The examples in the post are made as an intentional artistic endeavour / test of skill. But there were also practical reasons why a printer would make art out of bent brass rules and typographical elements: engraving, lithography and woodcut production were specialized professions separate from printing.

Imagine you are a "Job Printer" who needs to create 1,000 restaurant menus for a flat fee. You could pay an engraver to create basic art. Or you could cut costs by making your own art with typographical elements already at your shop. The outcome could be good: https://jacobfilipp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/vol11-p55...