Industrial archaeology is the study of the industrial past based on its material remains, positing that artifacts can shine meaningful light on the experiences of people who lived their working lives in mines, mills and factories. This presentation explores what artifacts in the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum’s wood type shop have to say about the nature of work in the Hamilton Manufacturing Company’s type factory, and about the skills and knowledge type shop workers exercised daily — skills being preserved today through type manufacture ongoing at the museum.
Daniel Schneider
Adventures in Materiality: Machinery and Artifacts of Wood Type Manufacture
Love and Elbow Grease for Very Large Machines, An Industrial Archaeology Experience
This is an up-close, personal, and grimy experience with the heaviest industrial machinery in the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum’s collection. The wood preparation machines — carriage saw, four-drum sander, and height machine — were essential to the industrial production of wood printing type. By spending a day giving these giants a good cleaning and some minor repairs, participants in this small-group workshop will help the wood preparation machines shine on the museum floor. Participants will learn how to read the mechanics of industrial machinery and about the work environment these machines were part of historically, while helping make the museum display more engaging for visitors.
Daniel Schneider
Industrial Rust Press
Daniel Schneider is an industrial archaeologist, letterpress printer, and book artist based in Lake Linden in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA. His archaeological research focuses on manufacturing and extractive industries, particularly wood printing type manufacture in the United States and native copper mining in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. His book arts work pursues themes derived from his archaeological practice, including industrial work as situated activity within mechanized environments and industry’s transformation of landscape.
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