Trying Out The Leroy Lettering Kit

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Information Trying Out The Leroy Lettering Kit

Title	:	Trying Out The Leroy Lettering Kit
Lasting	:	19.04
Date of publication	:
Views	:	101 rb

I used one in the 70's
Comment from : tihzho

Chuckle, I had one of these lettering sets and after about a week with it I decided it was a lot easier just to learn how to print The bow compass and pen you show were simple and useful devices
Comment from : Doug Thomson

MRP kitni hai
Comment from : Dev singh tomar 9149

We making it out twilight with this one ☝️
Comment from : Avi

The sound it would have made to have a room full of people using those quickly would have been so cool We have lost so many sounds that people never thought anyone would want to hear in the future
Comment from : Kim Von Ohsen (Baxley)

Dimana saya harus membelinya?, susah dicari 😢
Comment from : hasan pebondo

I recently acquired one of these (mine also came with multiple rapidograph nibs and holders), but I had no clue how it worked My father was an engineer, so I've long been a lover of drafting tools and materials; however, although I've used technical pens most of my life in my art, this kit was somewhat mysterious to me until I found your video Great tips about drafting pens and compasses too! Thank you! 😊
Comment from : Sheila Singhal

I love these gizmos Would this be used for drafting illustrations?
Comment from : Harry Morgan

Very interesting tool
Comment from : Trie Haryanto

"Designed for fast writing" Not to insult you but this comment gave me a chuckle brbrabout 30 years ago my brother and I used to do HVAC designs and plans by hand My brother had illegible hand writing, and as a result he bought a leroy lettering kit It was incredibly slow process I was faster with the tool but faster still using freehand lettering As soon as I could purchase autocad and a pen plotter I jumped at the chance Somewhere I have this tucked in a drawer along with some slide rules and other tools to pull out in the post apocalypse
Comment from : John Furr

Hi Fran, thank you for this video Clearly it’s not your first rodeo on that scriber! I ran out and got one… WHAT a mess I made! Hoping it improves brbrHOWEVER… I miss much of your video without CC I can’t watch your others either without it 🙁
Comment from : Jack Wyatt

Torture
Comment from : Sabuhi Gulusoy

Used this when worked at Stanford physics lablong, long ago We drew out labels on a mat mylar, photod it and made silk screens for larger process runslong, long ago
Comment from : Bruce Anderson

What does CL mean?
Comment from : Paul Kenjo Pedraza

My family just found one of these in storage! Pokin' round the nets I find this video, and it's none other than FRAN! Already a fan Cool
Comment from : JK

I used the tape trick to do ink work especially on thicker triangles but while working for a new place came across an odd but extremely simple device to dimple template like for doing circles It raised the template up so ink wouldn't bleed and could flip template over for pencil work Brought in all my templates from home and dimpled them all
Comment from : orbsphere

Haven’t used one of those since 1992; thanks for bringing back good memories!
Comment from : Pete’s Guide

I used this to make charts when I worked for Northrup I found one a few years ago I should try it again I takes a lot of practice We used vellum with rubber cement
Comment from : keepcalmmom

Thanks for the demo
Comment from : Cardboard Bots

Good job I'm a retired tool and die maker and learned the Leroy from a Disney background artist way back in 1969
Comment from : Gale Wollenberg

THANK YOU! I just found a complete lettering set at a thrift store and just had to get it! Knowing how to use it will somewhat justify the odd purchase, now I have to try using it xD
Comment from : Jack Gamboa

I have one of those larger bendy compasses, and the pencil tip hold can be replace with a ruling pen tip
Comment from : TesserId

I saw these used in drafting class (didn't get to try it myself) You nailed that first letter, lifting the pen between strokes Very nice I wonder if anybody is teaching the the letter spacing rules we were taught One wants to keep the mass/volume of white-space between the letters of approximately equal area, in order to avoid letters from being crowded Modern fonts should do that automatically (I think) For example, "HB" vs "C3" vs "Tj" C followed by 3 has a lot of open space already, so they should be squeezed together to consume some of that space With the font that I'm typing with, he T followed by the j seems to do a good job of that But the H and B should have space added to push those vertical lines apart a bit, so they don't look crowded Yet the font I'm seeing now doesn't seem to care about that Let's try "HIB" Well, the proportional spacing is managing to keep the space on either side the I equal, but it still seems crowded to me I wonder if serifs would matter
Comment from : TesserId

