First, we have to apologize for the lack of posts but we have been swamped with print jobs these past few weeks. We have a few exciting posts planned for the next week so stay tuned for more information on that. Getting down to business, we posted last week about two small presses that we have for sale and finally got everything together today to photograph the larger press. This press is a Kelsey Excelsior 5×8 letterpress in great condition. Above is a photo of the press and accessories which include a wide variety of wooden furniture (a lot more furniture not shown), many quoins and a key, one chase, a variety of type (not shown), two rollers (need to be recovered) and metal trucks in a wooden box (not shown), and 3 galley trays.
Here are some more photos of the accessories and close-up shots of the press:
As you can see from the photos, the press is in great condition and is ready to be used. The platen, chase, ink disk, and press bed are all smooth and free from defects and rust. The press comes with one fully functioning gripper arm, unfortunately one of the arms must have been lost by the original owner. While this press can be shipped we will give preference to those who can pick it up in Ithaca, NY or Long Island. Please contact us with an offer for the press and accessories as a set.
This is a set of 36pt and 54pt sans serif lead type (caps only) that we are selling. We are quickly running out of space in the studio and would be happy to see this type go to a good home.
In the upcomming weeks we will be posting more type and letterpress accessories for sale which includes individual cases, type ranging in size from 8pt to 72pt+, and several type cabinets. In addition to the lead type, we have a full cabinet of wood type ranging from 2″ to 10″+ in size. If you are interested in purchasing any of this, contact us directly via phone or email. We will be posting the items bit by bit to a special section of the blog, which you can access here: Letterpress Stuff For Sale.
The title is pretty strange but as odd as it seems it’s very true. I had some type that was cast “shallow” and when printing on really soft paper it was actually printing the lead as well as the type. I know you all might be thinking ; I have to adjust my rails, I am over inking, etc etc, but that wasn’t the case because it just happened to be the letter “h” in this particular set of type (10 pt. Lydian and the defect in the type was obvious). To solve this problem, I used a nail file to actually shave down the part of the lead that was uneven and it turned out to be a perfect solution (warning: be careful because it is easy to damage the type). You can use sand paper, but I like the stiffness of a nail file and frankly I think it works a whole lot easier. Plus nail files come in different diameters and shapes so im sure you can find the right one for the job. Pictures below will show the print before and after the filing.
BEFORE FILING
AFTER FILING
