Last night was dedicated to some hardcore settin’, since tonight we have a show at Triple Rock, tomorrow is bowling, and then Friday begins Trivia Week 2011. It’s a hell of a commitment, and it’s going to be awesome. I can’t wait!
*As I typed this, Matt and I realized that our “dining room table” (i.e. the Ikea table I used as a desk in my apartment for a few years) could actually be perfect for the press: it’d probably need to have two extra legs added in the middle for reinforcement, but that would be really easy. And then we’d have to actually invest in a real dining room table.
Empire Builder looks kick-ass! I humbly also suggest Power Grid: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2651/power-grid (better for 3+ players) or Pandemic http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/30549/pandemic (awesome because it is collaborative).
we’ve played power grid with my dad and brother before and liked it! i’ll look into pandemic, as i’m also a huge nerd about medical stuff. :)
Can I say how ridiculously coveting I am right now. You are so lucky to have such a set up!!!!
agreed! when i saw it come up on craigslist, i knew i needed to jump on the opportunity right away. :)