I’ve been busy lately dealing with various things related to the article for CQ magazine, but I’ve finally finished it and have some free time. This weekend I’m going to prepare for the exhibit at the National Deaf-Blind Convention in October (a little bit far away…). The reason I’m doing it so soon is because I can’t find a printer that can display Morse code with a tactile feel.
What I’m going to make is a list of the first six words of Morse code to learn in print, braille, and embossed Morse code. If you were to preface your list with “simple conversation in Morse,” what would you choose?
1. Hello/Good afternoon (GA –･ ･-)
2. Thank you (TU – ･･-)
3. Goodbye (V+A ･･･-･-)
These are pretty reasonable. The remaining three choices will be different by person. I chose the following three this time.
4. Roger,Okay (R ･ー･): This is often used in normal telegraphic communication. I think the next one is unique to the deaf-blind, and that is,
5. Wait a moment (A+S ･ー・・・): Deaf-blind people who can “talk” communicate with each other by joining their hands together and using “finger braille” or “tactile sign language”. Therefore, if you let go of your hands, it’s the same as when the other person on the phone goes silent and you say “hello?”, but the deaf-blind person cannot ask “hello?”. Therefore, while interacting with a deaf-blind person, you need to be constantly touching somewhere on his/her body. However, when communicating face-to-face or remotely (via the internet or wireless), as in this case, not touching means you’re in standby, so I think it is necessary to have some kind of sign ready to say “I’m going to leave this conversation awhile” That’s “･ー・・・”.
6. Hi (laughter…): This code is used casually in everyday telegraphs, but when I think about it, it’s impressive how well our predecessor made it (although you could say it was made because it was necessary). It’s not just used to express humor, but also to emphasize affirmation, to make self-deprecating comments, and is used in various ways depending on the time, place, and context, but it’s basically a positive expression of emotion. So I thought it was a good idea to start by making it.
These six are displayed as a set of “ink (type) – Braille – Morse code with embossed markings” and you’re done. Use 100-yen postcard paper for the backing, print the text with a printer, stamp the Braille corresponding to the words on clear tape with a portable Braille device and paste it down, and draw the Morse code part with wood glue.
Braille printers are very expensive. I’ve tried using tape writers, wooden sticks, and even a 3doodle pen, but in the end, it seems that handwriting with wood glue is the best for mass production. Squeeze wood glue onto paper to create short and long dots, and draw raised lines and dots about 2mm thick. When it dries, it shrinks a little and creates a fairly neat, semi-cypress-shaped cross section.
Wood glue leaves a surprisingly long trail, so it takes skill to draw neat lines and dots. The fastening and forwarding feel a bit like calligraphy. This type of work requires concentration, so it’s a valuable time that allows me to forget about my worries and concerns.