3D Printable teaching tools
These 3D printable teaching tools enable hands-on instruction for book history pedagogy.
The 3Dhotbed TYPECASTING Toolkit
This teaching set helps students understand the various tools and processes used to cast type by hand using the punch matrix system during the hand-press era. The 3Dhotbed typecasting toolkit includes all the pieces necessary to teach the punch matrix system in a classroom setting: an adjustable handmould in two parts, a single punch, a single matrix, a single piece of movable type with the jet attached, a single piece of type with the jet detached, and a detachable jet piece that fits into the type piece. The punch, matrix, and type pieces are for a majuscule sans-serif B character. An instructional video for incorporating these tools into curriculum can be found here.
Complete Typecasting Toolkit
This dataset includes all the individual files necessary to print the complete 3Dhotbed teaching toolkit: a handmould in two parts, punch, matrix, and two pieces of type (one with the jet attached as well as a detachable jet piece and an individual type piece).
The punch, matrix, and type piece for this kit is for a majuscule modern sans-serif B.
Hand Mould
A two-part mould used for casting hand-made type. Slid together, the two parts of the mould create a cavity that adjusts for varying letter widths. A type caster inserts a matrix for a specific letter into the hand mould and fills the resulting cavity with molten type metal, creating a piece of type.
This 3D dataset is in two parts. Each part is a separate piece of the two-sided mould. You will need to print both files to have a complete model for a hand mould. For printing ease, the spring (used by typecasters to hold the matrix into place on the mould) has been excised.
Punch
A long steel bar with a single character carved in relief on the long end. Cutting a punch is the first step in type design and a long and laborious process. To create an entire fount, the punchcutter must replicate this process for every single letter, character, and punctuation mark in the alphabet.
This dataset will print a punch for a majuscule modern sans-serif B.
Matrix
A mold for casting a letter, typically a small rectangular block of copper, onto which a letter-shaped cavity has been struck using a punch.
This dataset will print a matrix for a majuscule modern sans-serif B.
Type Piece with Attached Jet
Using a handmould and a matrix for specific character, a single piece of type is cast. The resulting type piece is produced with attached waste metal, called a jet, that is removed before the piece of type is cleaned and used for printing.
This dataset will print a piece of type for a majuscule modern sans-serif B with the jet attached.
Type Piece without Attached Jet
Using a handmould and a matrix for specific character, a single piece of type is cast. The resulting type piece is produced with attached waste metal, called a jet, that is removed before the piece of type is cleaned and used for printing.
This dataset will print a piece of type for a majuscule modern sans-serif B without the jet attached. To use this model for instruction, you must also print the removable jet, which will insert into the piece of type to illustrate the process of jet removal.
Removable Jet
A single piece of type is produced with attached waste metal, called a jet, that is removed before the piece of type is cleaned and used for printing.
This dataset will print a single detachable jet piece. To use this model for instruction, you must also print a model of the type without jet; the removable jet inserts into the type piece to illustrate the process of jet removal.
ADDITIONAL TOOLS
In addition to the 3Dhotbed teaching toolkit, these datasets will print related tools commonly used in book history pedagogy.
Composing Stick
A composing stick is a handheld tray used by a compositor to set individual pieces of type from the case into a line of type. This dataset will print a single composing stick for setting pages in octavo format. This model is for teaching purposes only and may not be functional for setting actual metal type.
Facsimile Illustrative Woodcut
Woodcut is a relief printing technique created by carving the non-printing areas of an image from the surface of a block of wood. The image remains, in relief, level with the surface of the original wood block and is inked and printed along with the locked up type in the press.
This dataset will 3D print a facsimile model of a woodcut for the Schriftgiesser (type caster) print from Jost Amman’s 1568 text, Das Ständebuch. The model is 4 inches by 4 inches square, and should print type high: 0.918 inches. The model shown here was resin printed for increased detail. To print on a standard FDM printer, a smaller mm. nozzle is necessary. The resin print shown here was set in a locked form of a tabletop roller press, inked, and printed successfully.
Facsimile Xylographic Woodblock
Common in China and East Asia, woodblock printing is a technique for book production in which text, images, and patterns are carved in relief from the surface of a block of wood. The resulting xylographic woodblock is inked and impressed onto a writing surface to create an individual sheet of the resulting book.
This dataset will 3D print a facsimile model of a xylographic woodblock containing pages 31-32 of "An Illustrated Explanation of Miraculous Response Appended to the Heart Sutra and Diamond Sutra," an ancient Buddhist text published by Zhu Xuzeng 朱續曾 in 1798. The woodblock is one of 37 held by the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Library Special Collections.
