Ooh, excellent question (and I don’t mind at all!).  I’d love to hear about the little things that inspire you–what makes you get up every morning and print. Kelly

I have cleaned drawers (without type) in the bathtub. You can use a bit of Murphy’s Oil Soap, a scrubby, let it dry in the sun and the put some orange oil on it. I don’t know if this is the “right” way to do it, it is just the way I have done it. I will be watching to see what others do. good question.

Thanks Jessica, and Val! I’m bringing my own 5×8 (so I’m familiar with it’s setup) and will definitely be talking about limitations and abilities! Cheers,Kelly

Quick thought Samantha- you might want to make sure that the springs on your roller arms are well greased and there’s no grit or dirt stuck in there- it sounds like the roller arms are not sliding properly. You might need to take out the pins holding the springs (if you’re comfortable doing it) and give all the pieces a good cleaning, grease them…[Read more]

The limitations of smaller presses- in the classes I’ve taught people are expecting to print full chases of type or cuts with a deep impression. How to get the best print by working with the press’s abilities!

If your cases are just a little dusty, you can vacuum them out with a brush attatchment or just dump them over on some grass a few times. Dirtier, see below.To clean cases with type in them, you can take a piece of window screen (fine mesh) and secure it over the top of the vacuum cleaner wand (take off the attatchments and rubber band it right…[Read more]

Kelly – I have a Kelsey 5×8, and so does Asheville BookWorks. Let me know if it would be helpful to have these two set up for your demo.

Thanks, Samantha!  I’ve only got 45-minute sessions, so there’s so much to cover–but this is a good start. Keep your questions coming!Kelly

Oh gosh, I literally have a running list going in my studio of things I wanted to ask at this panel. As a presslady working exclusively on a Pilot, I’m looking forward to it so much!I think I would cover leveling the platen. From past (frustrating) experience, I know it is a huge deal and makes such an enormous difference in every aspect of the…[Read more]

How would you compare the quality on the composition rollers versus the rubber ones? I had not heard of this company before and I am interested to see what the difference is.  

Hi Steph,I am in a similar boat and was wondering if you had gotten in contact with anyone to help teach you the ins and outs of the letterpress? I’m looking to learn on a tabletop press. Thanks! Jill

 Bunny,It looks to be a nice press. I don’t see rollers, trucks, grippers, or gripper rod assembly. Do you have any more photos? The paint should be okay, on the platen could be of concern…it might chip off and cause unlevel areas, the thickness of the paint will definitely change the height of your .918 type high base/type/cut. “The screws” ar…[Read more]

Do you have a source to purchase Gans Nature Wash?

Agreed — im fine with that! Now we need to find a few more participants…