Even the finest Rapidograph pen has the wire down the center of the tube (as fine as an acupuncture needle, fragile) On the thinner nibs, it facilitates the flow of ink The wire is not fixed and floats up and down as the pen is pressed to the paper, thus ensuring that ink will always flow
Comment from : TesserId

Looked at the video to get an idea on how the system works Found a wrico at a thrift store for $15 that appears complete with extras and with instructions It's well used but cared for It does standard vertical, italic, standard slant as well as 60 degree isometric left and right from the same guides The pencil was still mounted so I could play with it right away Thanks for posting
Comment from : strayblackcatsmeow

Wow if this video was able to watch at 1998 … amazing video 💯
Comment from : supershotgun Gaming

Neat, thanks for the demonstration!
Comment from : Jess Lindgren

Right, I'm late to the party, as always, but regarding this lettering, I eventually found out that the Gottlieb pinball schematics were using this typeface It was a mixture of handheld and this, which made up for very elegant and legible documents It took me a fair amount of time to find that this existed As far as I know, this isn't super common on this side of the pond Great video!
Comment from : piotr0r

I have been looking for a Staedtler CL80 letter guide for several years now to complete my lettering set There are a lot of K&E but very few Rotring and Staedtler sets
Comment from : DrewProductions

Adjusting the arm gives an industry standard 225 degree italic slant Leroy was used in drafting and was also used in lettering comics and comic books!
Comment from : Dennis Loudermilk

All of those pens should have an ink flow regulating "pin" in them I've used this set for years Still use it on special projects Do a lot of wood working and if I need letters or numbers on a game or whatever, nothing beats the Leroy! The tick marks across the bottom of the template is for lining up the letters and letter spacing
Comment from : Dennis Loudermilk

In college I worked for the USGS We used these for all the lettering on our maps
Comment from : David Sandy

The pin inside the ink reservoir acts like a valve When it contacts the surface, it opens the flow for the ink This is the same approach as in a technical drafting pen
Comment from : David Sandy

Squa Tront!brThis lettering system was used by EC Comics in the early 1950s Like most comics of the era, everything was hand lettered, and this allowed for more uniform lettering at a faster pace brbrOnce MAD transitioned to a magazine format, they used machine lettering for dialogue balloons
Comment from : Torsten Adair

That would go great with my drafting setup I will be on the lookout for some
Comment from : All Things M3

This is the kind of tool that i would love to have but would probably never have a real use for, but it would still be fun :D
Comment from : Alex Stone

I have this exact kit I got from my dad, a civil engineer '74 to present Very cool thing though somewhat tedious in application brbrHe has more than once lamented that "back in the'70s you'd give your left nut to get your hands on one of those"
Comment from : Gname Wname

I have the Leroy set that I used in making hundreds of electrical, electronic and mechanical drawings I never took drafting but I could do the lettering and the other aspects of a drawing as good as any professional I got the skills from an engineer who used hypnosis to embed the skills into my memory I have not forgotten how to draft after 40 years
Comment from : Brad

I messed up big time not grabbing the one at my local flea market I'm heading over as soon as it opens to see if they still have it
Comment from : Rebecca Siler

Kinda look like Hershey Database characters! My dad had a rapidograph system
Comment from : Geoffrey Waldo

Thanks, great video,any advice on where I can get one of this to buy?
Comment from : KOMAL MAHADEO

Hi Fran, my father was a Civil Engineer & surveyor He had lots of drafting items I was able to inherit most of them I didn't follow along his profession I studied Criminology
Comment from : Lionel USA🇺🇲

Great memory jog from drafting class back in the 1970's Thanks
Comment from : delzinga06

Not sure if you’re still monitoring this channel but I have a question: I just recently purchased an old unitech lettering set - and some of those needle valve things are bent or missing Is there anything I can use as a replacement? Or any way to replace these items?
Comment from : g B

Are they still available in the market?
Comment from : minimalist

My experience with the LeRoy lettering set dates to the late 50s when I took drafting in junior high where we had to mark the spacing for the letters Most of my other drafting classes required hand lettering though
Comment from : John Cooper

I am finally getting into making visual art, after 40 years using mostly sound for art My father was a draftsman, so I have a deep love of drafting tools, especially templates I picked one of these up at a yard sale years ago You have inspired me to drag it out Thanks You are interested in all kinds of cool stuff
Comment from : MisterNiles

What pen are you using
Comment from : jose rizal

I use Leroy’s back in college, brings back memories ☺️
Comment from : tarub tatub

