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Home , Albion press, Columbian press, Platen, Printing press

Vol. 1 | Issue 1 | April 2014

Welcome to Howard Iron Works Museum and Restoration After many years of direct involve- HIW is supported by world-class HIW website launched ment in the printing industry, Nick talent in order to restore and present www.howardironworks.org and Liana Howard set about to this equipment just as it would have build a museum of printing history been when leaving the original with focus on machinery from the factories more than a century ago. New acquisitions and current projects 1830’s to 1950’s. This period of Each piece of equipment is carefully history has been considered to be dismantled, expertly cleaned, and possibly the most prolific and reassembled. important time in the development of printing equipment and The collection is currently housed processes in the history of within the facility of Howard Graphic Equipment in Mississauga, Ontario. The inaugural issue of HIW News . Howard Iron Works website, A plan to build a permanent home celebrates the 200th anniversary of www.howardironworks.org, The collection features a large for the museum is underway with the birth of what was arguably the A salute to George E. Clymer and his was officially launched in mid selection of printing presses – from a projected completion date of most beautiful piece of machinery ever remarkable December 2013, as a pre- the highly decorated Columbian, early 2015. The museum plans to designed, bar none, The Columbian announcement to the opening Washington and Albion presses, to build a working 19th century print- Iron Press. Invented by George E. of the museum. Constantly the more utilitarian varieties, and shop where a new generation of print Clymer, of Philadelphia, PA, the first updated, the website serves as the rather rare Acorn and Stanhope artists can learn and be inspired. Columbian Iron Press was built in a place where visitors can stay presses. 1813, before his move to England in Once completed, the HIW museum informed with HIW’s various 1817 where he continued to produce A photo essay showcasing the skills of In addition to the printing presses, will be available for private functions. activities, new projects and new the presses in . Although the our restorers in bringing back the beauty HIW Museum also showcases Most importantly, it will realize the acquisitions. Columbian enjoyed tremendous and glory to the century-old presses bookbindery, and Howards’ ultimate goal in building success in England, ironically, it was related machinery, collectibles,as the museum which is their way to Visit our website not well received in America. Many well as an impressive selection of give back to the print community variations of the Columbian were , trade journals and via the use of the future facility for www.howardironworks.org produced by various manufacturers in ephemeras of the period. philanthropic purposes. UK and Europe until as recent as 1913, evidenced by the appearance of the press in the 1913 sales catalogue A gallery of a small sample of the vast published by Harrild and Sons. iron press collection at HIW, beautifully A newly acquired 1834 Clymer & Imperial Press built by Sherwin Read the full story on Page 4 restored by our Restoration Team Dixon Columbian is shortly joining & Cope, circa 1840. 15 other Columbian presses in our inventory. This Columbian was Our press collection has manufactured during George E. also grown with the addition of HIW News is published Clymer’s lifetime. an 1872 G.P. Gordon New Style quarterly by Museum Hours platen, a New Champion press, 10 am - 4 pm Earlier this year, HIW acquired the and an 1886 Golding Jobber #7, Monday - Friday letterpress equipment belonging to which features elaborately hand- Our curators have been extremely By appointment only Livona and the late Keith Watkins, of painted decoration the press is busy with acquisitions of special Printing Museum Tel. (905) 821-0000 Logan, UT. The Watkins collection famous for. pieces of printing’s past to add to includes an Acorn press, and a St. and Restoration our Collection. Among the recent Louis Foundry Washington press. The HIW team is also currently [email protected] Address additions is a Britannia Press, by The restoration work on both iron undertaking the restoration work www.howardironworks.org 2230 Meadowpine Blvd. B. Porter of London, of circa 1830’s. presses has begun. on several other , such Mississauga, ON L5N 6H6 The Britannia press is adorned with as a unique K.Krause guillotine, floral decoration and topped with a Among recently completed projects and an 1865 Hopkinson & Cope Royal crest. is the work on a beautifully restored Columbian press. 2013 saw the bicentennial of a major milestone in Printing. One George Clymer from Philadelphia dreamed up a revolutionary . One, for the first time, that did not need a wine screw to create an impression. Using a series of levers, Clymer was considered the first person to devise then build an all iron printing press in .

