By far the greater bulk of letterpress work in gold is produced by bronzing, and the results obtained by this method are excellent.
The process involves, first, printing the sheet in a tacky medium such as bronze preparation and then dusting it with bronze powder which adheres to the preparation.
It is then lightly burnished to smooth and brighten the bronze and then the loose bronze is cleaned off the sheet.
Small work can be bronzed by hand, but the work must be carried out under vacuum.
Bronzing machines have been available for a period of years.
During the 1960s if you did any bronzing whatsoever you had to drink a pint of milk a day (paid for by the Boss).
What the milk had in it to neutralise any bronze powder in the air I will never know.
Then in the early 1970s some bright spark said we would have to start drinking a bottle of Coca Cola a day.
Now that did make me feel worse.
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Adelaide SA 5000, Australia
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“. . . neutralise any bronze powder in the air . . .” – poppycock!
You drank the milk to settle the crap in your guts, rather than it settle in your lungs!
As an apprentice hand-comp I would sweep the floor, clean space bands with graphite, pour metal from the smelter to make “fish” and run the Elrod. After any those chores I was told “Don’t forget to drink your milk!”.
Those in charge knew exactly why you drank the milk!
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