What job did you have back in the '70s?

Well... they do foster independent thinking and group activities, with emphasis on individual personal lessons. Teachers rotate from student to student in a loose classroom environment that could be thought of as chaos, but it is a controlled situation in reality. Teachers rarely lecture at the front of the class with rows of desks. I had three to six year old kids in my group... for several years. It was great teaching them to read and learn and explore, encouraging curiosity is emphasized also. In the older groups there are assignments but they all have to be completed in a time frame, of course. But loosely adhered to unless the kid is falling behind, then that one gets more attention, more than they may want, but it will be there LOL!

 

I used a NuArc SST 1418 process camera and Nuarc platemaker.

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The first platemaker used carbon arc rods as a light source, like two arc welding rods. I'd have to open it up and adjust the rods as they'd burn down. Then I got one like the above with a quartz bulb.

Plates were subtractive.
The process was:
1. Compile your image via typesetting (use a non reproducing pencil for guidelines).
2. Take a picture using a sheet of ultra low speed ortho film on the process camera adjusting for enlargement, reduction, or same size copy by focusing the camera and figuring the exposure and f-stop.
3. Develop using Dektol developer and a cameraman's sensitivity guide under red lights, I used water as a stop bath and I think Kodak A + B fixer. Or maybe that was photo paper fixer?
4. Then take what ever other pictures you needed.
5. Assemble all the negatives into a masking sheet and opaque out anything you don't want with a paint brush, let it dry.

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6. Burn the plate. (Add a screen tint if needed)
7. Develop the plate by rubbing red developer all over it.
8. Rinse and install on press.
9. Ink up the press, mix the fountain solution and add it to the press, check the ph.
10. Joogle the paper and place it on the press.
11. Run one or two impressions and adjust the feed board and plate for register.
12. Clean the blanket with press wash.
13. Run one or two impressions and adjust the feed board and plate for register. (Repeat until you get it right.)
14. Clean the blanket with press wash.
15. Remove the sheet of paper that ended up in the ink rollers.
16. Clean the blanket.
17. Clean the ink rollers cause you didn't get the paper out before it disintegrated.
18. Clean the blanket.
19. Run a few sheets of paper.
20. Adjust the ink tray cause the image is too light or too dark on one side or the other.
21. Use some deletion fluid to get rid of that spot on the plate that's printing and shouldn't be.
22. Clean the blanket.
23. Run a few sheets of paper.
24. Add build up to the blanket where it isn't printing.
25. Either adjust the infeed becasue it's missing sheets or unjam the infeed becasue it tried to feed an entire ream of paper all at once.
26. Clean the blanket and remove the paper from the rollers and fountain tray.
27. Clean the ink rollers and re-ink.
28. Add new fountain solution.
29. Repeat above until 10,000 copies are printed, 2,000 of which may need to be scraped.
30. Clean the ink rollers, fountain tray, and blanket and remove random scrapes of paper.
31. Remove the plate, apply gum Arabic and store it in the plate cabinet for next time.
Finally:
Check the press and replace that blanket as it's shot anyway and that's why you had to add build up to the low stops that weren't printing.

Proudly read the headline on the job that you just printed, "Become a Partner in Pubic Education with the Red Lion Area School District"
Go back to step one.

 

I still use a reduction/enlargement wheel for artwork.

 

O M G

I had forgotten all those complicated steps... but in point number 6 there were often double, triple and more burns on a single plate with masked shading areas, spot colors etc.

It was a world where you needed some skill, focus and determination to get a job done properly.

 

@themnax My friend inherited a claim in Alaska where there had been hydraulic mining... when I saw pictures I was like SMH what have you done to paradise???

He wasn't into going up north and working like that, so he sold it. But he has quite the collection of nuggets, and once bought a house in Vegas with some of them. Looked like hard brutal work... but then again so is kitchen work. My respect to you sir!

 

@themnax Those Nevada skies, and the howling coyotes. Brings back many happy memories of camping and hiking in Nevada. I have explored a lot of Death Valley and the regions east of there such as Rhyolite, etc. The Sheep Mountains south of the test site were always fun to explore as well as Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire near Vegas. But overall I am glad you got some kind of pension and hope you are doing OK. We must be about the same age or so... much wisdom gained over the years, eh?