The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1904-11-02
UNCLE SAM-PRINTER.
THE OLD HAS A BIG SHOP OF THE
OWN.

Most Sought Depsrtments-Putting
the Gold Leaf Lettering on the
Books.
The Star has printed from time to
time during the past month articles
about the government printing Office,
In which the methods of work and vol
| ume of business transacted by the
various departments have been elabo-
| rated upon. With all that has been
| written, one can visit the big printery
| and find something OF interest well
worth closer investigation.
The bindery division is so compre-
| hensive and covers SO much OF indus
trial value to the mechanic, the lover
of machinery and the trained eye of
the artist that it is quite naturally
one of the most sought departments
of the printing Office work.
The work of the bindery is sepa-
rated into departments also, and
| doubtless none is more interesting to
the student of industrial life than that
done in the finishing room. 1t is GER
| tainly one of the busiest rooms in the
big new building, and is the most up
to-date and largest book finishing room
in the world. 1t is located now on
the fourth floor of the new building,
and is not yet fully equipped to the
extent of plans in contemplation.
Finishing is really the most import
ant and artistic branch of the bind
cry work. Here the finest kind of
tooling and lettering and line work is
| done by hand on Levant, Morocco and
Russia feathers, and also all the blank
books used In the governmental Offices
throughout the country. Probably the
largest portion of these blank books
go to the various branches of the
treasury department, yet the extension
of the functions of Uncle Sans big
government to the islands of the Pa
cifc has largely increased the demand
for blank books to other departments
besides the treasury. There are so
men employed in the finishing depart
ment and they belong to the most
skilled and educated class of artisans
IN the government service. Your
Uncle Samuel has secured his trained
force of workingmen from the very
best private workshops of the country
and inquiry among them reveals that
they hail from nearly every state in
the Union.
The work of the finishing depart
ment is that which the name implies
Here the fine binding in feathers and
best grades of cloth is done and the
books come in from the forwarding
division, where they are prepared for
the binder or finisher. One sees piled
up many fine volumes from the Con
gressional library and departmental
libraries under processes of binding.
O. IL is estimated that fully 1900 books
of the very best dark gold leaf are
used by the letterers in finishing dur
ing a year. This is the real thing,
too. A system of checking is used on
material and tools employed. The
workman receives so many books of
gold leaf or so much leather, and 1t
must be duly accounted for, When
closing time arrives material and tools
are put under lock and key. This is
procedure that is mutually agree
able, because the workmen are par
ticular people engaged in particular
work and they are only toe glad to
work for your Uncle Sam, who, bless
your heart, is particularly itself.
Now, If the visitor will watch the
man who is using the gold leaf to do
his lettering of the fine books, he will
notice that he has three-sided paste
beard frame placed in front of him
which partly incloses the cloth pad
upon which he lays his gold leaf. The
frame is to keep any draught of air
from blowing away the leaf or disturb
ing it. When the leaf or any portion
of II is laid upon the book where the
lettering is to be made piece of cot
ton twine drawn tight across the face
Of the leaf makes temporary line
for guide upon which the lettering
is done. Brass type is used, for the
type must be heated before 1t can be
used, and. as you will readily per-
ceive, II you have ever melted and
nodded old type into fish.line slugs OIL
bullets when boy, the ordinary meta
would never stand the degree of heat
necessary to make the lettering per
feet.
, After the lettering or lining is done
with the gold leaf you will notice that
tho workman picks up what looks Ike
} a small ball OF putty.
( 1t is not the GLACIERS well knowr
material but it is ball of SOFT crude
rubber, whose adhesive qualities are
best adapted to picking up and retain
ing all the waste particles Of gold
! But soft: was the words waste used
+ IL was case of lapsus calami, There
=, | Is no such word as waste" in thu
r use of gold-leaf in the bindery divi
5 sion Here the rubbers are collected
3 when they are well filled with golt
T waste and sent to the retineries, wher,
Il Is extracted and Uncle Sam giver
due credit. The government receives
+ a considerable sum of money each yea
= from this apparently inconsequen
source.