Metal Type Workshop

[Traveler]
Wow! The monks of Heungdeok Temple are making metal types here. Some 600 years later, you can finally inherit the world-class technology here. Let's observe closely and learn about the technology.

What would be the first thing to do when making a metal type? It is selecting the font. Just as we choose a font when writing a document on a computer, monks copied fonts from books or created new fonts. After deciding the font, the characters are individually written down on paper. What should we do next? Let's go to the left.

The second process consists in purifying the beeswax. The people squatting on the left are squeezing honey out of beehives to melt and collect beeswax. The melted beeswax is filtered through sieves and cleansed. But! Why is beeswax needed to make metal types? Let's walk further down and see the next process.

Let's look at the process of producing beeswax type matrices first. It looks like the three people dressed in white are making something out of melted beeswax. They are pouring it into a plate frame and making bars. Then, the characters from the first process are attached to the bars row by row, and the outer parts are trimmed with a knife. By cutting out each character from the bars, metal types are created, and then each individual metal type is fixed onto the end of the thick beeswax bars. Now, pturn around and see the completed beeswax bars.

People dressed in purple are working hard next to a big container of dirt. Those small things on the right of the container are beeswax bars. They are like fruits hanging from a thick branch. These beeswax bars will be completely wrapped in well kneaded dirt. They will then be shaped into round lumps of dirt, like the ones on the left of the container. Then, they'll be left to harden. The next process is shown on the left.

In this process, beeswax is heated and melted. This job is being carried out by those who are holding tongs in both hands. When melted beeswax is let out, the area where the characters were will be vacant. Then, boiling molten bronze is poured into mold. , As you can see, this job is being performed very cautiously by the man standing on the left of the furnace. Beeswax types are attached to the end of radial-shaped leaves to allow the molten bronze to flow completely fill the mold. And now the final process. Let’s move over a little bit?

The three men dressed in purple are hammering and sawing before a log. The person on the right is breaking soil lumps with a hammer, which suggests that the molten bronze has now completely cooled down. Now, the individual types have to be detached from the bronze character tree. This job is being done by the man in the middle who's holding a saw. The types are handed to the man on the left, who trims their shapes. Next, the metal types are carried to the printing room in containers with compartments to prevent them from being mixed with each other. This is the end of the process of making the types. Only the printing process is left. The workers in the printing room on the left are busy typesetting.

You can probably see the men in white and the men in grey. They are typesetting the types on a broad panel. First, the metal types should be arranged in order. And, if we melt some beeswax a little and spread it on the panel to fix the types, this secret process will prevent blotting. After the typesetting, finally, we start printing. Let's move on to see the next part of the work.

Now let's look at the process of printing and correcting the press. The process consists of applying ink to the types with a brush. A special ink, which adheres well to the metal, is used. After applying the ink, put Korean paper on the types and closely rub it. It may be an embarrassing story, but the best rubber was a large lock of human hair. After finishing the printing, they fill in any unpainted areas with a brush.

Now, the last process is to bind the printed books. In ancient times, no glue existed, so books were closely sewn with sturdy threads. Then, the cover of the book was dyed yellow with gardenia to protect against harmful insects; beeswax was applied to the cover to prevent it from being torn; and the previously introduced metal plate was pressed on the cover to create beautiful designs. Finally, a book has been completed! The ancient printing process requires unimaginably hard work and masses of time compared with these days when we can make electronic books with a smartphone alone. We are happy to be able to easily make, buy and read books today, aren't we?