EndGrain: Latest post

Have you ever seen anything more glorious than this block? Of course not! It’s a gloriously meaty, delightfully curvalicious ampersand with beautiful color shifts in the wood, peeking out from the caked on gunk it acquired from everyday use. It is, like my favorite wood type letterforms just a little awkward yet impossible to ignore. This comes from the Antique set, the major identifier being the ball terminal on one end of the stroke. The whole thing leans strongly to the left, which is interesting considering the solid stability of the rest of the typeface. The figure still seems solid if only for it’s wide footprint. I love the weight shift in the stroke as the stroke curls over itself and the teardrop shape of the upper counter.

This block is in obvious need of some additional scrubbing, but the gunk on these blocks is shockingly thick. Apparently the finest grade steel wool helps cut through crud, so that will be what I try next. The grain on this block is divine, from the colors in the wood, to the patterns it creates and the way it crosses the face.

Style: Antique
Style first appeared: 1828
Size: 25 line
Manufacturer: Unknown
Manufacturing Method: Pantograph
Is it part of a complete set? Yes

3 Comments on “Antique Ampersand”

  • Casey McGarr

    I’ve used Acetone on very very small amounts to get off the gunk you’ve spoken of here. The draw back is if used too much it’ll take the coating off the wood type and the hairs off your nose if you don’t have proper ventilation :¬). However it worked very well in small doses.

    Great website, keep it dude.

    03-12-10 » 4:26 pm »

  • Bethany Heck

    Thanks for the tip, Casey, I’ve heard of acetone but I’ve never tried it on type.

    03-13-10 » 8:06 am »

  • Soila

    The school bus more detail about what services are provided under the plea with his business.

    Furthermore, often builders have different overheads, profit
    margins on large transportation authority projects.

    06-21-14 » 6:58 pm »

Leave a Comment

Related Posts