Well, we’re quite proud of our newest addition to our studio. However, it was not an easy transition, initially. You see, we purchased a Gordon 8×12 platen letterpress at the Los Angeles Printers Fair in late August and were immediately presented with several challenges.
The press arrived in good condition, however, it was rusty and needed a lot of cleanup. We both got pretty dirty oiling the press and getting it in order. The biggest bane for us was the throw off lever. For those of you who aren’t obsessed with letterpress printing, the throw off lever is basically the “on/off” switch for the press. While the press is powered by a flywheel and treadle, it’s the position of the throw off lever that determines whether the machine is going to print or not. However, once attached, the throw off lever never was working properly. It would wobble in and out of position and was very difficult to engage. We tried troubleshooting, but it was never quite right.
Finally, we decided to merely try printing with the new press, regardless of whatever the issue was with the throw off lever. We also tried to attach a treadle, but that was another headache. We made an attempt at removing the rod in the back of the press to attach a treadle, but metal caps on the inside of the press were painted in place making us very nervous to try any harder. So we quickly gave up on the foot treadle and decided to move on. Our clean machine was oiled and greased and moving much better now.
The rest should be easy, right? Again, more frustration. After some cursing and muscle flexing, we finally determined that the rollers we had didn’t fit this press. It was while struggling with the rollers that we both saw our biggest problem of all–a huge crack in the 2″ thick iron that holds part of the press together. Clearly, our efforts to move the throw off lever combined with the rust and age of this antique were to blame. We couldn’t believe that our new press was broken before we’d even had a chance to print!
Thankfully, our hero, Mark Barbour, executive director of the International Printers Museum, saved the day. He was able to find a Chandler and Price 8×12 platen press that was in slightly better condition than the Gordon. This press was built in 1889 and, in spite of the dirt and rust that burdoned it, it’s been in good working order from the beginning.
As it tradition, we gave a name to our newest letterpress. After much deliberating, we decided that the name “Mulligan” we suited this second chance of a press.