Typecase Jewelry Displays   Aren't these pretty?  They're
jewelry displays made of reclaimed letterpress lead type
drawers.   As letterpress printers, we must mention we feel a
bit of ambivalence about them. Type drawers are getting harder
to find and more expensive, not just because they are
beautifully crafted and painstakingly constructed, but they are
increasingly popular Ebay fodder. Their demand has grown on
Etsy, so prices for them are going up for the humble typesetter.
We wonder a little if it's a great idea to re-purpose objects
that were used to hold hundreds of little pieces of lead— for
decades. When they're cleaned and painted that makes them pretty
safe, but word to the wise is to use precaution, particularly
with children. Most printer's type is an alloy of lead, tin,
antimony and other metals, making it much more stable than pure
lead, but certain acidic environmental conditions conditions can
cause corrosion and oxidation, and make the lead more
hazardous.  For more info, visit Briar Press