Hi Christina! Don’t you love your Pilot? I love mine! I use sewing machine oil. It’s not “eco-friendly” but it is light and doesn’t get too stinky or gooey. I use kitchen vegetable oil for cleaning up ink disk and rollers (plus a final wipe with odorless mineral spirits), but I don’t think vegetable oil would hold up as a lubricant on cast iron and steel. Would be interested to know what you find!
-Dee
LuckyDogs LetterPress

Hi Karly,
Not sure this is quite what you want but here is my experience.

I decided to make a traveling kit for a 3×5 Kelsey. I got a big plastic box on wheels, the kind you see at airports, that pro photographers use. It is much more protective than the wheeled craft or sewing machine carts. I got it used on ebay. I rearranged the foam (some include industrial foam, some don’t) to pack the press really well, and made little areas for ink, cleaners, chases, etc. It is very heavy, but I don’t worry about cracking the cast iron.

I have also seen a custom-made locking-wheeled wooden box. The press, attached to a base, goes straight down into the box for moving. You can also use the box as a low platform (kids can reach it better) if the wood and design of the lid is strong enough. If the locking wheels are industrial-grade, not craft grade, they are very stable (look for weight ratings). I’m just not handy for making something like that.

In my studio I have ULine industrial wire shelving with 5in locking wheels, 36in poles. It is very easy to move my Pilot on its 24x24in shelf, set to the perfect height for me. Also not cheap, but I have to be able to move things around.

Good luck! -Dee
http://www.luckydogsletterpress.com

Hi Harold,

I took a letterpress class from Nathan Atkinson, lifelong printer, at San Francisco City College and his course material included the following:

• calculate 3% spoilage for each run through the press, including for scoring or perforating (that’s 3% of the total number of prints you want to have in the end)

also he advises:

• all cuts must follow the same grain (don’t be tempted to turn the paper just to get more out of a sheet)

In my own experience as a newbie with a rather worn down tabletop press, my spoilage is more like 5%. 

Best regards, -Dee 

I agree with Bill. Restoration is tricky. Some hands-on experience will guide you. If you can find a local letterpress shop, museum, art/trade school, or letterpress/book arts community that has presses, they can be of immense help to you in learning what press you really enjoy and can use. 

Also consider a larger press, these little ones are very sweet (I have one and am fond of it) but you won’t be able to do more than a small 1.5 – 2 inch size print, and that can become frustrating. A larger tabletop, restored press with fresh rollers will give you a better learning experience and more enjoyment. 

-Dee

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