Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-25
UNCLE SANS PRINTERY
SOMETHING ABOUT THE LARGEST
BooK-FINIsHIN0 ROOM.
Artistic Branch of Bindery Work-Ex-
tent and Value of Gold Leaf En-
ployed-Machinery.

plOySO-ludGUAACAy.
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 volume of business
| transacted by the various departments have
been elaborated 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 comprehensive
and covers so much of industrial value to
the mechanic. the lover Of machinery ana
| the trained eye of the artist that 1t is quite
| naturally one of the most sought depart
ments of the printing Office work
The work of the bindery is separated into
departments also. and doubtless none Is
more interesting to the student OF industrial
| life than that done in the finishing room.
| 1t is certainly one of the busiest rooms III
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 Iourth moor
| Of the new building, and Is not yet fully
| equipped to the extent OF plans In conte"-
plation.
Artistic Character Of Work.
Finishing is really the most important
and artistic branch of the biEdery work,
Here the finest kind of tcoling, lettering
and line work is dcne 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 10
the various branches of the Treasury De
partment yet the extension OF the functlons
of Uncle Sans Zig government 10 Ing
islands of thu Pacific, has largely increased
the demand for blank books to other de-
partments besides the treasury. Ihere are
fifty men employed in the finishing depart,
meut and they belong to the most Skilleo
and educated class of artisans in the gov
eminent service. Your Uncle Samuel has
secured his trained force Of workingmen
from the very best private workshops OF
the country and inquiry. among them re-
yeals that they hail from nearly every state
in the Union
The work of the finishing department is
that which the name implies. Here the
fine binding In feathers and best grades or
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
Congressional Library and departmental
libraries under processes of binding.
Use and Value of Gold Leaf.
1t is estimated that fully 1890 books of
the very best dark gold leaf are used by
the letterers in finishing during year
This is the real thing too. A system of
ployed The workman receives so many
books of gold leaf or so much leather. and
it must be duly accounted for. When clos
ing time arrives material and tools are put
under lock and key. This Is procedure
that is mutually agreeable, because the
workmen are particular people engaged in
particular work and they are only too glad
to work for your Uncle Samuel, who bless
your heart, is particularly itself.
Now. if the visitor will watch the man
xrh n iS using the gold leaf do his letter.
ing of the fine books in front of him he
will notice that he has three-sided paste
board 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 disturbing it, When the leaf or any
portion of it is laid upon the book where
the lettering is to be made a piece of cot
ton twine drawn tight across the face of
the leaf makes a temporary line for
guide upon which the lettering is done
heated before 1t can be used, and. as you
will readily perceive. If you have ever
melted and nodded old type into fish-line
sugs bullets when a boy the ordinary
metal would never stand the degree of
heat necessary to make the lettering per-
feet.
Precautions Against Waste.
After the lettering or lining is done with
the gold leaf you will notice that the work.
man picks up what looks like a small ball
of putty.
1t is not the glaciers well-known material,
but it is ball of soft crude rubber, whose
adhesive qualities are best adapted to pick
ing up and retaining all the waste particles
of gold. But SOFT was the word waste
used? 1t was case of lapsus calan
There is no such word as waste" in the
use of gold leaf in the bindery division
Here the rubbers are collected when they
are well-flled with gold waste and sent
to the refineries, where 1t is extracted and
Uncle Sam given due credit. The govern
ment receives a considerable sum of money
each year from this apparently inconseQuent
source.
By way of parenthesis, it is stated that
in another section of the bindery division
where the job binding for the government
is executed a good-siZed force of young
women is employed handling the gold leaf.
Here are machines and methods that will
be made subjects for later reference The
printery is certainly palace Of wonders!
One of the main requisites for finishing
and lettering books is good light. 1t is
an absolute necessity. The large new
room of this department most admirably
meets this requirement with eighteen
double rooms, affording ample northern
and southern light Long work tables
occupy both sides of the room near the
windows, and there IS, besides light,
plenty of room to work and good air. A
layatory and closet at one end of the
room would be credit to any of the
finest hostelrieS of the city and Is su-
perior to many. 1t is natural that there
Is an air of neatness and order about the
room because the workmen are neat
themselves.
Time-Saving Machines.
Here, too, where one can see genius
with tools and artistic intelligence and
taste to marked degree, the time-saving
machine has entered and taken its place
alongside of brains and Drawn. 1t is in
the new dynamo apparatus for lettering.
The old style of heating lettering tools
by gas stoves is to be dispensed with and
electric three-plate tool heaters substituted
Two fine new dynamos. with motors at
tached equal to sixty horsepower, for pro-
ducing an alternating current, have been
installed Then there is a machine for
puttiug sort of fame the. edoraS