That takes me back to the days when I was working in a small
bookbindery during the early nineties. All of the covers were still
printed using foil and heated lead slugs.
The lead slugs were made up one at a time, using a composing stick
and a box full of type. Just to give you an idea of the age of this
machine, the manual assured you that "the machine was so simple,
even a woman could use it!" This was amusing in a black sort of
way, considering that I was the only one in the shop who seemed to
be able to set type at any sort of speed.
The fun job of repair also fell to me, something that would have no
doubt shocked the writer of the manual. I never minded setting
type, although uneasy thoughts about lead poisoning passed rather
frequently through my head. My enthusiasm for fixing the machine
waned somewhat, however, after an accident involving a failed
safety catch and a spray of hot lead that narrowly missed my eyes.
I still have the scars on my arm.
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