MTFCA Forum

It’s like new, with very little use. Did I mention, it cost me $14.00.

Another old car friend sent an email a few months ago, asking if this printers block on EBay was a Model K:
As it turns out, not only is it a Model K, it’s the same image used with many Ford magazines and newspapers from November 1906 thru 1908:

Naturally I had to take it for a spin. Yesterday we bought an ink pad and tried it out. Unfortunately the results were less than hoped for, since an ink pad is a poor substitute for the originally intended printing press:


However, a quick search on youtube found this method:

After filling and leveling corn starch (fine enough to fill all the lines and grooves) and photographing:

The end result after flipping and cleaning up:

Compared with an original:
Merry Christmas to me..........

And Happy Holidays to all,
Rob

This is excellent, Bravo Rob! Congrats!

Wow that is too cool!

Printers ink is a thick paste so it would fill in the image without additives. (I am still trying to get the printers ink out of my blood after 20 years of running a press, and the last time I ran one was 40 years ago)

Perhaps you could go to a local printer and he would sell you a small container of ink BUT you need to buy RED TO MATCH YOUR CAR!

Merry Christmas

Good job, Rob - now I'm expecting a custom Model K Christmas card !

That is just TOO COOL!!!

That's a treasure all right!

Nice fine Rob, Didn't they use a roller to apply or to flatten ink out on a plate to use? Looks like you did get nice results, great hearing from you! Merry Christmas.

Now you can reproduce the car by just “stamping them” out!

Love it and way too cool!

Hank

I found a few of these on ebay. Don't know if Milford High has any in storage from your HS days.

Thanks guys. Now to figure out how to create this one. Same plate.....

You know, all the discussion on Ford's Big 6...

I wonder if the T had been a 6 banger along the evolution of the K, instead of the smaller HP 4, if Automobiles would have taken a huge step forward?

Case in point (just for an example) - the infamous AC mag that made the T such a game changer - Imagine, if you would, a mag like the T but autosynchronous for a 6 instead of a 4... And yes, it could have been done... My god, think of the power that big coffee can 6 would have generated? in 1910? Wow? An inexpensive car with the power of the top runners of the day?

Ford (until the K) was a fan of the 6 - just look at his 2 early racers. There are theories of why HF disdained the 6 cylinder motor at the end of the K era, but he knew, back in the seminal days of cars, that the 6 was a good powerplant...

Anyway, I'll just continue to sit back and wonder, and dream, and imagine had Angel been a 60 HP 6 in 1915... instead of a 20 HP 4... where it could have gone.

Have an awesome evening, folks!

Susanne,
Thank you for the post,
In my research, I don’t believe HF ever disdained the six. In fact, initially he reported he would bring out a four (T) and light six (late 1907). Furthermore, there are reports of HF driving around Detroit, and overtaking larger cars with his prototype light six in 1908 (that exists to this day).

As late as 1909 Henry Ford planned, and rebuilt his six cylinder racer to run in the inaugural 1909 Indianapolis Speedway contests. However, it was not to be, and we have histories recollections to fall back on. I’ll post a few items tomorrow,
Rob
Again, thank you for your post.

When I was growing up, an uncle had one of those old printing presses. He died in a plane crash when I was twelve, and the press was handed down to his kids, and placed in the barn at their mother's old house. Within a year, my older cousin was earning money printing cards and invitations, as well as a wide variety of silly things and selling them. That cousin was about a year and a half older than I, and I was helping him in type setting and running the press very early. Another cousin, a bit younger than I, was also doing some printing and we also worked together.
Shortly after that, in high school, I took a year of "graphic arts" which was a work training program, in printing. Even then, I thought it was bizarre that a high school would teach a dying art like typesetting in a work training class. I was more interested in history, and the typesetting class for me was one of the few classes in school that I ever enjoyed! So I was learning typesetting and old method printing in both school and working with my cousins. I have many hundreds of hours with each, the typesetting (which included similar picture blocks), and the printing (which also often included picture blocks).
Both the type and the picture blocks have printing surfaces that are moderately soft metal. Improper adjustment or alignment, too much pressure onto the printing surfaces can very easily damage them. Most people today do not understand this, and most collectors are not serious enough to care. However, if you ever get around some people that are serious, it can be interesting how they can critique the condition of printing blocks. Think model A Ford judges are picky?

I think printers ink should still be available, and most of the basic tools and supplies if you wanted to actually do some printing with it. Try googling "pilot press printing" (how did I remember that from so long ago?). A pilot press is a relatively small hand operated printing press. There is some artistry in getting the ink just right, so that it will make nice clean image. It has been so long since I did any printing, but it is something I have always wanted to have and play around with.


That is a wonderful and historic bit of the early Fords past.

Wayne, there is a whole section in one of the museum sheds at Mount Pleasant Iowa devoted to antique printing presses. The presses are used to do a lot of the printing at The Old Threshers Reunion. When you walk through that section you get the feel of being in an old newspaper or print shop. There is not just some equipment, there is a LOT of it there.
Rob, That is a real neat piece to have. It is even unique that someone recognized it and that it got to you! What are the chances that that block would survive until today? Someone way back then had to put it aside. Didn't they recycle those things?

Wayne, incredible story about your past experience with printing. Thank you. I’ll look into a method to try to print with it. Thanks again!

Herb, it is incredible that John recognized it, and contacted me. The seller had no idea what car it was, so there wasn’t much information. I thought pieces were melted for re-use too. The major portion of this is lead, but the printing face may be a copper like metal?

How well I remember printing. We had to memorize every letter's location in that printer drawer so we could pull letters and replace letters almost without looking. When you set up your print job everything was backwards, like a photo negative and positive. Do not drop it. Then you had to block it with spacers so it would fit in the printer. Rob, you had to fit your picture block in place with spacers and they had to be tight, and flat. If it wasn't flat, it did not print evenly. The ink also had to be applied evenly across that round thing so the roller picked up the ink correctly. I took printing in 7th grade and I can still see the look Mr Berg gave me when I printed business cards that said 'Save Water Shower With Your Steady'.

Dave, thanks. Not sure what you were trying to write, but remember this is a family friendly site....