Many credit England’s Lord Stanhope for was copied not only in England but also building the first all iron press (1800 AD) in France, Holland and Germany. Each but it was Clymer who supplanted - with modified albeit national symbols in framed machines and the screw. Finding place of the original ornaments. george e. clymer little interest in his home town of Philadelphia, Clymer sought more fertile George Clymer lived from 1754 to 1834. pastures in England. In his time he changed printing history and opened the door for more thoughts He arrived in London in 1817, secured and ideas in developing the printing his patent for the Columbian and went press. It is said that Clymer was a "If the merits of a were to be appreciated wholly to work. It is well documented that the showman and marketer. One only needs by its ornamental appearance, certainly no other press British press were both appalled and to take a glance at a Columbian to realize could enter into competition with "The Columbian". amused by the brazen decorations that. But much more important is the No British-made machinery was ever so lavishly Clymer had cast into his press. From the knowledge that Clymer built something embellished. We have a somewhat highly-sounding American eagle clutching Jove’s bolts incredibly successful and, some say, far title to begin with; and then, which way soever our and holding the cornucopia of plenty, to superior to the Cope’s “” eyes are turned, from head to foot, or foot to head, the sea serpents and caduceus symbol launched only a few years after his arrival some extraordinary features present themselves - on on the staples, the Columbian press in England. each pillar of the staple a caduceus of the universal was and still remains the most ornately messenger, Hermes - alligators, and other draconic decorated printing press of all time. Irony of all irony, HIW Collection also serpents, emblematize, on the levers, the power of includes a Hopkinson Cope Columbian wisdom - then, for the balance of power (we, rude barbarians of the old world, make mere cast-iron lumps As time went on, there were various press from circa 1865. It seems even serve to enforce our notions of the balance of power) company changes. Clymer took a partner Cope had to sucumb to copying Clymer. we see surmounting the Columbian press, the talons in Samuel Dixon to form Clymer & Dixon, Jove's thunderbolts, combined with the -branch then on his passing in 1834, subsequent This American Yankee has gone down of Peace, and Cornucopia of Plenty, all handsomely further changes (1845) with the new in history, not for the wild decorations of bronzed and gilt, resisting and bearing down name of Clymer Dixon & Co. his machine, but for the machine itself. Shown here is a All Other Power!" 1851 Columbian By 1851, William Carpenter, an employee, The only place Clymer failed to get Thomas C. Hansard (1776-1833), London & Press in Howard purchased the company but this is also attention was, funny enough, in America. Publisher, upon the Columbian's debut in England in 1817 Iron Works the beginning of the end of exclusivity as No American Columbians are said to Collection patents expired and many more firms exist from the few that were built between were busy making copies of George 1813 and 1817. The oldest known Clymer’s Columbian. The unique design Columbian is #10 from 1818.

Portrait of George Clymer is from Don Carpentier Collection For inquiries about HIW restoration services, please contact (905) 821-0000 or [email protected]

Welcome to Howard Iron Works where the tasks of restoring each piece of equipment to its original condition is taken seriously by the HIW Restoration Team.

Each machine is carefully and completely dismantled, inspected for damage, and fully documented to ensure completeness prior to putting them through the restoration processes.

The cleaning processes may include sandblasting,immersion in specially formulated soak, surface restoration, sanding and polishing prior to advancing them to the painting stage.

Structural repairs & remanufacturing of damaged or missing components are par for the course in the restoration of these century-old pieces of equipment.

Thorough research of the historical background, technical information and special characteristics of each machine is a must to ensure authenticity and true respect for the of the era.

Final assembly of the restored machines and components are done under the expert eye of our experienced technicians.

The decorative detailing of the equipment is achieved by hand respecting the artistry of the past generation. 1851 Clymer Dixon Columbian

1840 J.P. Lejeune Albion

1865 Hopkinson & Cope Columbian

1849 R. Hoe In this issue, Gallery focuses on Washington the iron presses in the HIW Super Royal Collection which features more than 30 iron presses of various types and ages.

Our collection boasts some of the rare and most remarkable 1886 presses of the era, including a V&J Viggins Stanhope, an Acorn press, Columbian Albions, Washingtons, and also 16 Columbian presses - 1840 ranging in age from 1830s to Sherwin 1900s. & Cope Shown here are only some of Imperial the iron presses that have been restored. If you click on the images, you will be able to view the details and additional photos, and explore our site. 1900 We hope you’ll enjoy the visit Shniedewend 20th Century

1883 [email protected] W. Notting www.howardironworks.org Alexandra