{"id":2355,"date":"2013-07-16T19:12:02","date_gmt":"2013-07-16T19:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/?p=2355"},"modified":"2019-01-14T21:55:59","modified_gmt":"2019-01-14T21:55:59","slug":"what-the-hectograph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/2013\/07\/16\/what-the-hectograph\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Hectograph?!?!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectohowto.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2381\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectohowto.jpg\" alt=\"hectohowto\" width=\"593\" height=\"319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectohowto.jpg 1648w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectohowto-300x161.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectohowto-1024x550.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 593px) 100vw, 593px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This past weekend, the Zine Librarian (un)Conference happened here in Iowa City!&nbsp; Amongst the lively discussions and seminars was a Historical Zine Making Technologies Workshop demonstrating and using obsolescent printing techniques including hectography, spirit duplication, and mimeography. You may be asking yourself, at this point, what the heck a hectograph is&#8230;and we&#8217;re here to show you.&nbsp; By the end of this post, you too, could be on your way to zine making madness!<\/p>\n<p>First, a hectograph a.ka. a gelatin duplicator or jellygraph, is a smooth piece of gelatin used to make multiple prints off a single master sheet.&nbsp; We&#8217;ve got great examples in many of our zine collections, including, but not limited to the<a title=\"Hevelin Collection\" href=\"http:\/\/hevelincollection.tumblr.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"> Hevelin collection<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Second, making and using is a hectograph is incredibly simple.&nbsp; The only difficulties I had in using this out-moded technology was locating a couple of the supplies.&nbsp; I recommend using internet shopping sites to track down the harder to find materials.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectosupplies.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectosupplies.jpg\" alt=\"hectosupplies\" width=\"140\" height=\"34\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div style=\"text-align: left\">1 oz unflavored gelatin<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>6 oz liquid glycerin (sometimes in the first aid aisle of the drugstore or supermarket&#8230;most easily obtained online)<\/li>\n<li>about 1.5 cups of water<\/li>\n<li>a pan slightly larger than 8.5&#8243; x 11&#8243; &#8211; I used an aluminum disposable pan<\/li>\n<li>non-thermal transfer sheets (can be obtained from a tattoo supplier online, also referred to as Spirit transfer sheets)<\/li>\n<li>paper (of the plain white copier variety, but I encourage experimenting with other types of paper)<\/li>\n<li>optional:&nbsp; transfer stencil pencils (also purchased from a tattoo supplier online)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I got the recipe for the gelatin <a href=\"http:\/\/chestofbooks.com\/crafts\/popular-mechanics\/The-Boy-Mechanic-700-Things-for-Boys-to-Do\/How-To-Make-A-Hectograph.html#.UeQ7zKwfLwM\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectodirections.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-2382 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectodirections.jpg\" alt=\"hectodirections\" width=\"195\" height=\"48\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectodirections.jpg 542w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectodirections-300x74.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Prior to beginning, pour the water over the gelatin and let it sit for a few hours (overnight is best)<\/li>\n<li>Heat the glycerin over medium\/low heat &#8211; it just needs to be hot enough to melt the soaked gelatin<\/li>\n<li>Add the gelatin to the glycerin and gently stir until the gelatin is completely melted<\/li>\n<li>The mixture you end up with should be transparent and slightly yellow in color.<\/li>\n<li>Pour this mixture into the pan you want to print from &#8211; pour gently as to avoid making bubbles in the surface<\/li>\n<li>Let the pan sit and cool for a couple of hours until the gelatin has solidified&#8230;I got antsy and put the pan in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, which did the trick&#8230;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectosteps-copy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2385\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectosteps-copy.jpg\" alt=\"hectosteps copy\" width=\"525\" height=\"354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectosteps-copy.jpg 750w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectosteps-copy-300x202.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;font-size: large\">Printing<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Take your transfer paper and draw whatever you want to print on it with a firm hand and a hard stylus (a pen usually works).&nbsp; Make sure that your lines are being transferred to your master sheet.&nbsp; You can also use the transfer pencils to add designs directly to the master sheet.<\/li>\n<li>Take your master sheet and place it FACE down on the solidified gelatin surface, making sure there are no bubbles and that there&#8217;s good contact between the gelatin and the master.&nbsp; Let the master sit for awhile &#8211; I read somewhere that 1 second of sitting for every copy you want to make is a good rule of thumb.<\/li>\n<li>Pull up your master sheet slowly &#8211; sometimes it helps to fold up a corner when placing it down so you have a tab to pull it up from<\/li>\n<li>You&#8217;re ready to print!&nbsp; Place your paper on the gelatin surface and rub the back, much like the master sheet. Pull the sheet up and voila &#8211; you should have a duplicate of your master!<\/li>\n<li>Keep going until the prints get too light to read.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2392\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2392\" style=\"width: 592px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectographtransfer.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-2392 \" src=\"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectographtransfer.jpg\" alt=\"hectographtransfer\" width=\"592\" height=\"434\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectographtransfer.jpg 685w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectographtransfer-300x220.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 592px) 100vw, 592px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2392\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The master copy on transfer paper getting placed face down onto the gelatin surface.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2397\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2397\" style=\"width: 432px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectograph.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2397\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/hectograph.gif\" alt=\"hectograph\" width=\"432\" height=\"243\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2397\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pulling off a print<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Look at this awesome gif that Colleen made of pulling up a print off the hectograph <a href=\"http:\/\/uispeccoll.tumblr.com\/post\/54936079922\/the-zine-librarian-un-conference-is-this\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2391\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2391\" style=\"width: 614px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/IMG_1403.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-2391\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/IMG_1403.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_1403\" width=\"614\" height=\"410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/IMG_1403.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/files\/2013\/07\/IMG_1403-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 614px) 100vw, 614px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2391\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Here&#8217;s a sweet pile of prints we pulled from the hectograph!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This past weekend, the Zine Librarian (un)Conference happened here in Iowa City!&nbsp; Amongst the lively discussions and seminars was a Historical Zine Making Technologies Workshop demonstrating and using obsolescent printing techniques including hectography, spirit duplication, and mimeography. You may be asking yourself, at this point, what the heck a hectograph is&#8230;and we&#8217;re here to show<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/2013\/07\/16\/what-the-hectograph\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">&#8220;What the Hectograph?!?!&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,500],"tags":[210,77,78,75,211,76,212],"syndication":[435],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2355"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2355"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6221,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2355\/revisions\/6221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2355"},{"taxonomy":"syndication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/syndication?post=2355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}