We have been eagerly awaiting the printing press to finish its work on Marc Adams’s book “The Difference Makers: 30 Contemporary Makers; 30 Remarkable Stories.” The book is in its final stages at the bindery and should leave the docks in about a week.
The hold-up has been with the printing quality.
Our reputation for pickiness precedes us. Our prepress service’s quality control people rejected one of the book’s printing forms before it even made it to us for review. This is, in my experience, rare. Usually the prepress service tries to hustle the publisher into accepting whatever comes off the press.
So we’re a few days behind our planned release date. That’s the bad news. The good news is that quality is indeed infectious.*
— Christopher Schwarz
* “Quality is contagious” is John Economaki’s mantra. Hat tip to that.
We have Derek Jones in the shop this week to teach a two-day class in French polishing, and Derek has generously agreed to give a free short demo on the process at 2 p.m. Saturday at our Covington, Ky., storefront.
Derek is the editor of Furniture & Cabinetmaking Magazine and runs the Lowfat Roubo site, where he sells tools and offers courses in the U.K. This is his first trip to the United States, and after the class here he heads to the Marc Adams School of Woodworking to teach two courses.
Derek is a wiz at French polishing and an outstanding teacher. His process focuses more on the results than historical dogma. I think you’ll be amazed.
The demo will begin at 2 p.m. Our storefront is at 837 Willard St., Covington, KY 41011.
If you are interested at all in finishing, you don’t want to miss this.
— Christopher Schwarz
I know that we are not supplying your headwear needs with our new hats. Two colors? One rim size? And that crown? It’s easily 3/8” too small. I know that your haberdasher chortled mightily when he opened our webpage.
Here’s the solution. Make you own dang hat. Below is a link to the vector file we used to make the embroidery pattern for these hats. The marriage mark cannot be copyrighted any more than you could copyright a question mark. Click here.
Here’s a note you can print out for your local embroider.
Hi,
The vector file you’ve just been handed (it looks like a triangle with fins and a tail) is a mark that has been in use by woodworkers since at least the 1700s. It’s called the “marriage mark” and is used to mark out parts that belong together. It’s in the public domain as much as any historical symbol (the Christian cross, the lotus plant, the middle finger).
I personally drew this image in about 5 seconds in Adobe Illustrator and give permission to anyone to use it as they see fit. Put it on baby jammies, Yoda costumes, thong underwear.
Thanks,
Chris Schwarz, drawer of the triangle thingy.
If you don’t like our hat selections, do the DIY thing and make a hat for yourself. You can support a local business and get exactly what you want. You might even save a few bucks in the process.
— Christopher Schwarz
Here’s the latest chapter in the Lost Art Press Hat Saga. Book 14, chapter six, verse 12.
Short version: We have new hats in the store now. They fit well, are reasonably priced and are available in tan and (by request) camouflage. Other facts to know: They are embroidered on demand. We make almost no money on these – they are just for fun. We like hats because we sometimes don’t shower in the morning.
Longer version: Finding the right hat to sell has been a long journey. Yes, there are bespoke milliners out there that we have investigated. We love good merchandise, but we just can’t fathom selling a baseball cap for $75 to $100.
We wanted a hat that you wouldn’t cry over if you left it at the baseball park. We wanted a fairly low profile to the crown – the ridiculously tall trucker caps are not for us. And we wanted something unstructured and that would break in quickly.
This hat, made in Bangladesh, ticks all those boxes. Yes, we’d rather have a USA-made hat. But we couldn’t find one that we liked and thought was reasonable in price.
This one is $24.50. It takes a beating. It’s easily adjustable with a friction buckle. It’s well-ventilated. And it survives the washer and dryer just fine. We wish it were less expensive, but this is the best we can do.
When I showed the prototype on Instagram, I also threw in my personal camo hat in the background. I grew up in Arkansas and would have worn a camo tuxedo to my wedding, had Lucy allowed it. My fellow rednecks clamored mightily for us to sell the camo hat as well as the tan. And so we abided.
Do not let me down, rednecks.
— Christopher Schwarz
