Lead books, braille and an air rifle

Inspired by the enamel book looking like it had been shot, I started looking at lead, partly because old bullet were / are made of lead and partly because of its maleability.
I shot air rifle pellets into lead and through paper, carefully of course, with proper safety equipment!

At the same time printing with lead, some used and bashed up lead and some new

Old used strip of lead with second print behind

New piece of lead

 Fantastic deep black almost velvet quality of the new lead is very different from the bitty beaten up quality of the old, you can see old hammer and tool marks, creases at the edges etc.

From these experiments I decided to make a book with braille collograph pages and shot lead covers (which I may or may not get prints off before they become the covers).

The pages are made from card and paper, punched through and then varnished repeatedly, each measures 30cms by 56cms, as the covers are 30cms x 30cms and the concertina will need to fit within the covers

This is plate 2 inked up and ready to print (obviously backwards)

I have cut down a roll of Fabriano 220hp to 50cms (perfect size to fit through the press and cut down further later) I cut it on the chop saw to keep the edges as neat as possible and save unrolling it in advance......

......and have printed on a roll nearly 3.5 metres long, lifting the barrel of the printer and hauling it through, rolling the print up with tissue paper to keep it clean.

 The unveiling of the final full print

 

 OVER THE MOON!! I thought I would have to do this at least three times to get one good one, remembering I will only get about about three prints before the plates have been too squashed.

All I have to do now is sit on my hands and not touch it until it is completely dry before I fold it into the concertina for the book.

I also want to use the plates for something, I have left them with ink on as they have taken the colour and feel of lead.

Now for the covers..........

I have hand printed the initial pellets into lead to see how it would turn out before I shoot and print the lead covers, I think I will print the covers before I use them on the book

Plan / template for the front cover with brass screw posts.
The cover also in braille reads POINT BLANK PAGES

More to follow.................