Lost Art Press

Get Your Animal Locks

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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Anyone who has read “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” knows I have an aversion to the idea of locks. I don’t like to lock anything.

But even odder is that I love the locking mechanisms themselves.

camel_lock_IMG_7756So when I set out to build the projects for “Campaign Furniture,” I purchased some animal-shaped locks from India to photograph and use as motifs throughout the text. I ordered all my locks from a seller on eBay called Indian Antique Showroom.

The locks are charming, well-made and shipped from India. Mine all came extraordinarily packed in hand-lettered boxes. The seller is very fast and easy to deal with. I cannot say if the locks really are antiques or not, but I don’t really care about that.

What I like about the locks is they are more like puzzles than locks. If you have half a brain you can defeat the lock in a minute or two.

If you are planning on building a campaign trunk this year, check out the locks at Indian Antique Showroom. Dig deep. There are lots of locks there at varying prices. And check back if you don’t find one you like. They refresh their stock on a regular basis.

— Christopher Schwarz

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The Teachings of Experience

Posted on by fitz

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I often wonder what the result would be if young children were able to take pen and ink and write down their ideas of life. What a charming book it would make, but how sadly visionary and unreal the terrestrial paradise it would describe.

Of course, there would be no lack of money, and I suppose the lords and ladies would not be too proud to eat plum cake and gingerbread, and there would be no end of lollipops and apples, to say nothing of toys and other necessaries of life. As to books, I am afraid there would not be a very large supply, but the standard works would be “Jack the Giant Killer,” “Grimm’s Fairy Tales,” and “ Alice in Wonderland;” and no doubt reading and writing would be natural accomplishments that would come as a matter of course like the first teeth.
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Tribolts are Sold Out. Here’s a Solution

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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We sold out of our 100 tribolts for building a Campaign Stool in less than 24 hours. We won’t be restocking, but we do have a solution if you didn’t manage to snag one.

Mike Siemsen, who made the first 100 tribolts, has agreed to make another 100 and sell them directly to woodworkers as a public service. The tribolts are $15 with free domestic shipping. Mike has set up an eBay store here for orders. Or make your own tribolts using Mike’s directions here.

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We still have a good number of campaign chest T-shirts in stock. Those have been selling at a good clip, but we ordered more than 100. We plan to keep this shirt in stock for the next few months, so you have some time to think about it.

I just got my shirt today and love it. The American Apparel shirts are as soft as a baby sasquatch’s butt. We are constantly comparing our shirts to those made by other U.S. vendors and have yet to find a better shirt.

The shirts are $20 plus $5 domestic shipping. More information (and new high-resolution photos) here.

I know that some of you are frustrated that we don’t stock all of the T-shirts, patches, postcards, tattoos and whatnot that we’ve made during the last five years. It still hacks me off when my oldest daughter walks downstairs wearing a “Rude Mechanicals Since 1768” shirt in maroon. I never even had one of those.

To be honest, we make the T-shirts so we have something to wear. Postcards so we have something to write on. Patches for the holes in our jeans. These things are temporary.

What is important to us are the books. We want to keep every one of them in print for as long as we’re around. That’s where we are totally serious.

— Christopher Schwarz

Catching up with ‘Calvin Cobb – Radio Woodworker!’

Posted on by fitz

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Roy Underhill is a little under the weather – both literally and figuratively. We chatted last night, during which I found he’s on the mend from a nasty cold and also at the mercy of the nasty weather in the southeast. So assuming his electricity remains intact, he’s staying bundled up inside at his computer for the next several days as he continues revisions on his novel, “Calvin Cobb: Radio Woodworker!” – a novel with measured drawings.

The book is a delightful screwball comedy along the lines of such great Depression-era films as “His Girl Friday” and “Bringing up Baby,” complete with farcical situations, strong female characters, (seemingly) impossible romance and everything else you’d expect from that genre. It had me giggling on almost every page (perhaps you’ll be guffawing). And should you choose to read it thus, “Calvin Cobb: Radio Woodworker!” also incorporates troubling issues of historic revisionism and gender roles (but Roy doesn’t hit you over the head with the heady stuff). Of course it involves woodworking (there will actually be measured drawings of the plans Calvin shares with his listeners!).

So what gives with the picture above, you might wonder? That’s the Old Post Office Pavilion* on Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., where much of the book takes place. You’ll find Calvin’s shop behind those clock faces, which to me read as a metaphor for…well, you’ll have to see for yourself how the locations reveal truths about the characters (and reveal Roy’s love for and deep knowledge of the fascinating history of our capital).

If all goes as planned (and as the primary editor it’s my job to make sure it does), Lost Art Press will publish “Calvin Cobb: Radio Woodworker!” late in 2014 (with the high-quality paper and binding you’d expect, with printing in the United States). To that end, Roy is busy whipping the text into shape with a couple of revisions to enhance the plot and pacing; he’s promised me a new draft by the end of the month. We’ll then identify the seminal scenes and select the perfect illustrator to bring them to life in a style reminiscent of vintage Hardy Boys books.

I hope to be able to share with you some illustration treatments by late March – and I’ll be keeping you up to date as the project progresses. In a few weeks, I’ll introduce a couple more of the characters…without giving too much away, I hope. Until then, know that with “Calvin Cobb: Radio Woodworker,” the shit hits the fan. No really – Calvin’s day job is studying manure spreaders.

— Megan Fitzpatrick

* 1911 picture by Harris & Ewing, from Wikimedia Commons

Ready to Ship: Campaign Furniture T-shirts & Tribolts

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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While we’re a few weeks away from the release date of our “Campaign Furniture” book, we already have the related T-shirts and hardware in stock and ready to ship. Here are the details and links for these items. Both items are available for only a short time.

‘Stop Staring at My Chest’ Shirts
This shirt, like all our shirts, is made in the United States on soft 100-percent cotton. The front features a campaign-style chest of drawers from the 1909 catalog of the Army & Navy Co-Operative Society. The back features the phrase “Stop Staring at My Chest” and the new Lost Art Press logo.

The army green shirt is made by American Apparel shirts in Los Angeles. The shirts (4.3 oz. cotton) are printed by a small family-run firm in Noblesville, Ind. The shirts are $20, plus first-class shipping in the United States.

If you want one of these shirts, we recommend you order now. We usually carry a shirt design for about three months until they are sold out. Then we make a new one. Click here to order.

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Tribolts for a Campaign Stool
The only thing difficult about building the camp stool from “Campaign Furniture” is finding an affordable tribolt that allows the legs to fold smoothly. The book offers a hardware-store solution, and it shows you how to make the tribolt pictured here.

6_stool_opener_1000_IMG_7791If, however, you do not have a drill press or a proper tap to make the tribolt, buying one might be the best answer. So we asked woodworker Mike Siemsen (who came up with the idea for the hardware) to make 100 of these tribolts, which we are selling for $12 plus $3 first-class domestic shipping.

These bolts are ready to use with legs that are 1-3/16” in diameter, which is the size we recommend for these stools after testing several to failure. The tribolt is installed easily by drilling a 5/16” hole in each of the legs. Then you screw the three bolts into the center nut. You can lock them in place with thread-locking fluid if you wish, though we have not found it necessary.

The center hexagonal nut is not visible in the finished stool unless you get your face right up in the stool. However, if you do not like the nut, we recommend turning a small wooden finial or cap that can screw into the nut.

Please note: This is not a stock item for us. We have 100 tribolts. Once they are gone, we will not restock. Click here to order.

— Christopher Schwarz