ATF "Little Giant" Model 6
An automated cylinder
press. Prints between 2500 and 5000 impressions an hour with a maximum
sheet size of 12x18
inches. This press was made around 1942 in New Jersey and came
from Saint Theresa's Press - a cloistered Carmelite Monastery in New
Jersey.
Behind the press sits one of the double type cabinets, this one mostly
full of Garamond and Baskerville. On top is a cute little Kelsey 5x8
which is pretty much only useful for demonstrating the principles of
letterpress on the road and in schools.
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Vandercook 219 Old
Style
Cylinder
press, hand fed, maximum sheet size 19.75 x 26 inches and is an
impressive 10 feet 9 inches long from swing out feed boards to delivery
end. This press
was made in 1927 in Chicago and is pretty much one of the nicest
Vandercooks one could hope for. This is the press that is used
for most all the fine book work when the expensive paper needs a
bit of ink. It has the advantage of large diameter rollers and very
precise roller height adjustments. An added (improvised) piece of
equipment for this press is a 9x12 inch hot plate which allows me
to do foil stamping and male/female die embossing with 1/4 inch
dies.
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Chandler and Price Old Style 8x12 platen press, made
in 1909 originally equipped with a foot treadle.
Fitted with a pony fountain and driven by a motor with a variable
pulley system to control speed. This press inks up and cleans up
quickly making it perfect for short run jobs. A very versatile piece of
equipment. |
 Chandler
& Price Old Style Pilot press with a chase size of 6 1/2 x 10
inches. Perfect for apprentices and students to learn on as the print
mechanism is a lever pulled by hand.
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 In
this picture
is the Heidelberg Windmill. It is another automatic press that feeds
and delivers the paper during printing at similar speeds to the Little
Giant but will print rigid stock such as beer coasters and CD packaging
in addition to lighter stocks.
I'm getting rid of this one, it is too light weight and not versatile
enough for what I need a big platen press to do. |
 The
ink slab, a furniture rack, plate gauge, slug cutter and unseen to the
right would be the sink for cleaning up the human printer.
Another type cabinet sits behind the centrally located imposing stone. |
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