Mac McGrew - Home Letterpress Equipment

Home Letterpress Equipment
used by M. F. McGrew

Just for interests’ sake, here’s a listing of the letterpress equipment that Mac McGrew used at home for many years for hobby printing. This was known in the hobby printing world as The Press of the Licorice Cat. All of the equipment was sold in April of 2000.

Even by hobbyist standards, this is a pretty small collection of equipment. But it was chosen carefully, and from this small and humble press setup, a lot of fine printing was produced by Mac over a span of 40 years.




EQUIPMENT:

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“Golding Official” hand-press, 6x9", side lever, two chases.
Press base cabinet, sturdy, 33x18" top, 30" high, with 12x18" plastic typecases and 9x13" galleys.
Hamilton type cabinet with three-quarter size cases, 30x22" flat top, 44" high.
Lead and rule cutter, Rouse.
Lots of 1- and 2-pt. leads, 6-pt. slugs, 36-pt. labor-saving metal furniture.
Composing sticks, imposing stone, quoins, quoin key, etc.
 


TYPE:
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KEY:
(Parens) = very small font
Italics = large font
 

GARAMOND:  ATF and matching Monotype American Garamond:  Foundry 6, 10, 14, 18, 24, (36) pt; Monotype 8, 10, 12 pt; Small caps: Monotype 8, 10, 12 pt; Spanish accents:  Foundry 6, 10, 14 pt (original packages, unused)
Garamond Italic:  Foundry 14, 18, 24, (36) pt; Monotype 8, 10, 12 pt
Garamond Open:  Foundry 24 pt caps and points incomplete
Garamont:  Monotype 6 pt
Lightline Gothic:  Foundry 6-3, 6-4, 8, 10, 12 pt
Franklin Gothic:  Foundry 6, 8, 10 pt; Monotype 14 pt
News Gothic:  Monotype 8, 10 pt; 18 pt Bold  (Bold specially cast from Intertype mats)
Tourist Gothic with Alternate caps:  Monotype 24 pt
Tourist “Franklin Gothic Cond.” Outline:  Monotype 36 pt title
Shadow:  Foundry 24 pt
Condensed Blair:  Foundry 18 pt title
Whedons Gothic Outline:  Foundry 18, 24 pt
Brody:  Foundry 24 pt
Thompson Quillscript:  Foundry 18, 24 pt
Murray Hill Bold:  Foundry 24, 36 pt
Caslon Oldstyle Italic:  Monotype 24 pt
Caslon Swash:  Foundry 12, 14, 18, 22, 24 pt (30-72 pt partial)
Century Bold Condensed:  Foundry 24 pt
Craw Clarendon:  Foundry 12, 30 pt; Monotype 18, 24 pt
Stymie Bold:  Foundry 42 pt; (long ascenders / descenders for 36, 42, 48 pt)
Stymie Light Italic:  Monotype 8 pt pi
Raleigh Cursive:  Foundry 24, 36 pt
Grasset:  Monotype 24 pt
Civilité:  Foundry 24 pt (c-lc-pts only)
Fournier (le Jeune):  Monotype 30 pt
Cloister Black:  Monotype 18 pi, 30 pt
Engravers Old English Bold:  Foundry 10 pt
Goudy Bold:  Foundry 36 pt
Waldorf Text:  Foundry 14, 24 pt
Scotch Open Shaded Italic swash:  Monotype 36 pt
Twentieth Century Ultrabold:  Monotype 36, 48 pt
Typewriter:  Monotype 10 pt
Bodoni Bold:  Foundry 12 pt pi
Kennerley Italic Swash Caps:  Monotype 24, 30 pt
Lombardic Initials:  Monotype 30 pt
Jim Crow:  Foundry 24 pt
Miscellaneous Initials; Leaders
Cheltenham Perpetual Calendar:  Foundry 18 pt
Sorts (such as ¶§£—†‡/#% etc.): Monotype 8 10 12 pt (a few larger)
Various piece borders:  Foundry 3-24 pt;  6-pt. strip rules
Cast ornaments and miscellany
Handypack:  Piece Arrows; Business Reply logos
Handypack:  New Gothic Bold Fractions:  Foundry 6-24 pt
Handypack:  Angle Quads:  Foundry 12-72 pt