Moving the Goluska Printshop Part 2

Last week I travelled to Montreal with my neighbour Erik Barr and my son Adam to pack up and ship some 400 cases of wood and metal type and the other printing gear belonging to my late friend Glenn Goluska. The collection will be integrated into our operations at Gaspereau Press.

On the first day we lugged everything that could be carried to the alleyway where we built and loaded some eighteen pallets. I was thankful for the additional help of my friends Patrick Griffin (of Canada Type in Toronto) and Norm Ravvin of Montreal, and to Glenn’s widow Bernadette for laying out a wonderful lunch for the crew. The skids were picked up by a local mover and taken to a warehouse to await a truck from Nova Scotia. By the end of the day we were nearly unable to move from exhaustion, but were much soothed by a great supper provided by papermaker David Carruthers.

Assembling skids in the alleyway

Me with a case of wood type. Some of Glenn’s wood type once belonged to Tim Inkster of The Porcupine’s Quill; some of his metal type once belonged to Margaret Atwood

Adam and Patrick helping me with the Linotype magazines

Patrick moving pigs. Nice to see a digital type designer slinging a little lead around

The second day we moved the two larger items, a Linotype caster and a Vandercook Universal 1. After a day of lugging all those cases of type up to the alleyway, creeping the 3200+ pound Linotype along the floor and over the threshold with pipes and Burke bars seemed downright leisurely. We only had 3/8 of an inch grace getting through the doorway, but that was enough. These were boomed out of the patio well and joined the other skids in the warehouse.

Adam, Erik and I creeping the Linotype over the threshold on pipes

‘American Gothic’ or portrait of a Linotype Rigger

Linotype and Vandercook ready for the boom truck

















Booming out the Vandercook


Booming out the Linotype

Before we took off for home Thursday evening, we had a quick tour of David Carruthers’ Saint Armand Papermill. David, a third generation papermaker, is holding a picture of his grandfather. The giant piece if gear is his Hollander beater.

Okay, stay tuned for updates on the installation of the Goluska Typetrust (or whatever we end up dubbing it) at Gaspereau Press. Most of Gary's and my coming week will involve great feats of rearrangement in preparation for the arrival of 20 skids of type and equipment later this week. Our shop was far from empty to start with.

ANDREW STEEVES ¶ PRINTER & PUBLISHER