What, you thought I meant currency? Not quite. But it was an engraved plate from a bank note company. Back story: I bought this printing plate online for a good price about five years ago. I was hoping to have a friend pull some proofs from it, as he did with the other plate I own. (https://www.cointalk.com/threads/engraved-indian-head-abnco-die.108966/#post-895693) However, it turned out this one was slightly warped and my friend didn't want to print from it for fear of it cracking. So it's been sitting on a shelf all this time. Fast forward to a couple weeks ago when I visited an antique type foundry and met a local guy who has an etching press in his basement and was interested in intaglio printing. I told him about my plates and he invited me over to see if we could figure something out. To relieve some direct pressure on the plate, he crafted a frame from masonite with a hole for the plate. After prepping the press blankets we were ready to ink the plate. Inking up the plate using a little Bondo spatula. It doesn't take much ink, but you have to be sure to push in into all the tiny grooves. Next we dab away the excess ink using a balled up piece of starched cheesecloth. The last smudges were wiped off with a piece of phone book paper, followed by a quick dusting of talcum powder. The inked plate, ready to roll. The plate is set in place, face-up, and the paper is made ready. A sheet of special printing paper is wet down (but not too wet) and placed on top of the plate. The felt blankets are then laid down over it. The pressure comes from the top down as the plate is cranked through the press. And viola! my first hand-pulled "$100" intaglio print. This was one of the better ones. We tried thinner paper and a couple other techniques but only got two worthy prints. But it was a great learning experience. I have a huge appreciation now for the art of intaglio printing by hand. There are so many details you have to get right -- proper pressure, correct moisture content of the paper, choosing the right paper, not over- or under-inking, consistent cranking. But really enjoyed the process and would love to try it again with a bigger plate if I can ever lay hands on one!
Congrats Greg! Thank for sharing. Definitely worth framing. What were the most common negative results/causes to a bad print?
This write up just makes anyone want to collect those plates. Excellent gsalexan. Now I'm looking on ebay...
Very cool story and write up! I really enjoy reading these stories and seeing the photos of the experience.
Happy to share. The plate is probably from the 1920s or '30s and was likely engraved for use on bonds. I wish I knew the bank note company, but this one has no identification, just a very small "324" indicating the vignette number. I would guess a smaller firm like E.A. Wright or Jeffries -- I'll be on the look out for matching bonds. Darryl, I thought about printing in green, too, but didn't want to seem too demanding. I think the hardest part was getting just the right amount of ink on the plate. Overink and the fine lines get muddy, underink and things fade away. Here's an example of underinking and/or possibly too much talcum:
I understand completely! Really makes you appreciate the skill of the printers that still print using manual presses.
@gsalexan do you know Michael Bean, he is a retired plate printer from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. I bet you two would have fun talking shop... Below is a photo of his Spider Press at The National Battlefield Coin Show in Gettysburg PA
Wow, that guy's basement looks like a full blown shop. Does he run a printing service from home? He sure has enough supplies and equipment for it.
Salty, that was just his basement -- in his garage he has a lead type maker and a letter press. He used to be an instructor and an engineer at a design college. Coinzip, I do know Mike Bean. He's a good guy; we correspond occasionally. As it happens he's doing some work for USS656 that I hope we get to hear about soon. Right Darryl? ;-)
