The Sigwalt press we recently bought was dirty, the paint was chipped and worn thin in places, and there were a few spots of rust as well. It also had no roller trucks and the gripper spring was bent out…
Category: Printing presses
Quick Roller Diameter Gauge
In letterpress printing it is often necessary to check the diameter of various rollers in the press. In general the rollers that transfer ink eventually to the forme have to be of a consistent diameter so that the ink is…
Our New Baby!
Through a Kijiji ad, we found that the Goodwill store in London ON had a small press for sale. We finally had to chance to go have a look at it (it helped that the London Lee Valley store was…
Challenge Proof Press Lockup Bar Working
My previous post described my confusion as to how the lockup bar for my Challenge proof press works. As I mentioned in a comment to that post, I found my answer online in US patent number 3288062 which shows how…
Challenge Proof Press Lockup Bar
One part of my Challenge MA15 proof press that I cannot figure out is the lockup bar, used as a quick way of clamping the type in position on the bed. The bar has a locking lever which turns an…
Rubber feet for the Challenge Proof Press
Proof presses are subjected to a lot of sideways forces when used, caused by the carriage hitting its stops at either end of its stroke. These can be reduced by slowing down near the end of the stroke, but there…
Putting a back on the Challenge Proof Press
When I got this press earlier this year, I printed off a nice copy of the instructions. Challenge Machinery still exists, and their web site is quite useful in that they seem to be trying their best to have manuals…
Last week’s time suck
Last week was March Break, and Audrey and Lily flew to Calgary to visit Granny. I took the opportunity to do a few home improvement projects (replacing a bathroom sink, putting up a knife holder in the kitchen, and installing…
A New (to us) Press
Last Friday we picked up our newest press, a Challenge MA15 Proof Press S/N 5338. This model was a copy of the popular Vandercook SP15 press, which Challenge eventually had to stop selling because of issues of patent infringement. We…
Cleaning the Thompson Ink Fountain Completed
After getting all the parts cleaned on the ink fountain for my Thompson press, I painted the cover and the main casting. I was going to use semi-gloss black, but the flat black I tried seemed to have enough of…
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