The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-29
Party Life
Every Party Unit
Should Have Means
For Press Work

THIS column has had requests
from many comrades in various
parts of the country for formulate
for mimeogrsph ink, hectograph
Jelly and for methods by which
duplicating devices can be simply
made and operated at home.
We are therefore going to print
a number Of such things in this
column, and are asking comrades
who have made successful expert
ments along this line to send us the
results. In November 1888 we
printed a formula for hectograpn
jelly which was sent to us by Com
rade LIE Martel of the Workers
School of the Theatre. In print
ing a mistake was made In the for
muls. We therefore ask this COM
rade to send us the formula again
for use in this column.
The Importance OF every unit
having the means of issuing leaflets.
papers, etc, need not be stressed
here. The German situation has
made this very clear to us. Our task
now is to make certain that every
comrade in the Party is familiar
with the technical methods of
carrying on this work.
Photograph pads can be prepared
from china clay, which can be pro-
cured at any drug store at a cost of
10 cents a pound. This should be
combined with glycerine, which
when purchased must not contain
more than 20 per cent water. Mix
two cups OF clay, being careful not
to pack it, with two thirds of a cup
Of glycerine. Knead with the hands
until a plastic claylike mass is OBJ
tanned. Place this mass on q flat
surface and spread it out into a thin
pad, about one quarter of an inch
thick. Flatten it with a piece of
plate glass or piece of metal.
Slide the glass off, being careful
not to lift it, so that the surface of
the pad is absolutely smooth.
The original copy can be prepared
either with standard hectograph
ink, which will give the best re-
suits, or with an indelible pencil
moistened in water. The pencil
must never be permitted to become
ory. When the ink has dried on the
copy the original sheet is placed
lace down, on he hectograph pad
ana pressed lightly with a rolling
pm, After five minutes. peel the
sheet of the pad, and you are then
ready TO make your copies. Place a
sheet OF blank paper on the pad
press lightly with the rolling min
and remove. This process is con-
tlnued until copies become too dim
Inc pad can then be stimulated for
short time by covering it with
water, letting stand for a minnie
or two, and then pouring off the
excess water by fitting pad on side
The pad can then be used as be-
fore.
When the pad becomes ton din,
Tor use wipe the top off lightly with
wet cloth. Then the pad NAV be
snoothed out as before and Used
over again with the same original
copy, or stored away for further use
in waxed paper.
Numerous suggestions have been
sent to us for homemade mimeo-
graphing. There are also obtain
able at prices ranging from $3.50
10 50 mimeographing devices, which
are simple to operate, small, quiet
and effective. If the comrades in
the units are interested in these, and
VIII write to the Org. Commission
OF the Central Committee. we will
send them the required information
The simplest method of home
duplicating was sent to us bv the
same comrades who supplied us
with the information about the CLAW
hectograph pad. The directions are
as follows: First, to make YOUR
stencil. Melt a candle of paraffin
IN long pan about as wide as a
sheet of writing paper. Then din
sheet of paper in the molten paraf-
I'm, making sure that it does not
become too thickly encrusted with
wax. This can be prevented by first
letting the excess wax drip off back
INTO the pan, and, second by press
ing the paraffined paper with a
warm iron over a smooth surface
After this paper is cooled off. YOU
nave your stencil. One end of this
sheet should be pasted to a piece
OF cardboard, in the manner a regu-
lar mimeograph stencil it attached.
The stencil can now be used either
Tor tipping or for stylus work. In
cutting the stencil, the stylus should
be fairly sharp, and the typewriter
type must be clean. Now you are
ready to make your Implications.
Take an ordinary blotter of the re-
quired size Slightly larger than
your stencil of good absorptive
quality. Paint it with liquid shoe
polish until it is soaking wet. Next,
paint the side of the stencil. which
is to face the blotter, with the same
polish. Press it firmly on the blot
ter, and take off your copies in the
same way as you would from a hec-
tograph, by placing your blank
paper on the stencil: press lightly