13:44 An Ames lettering guide
Comment from : Jerry Spann

Those look like rapidograpgh valve tips that screw into a core that screws into a pen barrel A needle inside the syringe pushes up a weight that dispenses the ink in the right measurement on the printing surface
Comment from : Gary Goldstein

Used a Leroy a lot back in the day It takes a little practice but you get used to it and it's easy All of the nibs, even the smallest, should have the needle in them The needle regulates the ink flow I still have mine and use occasionally just for old-times sake It's important to match the nib size to the letter size
Comment from : smokeynewton

In the mid 80 I really wanted one but at that time in Australia they were about a months salary
Comment from : Simon Edwards

Boy does this vid bring back memories I used one of those for about 15 years lettering geological descriptions onto well logs The memories are of sore necks and red weepy eyes and really pretty looking geological logsdon't miss it though Gimme my laptop with logging software anyday
Comment from : Stephen Walton

I have one if those bought in 1974 ,except it a plastic box and with rapidograph type pens
Comment from : Ramon Perez

Nice I did a lot of freelance drafting way back when, but never used a Leroy It’s funny watching this now because Mad Magazine ended its newsstand run in 2019 Until the advent of desktop publishing the letrerers at Mad used the Leroy In fact it goes all the way back to their EC horror/sci-fi comics of the 1950s Publisher Bill Gaines didn’t like hand lettering, coupled to the fact that there’s a lot of dialog, thought balloons and narration in an EC comic Gaines wanted you to be able to read it clearly
Comment from : StevenSmyth

@ 15:59 a straight line is a straight line no matter how it’s done A perfect copy is a perfect copy no matter how it’s done as well I knew something like this must exist but had not seen one used So Thank you for demonstrating Edit I noticed your hands here and this was 3 years ago I’ve also watched your newest videos Don’t worry about it Also people cannot read my handwriting because I’m just bad at it 😂 I need one if I plan on anyone besides me reading it Just imagine people finding something I wrote 500 years from now and wondering if it’s some ancient language 😆
Comment from : wilfred payne

Aww I heard a damn it Demonetized Cancel franlab Lol
Comment from : wilfred payne

Wish I'd been aware of the existence of these back in the 80's, I really could've cornered my school's fake ID racket! (We didn't have a Technical Drawing class when I was there)br Actually, I'm surprised the Letraset people didn't 'make them an offer they couldn't refuse'!
Comment from : Barry Holt

To ink most properly, you avoid retracing anything already inked You can also work faster if every line and curve is only inked once
Comment from : Charles Kinzer

I used one of these sets quite a few times when at the Navy's transmitter site at MIdway Island Long before I arrived somebody had started the practice of putting all maintenance and operation manuals (transmitters, test equipment, whatever) in a type of binder that assembled such that it had a white heavy cardstock spine covered with clear acetate The Leroy set was used to make professional looking lettering on the spine So it was easy to read what was on the shelves of the library and also recognize when one of these binders was left laying around loose at the site As you might guess, good control and access to such documentation is key to troubleshooting, maintenance, and training operators And the little pin should always be used as that helps control the ink flow, just like in Rapidograph pens and the like
Comment from : Charles Kinzer

Thank you for showing this Fran, I use CAD for Architecture and Design work and can not imagine the time this used to take to do this
Comment from : Brett Schiewe

The reed pen demo was perfect, they ARE that hard to use Super precise when you learn how, tho
Comment from : Doug Wray

SWEET!!!!!!!!!! I had a few parts of an old set and would love to have a full one again!
Comment from : Doug Wray

T/Y for sharing this Fran, this is KOOL!
Comment from : Greg & Maggie Lipscomb

Thanks for the demo I come from the generation that learned drafting by hand I wondered how the pitch was controlled Looks to me like you need some more practice Fran Just teasing Very cool, wish I had this device in grade school Bob
Comment from : Robert Heim

My dad was a draftsman who retired in the 80s to run a hunting and fishing camp I remember him using these devices
Comment from : GhastlyH

That is one cool tool and it seems to be a lot of fun playing with
Comment from : Prestonesfpv

That take me back to my board drawing days of the late 60s and 70s
Comment from : J Douglas Sizemore

