Wanted to see if I could recreate the old style printing press blocks.

I missed this earlier. It's really good. Did you use a photo texture for the metal?

Nice job

I used a copper texture I created forever ago and a copper texture I found online at some point in time. Mine was far too bright and the other was far too dull and Colors / Curves was washing out the mid-tones so I used both. It's not a complicated effect but there's always an issue with perspective when viewing 3D objects at a perpendicular. The letters either look raised or carved depending on the angle of view.