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Covid Project #23456! $100 Printing Press
Another crazy covid project for you! Right before lockdown I made a couple of very small woodcuts at a friend's craft group (IQC peeps I miss you so!) More recently, a printmaking lesson with a mentor in Canada via video (thanks Ted Fullerton!) made me hanker for working larger. And I wanted a press! After researching printing presses, I discovered that a used one in the size I desired (~24" wide x unlimited length) would set me back thousands of dollars plus freight. 
Eek.
Eek.So, I built my own. For under $100. 
1.) I salvaged parts from an antique coffee grinder, some automotive fasteners, and this decrepit 30" wide industrial size laundry wringer from circa 1880.
We had one of these wringers when I was a child - an ancient, barely electric one attached to the washing machine. Terrified and fascinated by it, I dreaded being asked to load the wringer. It lived in the basement and I still dream of it some nights...
2.) I took everything apart, and after brushing off the dirt and rust, each piece was lovingly cleaned to a polish by hands with nothing better to do. 
3.) Sets of bearings getting ready for re-greasing! you can see how grungy the wringer parts were... over a century of crud to deal with.
I cannot express how oddly satisfying this activity was for me. Bearings that would not budge now ring merrily all the way around the girdle!
4.) Here are some parts that have been de-rusted, cleaned, ancient paint removed to the bone!, wrapped for primer seal and repainting... in RED!
5.) After making a fresh top for the press out of the antique wood, I cobbled everything together and ran evaluations and calibrations - using a test press bed made of repurposed mail packaging and coroplast - so that I could fabricate a final press bed of plywood and sheet metal.
6.) To give an idea of scale, here are two of the xs woodcuts I mentioned above, on the temp press bed. Size, baby!
7.) Now to test the press: I took one of my feline watercolours and drew it on a piece of birch. Then using my chisels, I carved for 16 hours...
8.) Next: ink on a plate of glass...
9.) ... roll it on the woodcut with the brayer...
10.) cover with test paper...
11.)...cover with a press blanket (I made mine from an old wool blanket) - this helps the press to squish the ink into the paper without the rollers damaging the back of it
12.) run it through the press using the crank handle to move the press bed through the rollers ... then peel and squeeeee! it works!!
13.) first test print 
PHEW.... so glad it works. I look forward to making more wood cut goodness!
PHEW.... so glad it works. I look forward to making more wood cut goodness!As always, thanks for looking.
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