Meet Preston!

Been keeping this on the "down-low" for a little while but I think its finally time to introduce Preston - my new bouncing baby letterpress! He was delivered to the garage on Friday the 6th, 2007. Preston is a 10x15 Chandler and Price letterpress, circa about 1924. And he's an absolutely magnificent piece of machinery! Not to mention he can do everything - print, emboss, perf, score, die cut, even foil stamp if I had the extra equipment. Here are some specs on Preston:

• weight - 1800lbs
• fly wheel 3 ft in diameter
• 10x15 chase (the size of the printable area)
• Motor can be run on 220 0r 110 - variable speed
• serial number C66534
  
• circa 1924
• Preston nickname courtesy of Paul
  

Friday Paul and I gave Preston a bath with degreaser - probably the first one he'd had in about 50 years; and gave him a good oiling - since he'd been left idle for three years. The motor is original (newest patent listed is 1917) - and still had half of the original wiring. On Sunday we bought and modified an extension cord to replace the sketchy part - which oddly enough wasn't the 1924 wiring - it was a newer addition - and then got brave enough to plug him in and fire up the motor. Preston worked like a charm - super smooth and quiet for any machine, let alone one that's 83.

The fellows from Mid-South Moving taking it off the truck Friday morning.

The front of Preston - "The Chandler & Price Co. Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.

Preston's serial number located on the chase bed - C66534

Here I am degreasing the flywheel. Paul and I took off the red cover that you see in the second picture, which was probably put on for safety regulations in whatever print shop it was located in.

This is the leather brake pad that stops the fly wheel.

Paul testing out the motor after we rewired the sketchy part Sunday afternoon.

The chase still had the last job that was run three years ago in it. (a door hanger) Here I'm loosening the quoin to remove the metal furniture and die cut block.