We almost forgot to go! The Bay Area Printer's Fair and Wayzgoose was held yesterday down in San Jose http://printersguild.wordpress.com. It is the first Wayzgoose (at least that actually called itself a Waysgoose) we've been to as actual owners of a letterpress. We went to this same event when it was held at Ft. Mason back when I was a student at SFAI and we bought a great toy press that we actually used in a supplementary capacity in our book "The World's Nitem". We got it from a gloomy guy who was selling off his stuff because his wife thought he had too many toys. He warned me of the dangers of getting started down this road to ruin. We still have the press, but does he still have the wife?
This was our first press, bought art the Printer's Fair many, many years ago...
We were sitting there planning our Saturday and Doug went "Oh, Yeah!" and so we hustled down there, nearly burning out our engine (yeah, he'll oil the press, but the car?). It was fun-set in San Jose's History Park---though barbed wire around Mayberry? We got some stuff for the shop-a haul of 60 pt Alt Gothic and a spread of ink---including some gold and neon pink---in tubes! John Barrett from Letterpress Things was there-what a mensch! Here's his blog entry on the fair. Much more drama in toting equipment so his entry is fun. We picked up some Wickersham quoins, a brush, galley locks and a very nifty eraser like thing for cleaning up type and cuts.
The whole she-bang was sponsored by the San Jose Printer's Guild. We got to see the set-up in the Print Shop at the Museum and spoke with the printers there-one guy there proudly showed us how he did a four color photo for his contribution to the guild's collective publication-geesh. Nice collection of toys down there!
Peter and Donna Thomas were there with their Vardo. Didn't get a good picture-shoulda brought the 24mm lens, I knew it! Peter was doing a paper-making demo with a very clever press milk crate hack---a metal milk crate with boards and a jack pressing up against the interior of the crate---he was running some blueish fabric through a pulping contraption which from a distance I took to be for making snow cones---i was already trying to think how i would talk Rider out of getting a snow-coma, but he was diverted anyway by the ye olde candy store just across the way.
Peter Thomas cutting fabric for paper making demo.
Thomas' paper demo/snow cone maker.
Some great ephemera to be had there, too---got a great calling card for a sea farein' friend of mine.
crazy appropriate.
And we took in some San Jose vibrance while on a search for motor oil---destinations included a garden art emporium, various auto stations and a pit stop at Walmart. Sorry, Rider---no snow cone there, either.
it is kinda like mini golf without the hassle...forgot to take a picture of the Chinese stone forest complete with tiny Lohans...
