egg and dart: An ornamental device often carved in wood, stone or plaster quarter-round ovolo mouldings, consisting of an egg-shaped object alternating with an element shaped like an arrow, anchor or dart. Some historians contend this ornamental device is supposed to represent the duality of life (the egg) and death (the arrow).
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Moulding Glossary: Fillet
Dang. I had no idea that “facial angle” would evoke such an impassioned response. I’m still sorting out the online and off-line comments and will post a follow-up. In the meantime, let’s do an easy one (famous last words).
fillet (fil’it) A small flat area that separates individual mouldings. A narrow flat band used for the separation of one moulding from another; a fascia.
— Christopher Schwarz
Mouldings: Help Us Get it Right
This year Lost Art Press has two books coming out on mouldings – understanding, designing and making them. But if you have ever delved into the world of cavettos, scotias, astragals and toruses (tori?), then you know that the lexicon can be off-putting.
Or even impenetrable.
We are determined to publish an excellent glossary with these books, and we’d like your help. Starting this evening I’m going to post a term and a proposed definition. If you have anything that you think should be added or changed, please leave a comment.
Commenters who are particularly helpful will receive free stuff. What defines “helpful?” I don’t know yet. What is “free stuff?” Depends. Free books, T-shirts, hats, smack and blow.
So here’s the first definition:
facial angle: The angle at which a moulding or grouping of mouldings are viewed. Mouldings that all fall in a consistent facial angle are more pleasing than those that jut out or are radically inset from the facial angle.
Thanks in advance for your help.
— Christopher Schwarz
4,770 Pounds Later
“The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” arrived via truck this afternoon. The book looks great. I, however, look like a boiled hobo and am on my second set of clothes this afternoon. Here’s the story:
The books left the Michigan printing plant on Tuesday – one-third of the press run went directly to wholesale customers. The other two-thirds came to my house.
Getting a semi-trailer – even a small one – into a dead-end street in a residential neighborhood is always a game of chicken. Literally. But I’ve unloaded more trucks than I care to remember, starting with my days in a liquor warehouse and up to my current job at Popular Woodworking Magazine. I can’t drive a forklift, but I can do everything else.
Today, my truck driver was having a bad day. I was the last delivery, and someone had pooped in his All Bran (not that you can tell the difference when someone voids in that stuff). He drove down the street and he didn’t like what he saw. Cursed a blue streak. Drove away.
He called me from a nearby grocery store and told me to come pick the books up there.
I told him he would be the first driver in 15 years who failed me. He hung up.
About 15 minutes later he pulled up and we made nice. We pulled the three pallets off his truck and deposited them on my driveway.
“I hope you have a lot of tarps,” he said as he walked back to his cab.
The sky was suddenly dark. I grabbed a knife, ripped through the plastic around the pallets and began humping boxes into my sunroom. Ten minutes later, the sky opened up. Stupid rain.
I covered what I could with tarps and then brought what I could inside – more than 140 boxes. After getting two pallets in the house, the rain was too strong to fight. I covered the third pallet as best I could and peeled off my clothes. While I waited, I cut the wet cardboard off the books and surveyed the damage.
So far, it looks like none of the moisture got into the books. Only one book and one box was damaged in transit. That’s not bad.
Tomorrow we’ll set up a shipping station in my sunroom and start signing and signing and mailing the books. Right now, I’m going to drink a beer (Pliny the Elder – thanks Nate!) and take a close look at the printing job.
— Christopher Schwarz
If you don’t have your copy of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” yet, you can order it here from our store for $37.
Sold Out in 12 Minutes: Leather-bound ‘The Anarchist’s Tool Chest’
Thanks for your orders. We will be contacting everyone shortly to confirm that you are on the list.
— Christopher Schwarz