Category: letterpress
Leveling the Platen
Having now tested the platen alignment with John Falstrom’s gauge and email support, and tested it also by placing 48pt type in each corner (the o on the top “TO” didn’t even show up!) , I’m convinced my platen isn’t level. I sure do appreciate the online help, too (thanks Stuart!) One more thing about the “o”… the lockup on the form was not good, so that’s probably some of the trouble. But using this and the test from the other day, it all makes sense.
So, I’m going in. Tools-check. Confidence-um, no.
Problem Solving
The images are terrible, but I’m excited about the progress. Photo 1, no packing. Photo 2, heavy packing on the first line, Photo 3, light packing on the first line, Photo 4, light packing on the top line and two runs through the press.
It’s not perfect, but we’re getting there.
“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald
Press Update
So, here’s the thing. Figuring out why something is or isn’t printing well on a press is difficult. I am posting my progress so anyone interested can learn from my mistakes!
I’ve already realized one problem with this update– I changed the ink from yesterday’s series of photos. Instead of using the same black, I switched to brown. I have no idea if that’s part of the problem, but here’s what I have so far. The photo on the left is printed on the proof press, hand-inked. Other than a nick in the “O” it’s not bad. On the right, the chase in the Pearl. Centered correctly? I’m not sure.
On the bottom left, the print showing less ink than when I hand-inked but also it fades toward the bottom. When I reverse the chase, it fades on the bottom again. Does this indicate a platen out of alignment? Perhaps but it was just adjusted recently. I did take the press on a long car trip after that, so hmmmm.
Anyone want to weigh in on this? :) How am I doing @Emily?
#letterpress
Edited: Ah, just heard from John Falstrom, the man I bought the press from. He suggested I remove the tape from the rails, since it was placed there for the old rollers. Mine are new and may not need it. Sounds right to me! Thanks, John.
Trying out the Golding
The new rollers arrived for the tabletop press I picked up this summer, and though I am not too familiar with how to use one, I decided to jump in:
I felt like I was on the right track, and even printed one card with the word “hope.”
But then things started to go downhill. I have several magnesium cuts, so I tried printing one of those. If you look closely, you can see spots where the ink isn’t covering well.
Next I tried a line of a cut, thinking that the one above was too big for the press (5×8). The line didn’t work well either :(
Finally, I set some type– and as you can see– disaster
Well, maybe disaster is too strong. But the ink isn’t covering well. And from what I understand, this can be for a multitude of reasons. So I need to tackle them one by one. I’m excited, actually. I love problem solving:)
1) too much ink? too little ink? 2) type from different families needs “make-ready”? 3) paper? 4) roller adjustment? 5) ink on cut after cleaning with mineral spirits?
Instead of jumping around, I am going to start with one line of set type using my Caslon with one kind of paper. If I can make that work, I’ll go to a cut and work with that until I have success.
Despite the issues yesterday, I had so much fun sharing my experiences-the successes and failures– with people who visited our studio for First Friday. My partner, Elizabeth, actually had to drag me out–and that’s unusual. So, onward. More posts to come….