I have no use for any of this, but I want all of it
Comment from : tehlaser

I actually used one of these when I worked for a planetarium/science museumbrbrbrbrHere's a Techie Challenge for you!brbrThe Victor Electro-Writer was a device with a pen on a pantograph, but connected to servos The position of the pen on the 6"x 6" writing space was encoded into tones for transmission over the phone linesbrbrWhen you connected them by modem, you could write on one, and the other one would (was supposed to) duplicate the writing motions remotely The intention was to project the remote one at another site while listening to a lecture so the remote classroom could see the notes and diagrams the lecturer drew brbrIt transmitted the pairs of tones over the modem that were decoded into pen positions at the remote unit(s) It could be used 1 - to - many so that on a conference call, the notes taken at one site could be replicated at several other sitesbrbrWhen I was in high school (1969-70) they got a bunch of them for the schools around the state brbrBeing one of the A-V Nerds they sent me to the 1-week maintenance training brbrFrankly, it was a hunk of junk The remote was subject to noise on the phone line so the reproduction was poor; I called it the Electro-scribbler Ink would dry up and clog the feed to the nib, and the paper would smear The remote result was often totally illegiblebrbrIt's hard to find any reference to it anywhere-- I think Victor corp decided to play it down
Comment from : Bob West

Old memories I used these on two different jobs and enjoyed it
Comment from : Sundown Jim

Awesome! Thank for sharing Fran! 👍👍💛
Comment from : hadi

My great uncle worked for rr donnely and had a set of these spelling
Comment from : 1683clifton

Stop trying to make me long for archaic drafting pens! lol just kidding, that was awesome
Comment from : 1683clifton

Many hours using leroy letter sets in the 60's
Comment from : Joe Rogers

My dad was an architectural draftsman In the 60s growing up he had an office at home with a big drafting table and all the tools, including his “Leroy” As a kid I would sit near him and watch him draw I remember watching him letter with the Leroy He could lay down those letters almost as fast and as and perfect as anyone could write by hand I remember it very well
Comment from : Marty Young

I have this set , just got it today
Comment from : Wally 1970

When I took mechanical drawing in high school (1963), I always got marked down for my sloppy lettering Not surprising, since anyone who has seen my handwriting asks if I am a doctor So I bought a small Leroy set and made my lettering “letter perfect” With a little practice, you can use it almost as quickly as hand lettering The sets also had a holder for pencil leads I’m a dinosaur because I still prefer a T-square and triangles to CAD
Comment from : Norman Morgan

Hello anyone know where i can buy that one now?
Comment from : Tester channel

What a palaver Stencil would be quicker Or just freehand the twat Generic fonts also, what is the point?
Comment from : Rici Underwood

These were designed by right handlers and I’m lefty but loved doing this for Bell Labs
Comment from : margaret parson

Because of your video Fran, I'm going to buy a Leroy Letter kit :))
Comment from : Dan Morris

How do you get the spacing? Is it something that you get with experience?
Comment from : Daryl Cheshire

I have a vintage wrico Any idea where I can find pens for it?
Comment from : Got Fuels Model Car Garage

inherited one eh my mother has some drawing tools, i think compasses are there, french curves definitely were
Comment from : Sulev-Madis Silber

Where i can buy this drawing instrument leroy set
Comment from : leonardo molarsr

The capilary pens will write on non porus surfaces also Practical uses are alchohol inks on plastics, ink on glass, thinned model paints on anything, Add text to painted control panels etc use your imagination Ultrasonically clean the pens with a mildly caustic soloution Get a Leroy pen set for more ink (the leroy pens fit the Bug (scriber))
Comment from : ridgecrestvideo

people before ptinters were made : ᕕ(TДT)ᕗbrpeople after printers have been made : ¯\_(ⱺᨎⱺ)_/¯
Comment from : 1998guys

Clearly not designed for lefties! (Lefty here)
Comment from : Adrienne Shepard

Fran playing dungeons and dragons might be a thing
Comment from : Raven Strahd

I used one of those through the 80's during high school drafting, and also on a job I once had working for a survey company doing oil well plats Mostly the Leroy was used to do lettering on mylar or non paper media only, drafting on paper you had to hand print with pencil Once you got used to using one you can letter almost as fast as you normally write, kind of like typing Looking back it was a fun experience Also, in the latter 80's the ink well tips were abandoned in lew of ink filled pens So less messy
Comment from : Brent Kirkley

Think I would've stuck to stencils
Comment from : dedsi

I'm getting ready to sell the house and cleaning accumulated junk over the years I found a LEROY in a box of stuff but no pens with it and most importantly no templates I think the best thing to do with this device is chuck it Thanks for the video as I now know what the heck it is :)
Comment from : Judson Spruce