Moving Day!!

I was an excited bundle of nerves during the very early morning drive to Montmorency to finally pick up my new presses. Bill was already there setting up his truck and we didn't have to do much but watch him in action. He was amazing. He knew exactly what to do and put which ropes where and I couldn't have been happier with how the move went. I must admit, seeing the presses in the air does fill you with a sense of dread and I was holding my breath until they made it safely on the truck bed. But made it safely they did and it took less than an hour to put two very heavy presses on the back of one truck.

Getting the presses off the truck at the other end was another matter... I always knew it was going to be tough and I was probably in fantasy land thinking the Samson would just glide into our spare room.

I live in a semi-detached terrace, the ones that look tiny on the outside, but the hallway goes for miles. Bill looked at the press. He looked at the doorway. He looked at me and clearly thought I was crazy. Off came the flywheel. Bolts that hadn't been touched in centuries, were taken out and dropped on the lawn to make way for the crankshaft removal. The press was then lifted over our picket fence and extended partway down the hallway. Having a massive crane arm going through your front door is somewhat unnerving. Having a 700lb press dangling over your landlords' hardwood floors is downright scary.

But Bill managed it and it is now sitting very prettily in the work in progress we call a studio. The crankshaft and flywheel went on as easily as they came off.

The C&P was waiting patiently on the truck until her turn came to come down. As the C&P is approx 1500lbs, she has to stay outside.

So now I have 2 vintage presses sharing my little house. I spent most of the day preparing the C&P for the cold. As she hasn't been used in a long time, she was crying out for oil and she was quite rusty due to her outside living conditions. I scoured off the worst of it using a lemon and vinegar solution and WD40'd every available surface area. I didn't want to remove too much built up grime as this will only protect her during the wet/dry/hot/cold weather than can change hourly here in Melbourne. Not ideal, but she is currently under a tarp at the moment until the hubby makes good on his promise to build a room around her.

The Samson is in good condition, but quite a bit of grime. Dusty sheds and oily parts make for some pretty interesting fluff bunnies. This will be removed in stages as I think I have inhaled enough WD40 to last me a lifetime today.

Along with the press, I was given a whole heap of type, furniture and quoins. It never ceases to amaze me at how small the letters can go. It will take me a month of Sunday's to go through all that type!

I tested the Samson with some coasterboard I had lying around and a make ready that was already in the chase. I must say, wow! The impression (no ink yet) is really deep and lovely. Can't wait to try it with ink and some gorgeous lettra once we clean her up.


Kxx

Waiting.... waiting... waiting...

The hardest thing about buying an antique printing press (after having actually found one, that is) is the art of moving of it. They are pretty tough machines, but really, after being around for centuries do you really want to be the one who destroys it by dropping it off the side of a trailer? There are only a handful of professionals who are able to move these giant monoliths of machinery. And they are expensive, often abrupt and grumpy old men that don't quite appreciate your enthusiastic calls of 'Hi, remember me? You didn't call me back' I am still waiting on one guy to call me back in 5 minutes. That was two and a half weeks ago!

So I managed to secure a guy this weekend. For an early pick up on Sunday. I am keeping everything crossed that this actually happens and he turns up when he is meant to.

Two presses to move, one going in the carport the other going in our spare room. I am hoping the flywheel is relatively easy to remove of the samson so it can fit through the door. If not, I will have to rethink my whole setup

As I purchased these presses over a month ago, I would like to have them and start working on bringing the C&P up to scratch and familiarising myself with how they work without losing a finger. I am still waiting on my ink, paper and plates from the US and about to put in an order for more paper. So much paper. I just feel like I am floundering at the moment. Not really going forward, not going back exactly. Just in printing limbo land. Waiting. And getting more impatient by the second.

In the meantime I have purchased a guillotine. An Ideal 3905 manual guillotine that I got off eBay. They are a great brand and have nothing but praise written about them. I would have loved an electric guillotine, rather than the push down lever, but unfortunately I don't have a spare 2.5K to spend. But at least this way I can give up my gym membership and still get amazing Madonna arms!

I am picking the guillo up on Saturday and will put it to good use right away as I want to tackle edge painting this weekend.

So many different methods are out there and there is a bit of a secret printers business surrounding the actual method. From what I have researched and managed to get out of people, a spray method is the best. First step is crisp, even cut stacks of paper. Enter the Guillotine.

Kxx